ATHENS — Georgia is playing a lot better now than it was when Kentucky visited Athens and left with a 57-44 victory more than a month ago.
The problem is that Kentucky is playing better, too.
The Wildcats (27-1, 14-0 SEC) had just been bestowed the nation’s No. 1 ranking when they came to Athens on Jan. 24 and proceeded to manhandle Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum. They haven’t lost since and certainly don’t plan to Thursday night as they play host to the Bulldogs at Rupp Arena.
“They’re better in probably every way,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said. “Offensively they appear to be playing extremely well together. Defensively they were dynamite before. They’re a team that can beat you so many different ways. This is a team in which you have a hard time finding any weakness.”
Georgia is coming off its best overall effort of the season. The Bulldogs (13-15, 4-10) shot 53 percent from the field and never trailed as they upset then-No. 12 Florida 76-62 on Saturday in Athens.
Kentucky coach John Calipari said he was extremely impressed with what he saw.
“They’re playing a lot differently than they were early in the year,” Calipari said. “They’re way more confident, and they’re shooting the ball extremely well. ...
“I told my staff today that what impresses me with other coaches is when, as the year goes on, they start adjusting to their team. They’re playing different, and [Fox] is getting results. I know we’re going to face an opponent who is ready to come in here and win.”
It’s not beyond the realm of possibility. In fact, the last team to defeat Kentucky at Rupp Arena was Georgia. On March 4, 2009, the Bulldogs went there with two SEC victories under interim coach Pete Herrmann — who had replaced Dennis Felton a month earlier — and shocked the Wildcats 90-85.
But that Kentucky team lost eight conference games. This one could lose every remaining game and not have that many defeats.
“Definitely. There’s no doubt about it, it can be done. I’ve been trying to tell the guys,” said Georgia senior guard Dustin Ware, the only current Bulldog who was a part of that ’09 team. “It’s not going to be easy. Kentucky’s a great team, been great all year. We’re going to have to play hard and play extremely well and do a lot of things well and have some things go our way. But you have to go in there knowing that we’re going to keep fighting and make it as much of a game as we can no matter what. That’s all you can do.
“If we could pull it out, I told the guys, there’s just no feeling like it to win in that atmosphere, in that historic of a venue. It’s something you’ll never forget.”
While Kentucky is playing for NCAA tournament seeding, Georgia is trying to save face during a rebuilding season. The Bulldogs can finish no higher than 10th in the SEC and could finish last, depending on the outcomes of several remaining games.
Fox insists that’s something to which they don’t pay attention.
“No, we don’t ever worry about that,” he said. “I think the only time you ever worry about a lot of that is if you’re in a position to get a bye, and we’re not in that position.
“Our focus with this group all year, as young as we are, is just to try to win the next game and keep getting better.”
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