ATHENS – Now 16 games into its 18-game SEC schedule, Georgia basketball has its script down to a science: Hang tough for a while, grab a lead for a little bit, go cold on offense, which transfers to the defensive end, then fall far behind and lose.
The Bulldogs followed that formula to the letter Saturday against Florida at Stegeman Coliseum. The result was the same as it has been 15 other times: Georgia lost, this time 84-72.
With their ninth consecutive loss, the Bulldogs fell to 6-23 overall and 1-15 in SEC. With two games remaining in the regular season, Georgia will try to avoid becoming the first Bulldogs team since 1956 to win only a single conference game. The Bulldogs beat Alabama 82-76 on Jan. 25.
Georgia is now 47-72 overall and 15-55 in SEC play in four seasons under coach Tom Crean. Tennessee (20-7, 11-4) will visit Tuesday for the home finale. The Bulldogs’ last game is at Missouri on March 5. They’ll be the 14th seed for the SEC Tournament in Tampa.
Asked if the Bulldogs can win again this season, Crean said, “absolutely.”
“We expected to win today,” he continued. “The way we work and the way we prepare, we’re not working and preparing like a team that’s won one game. Unfortunately we have (only one win), but we’re not preparing like that. We’ve got to stick with that. Like I told the guys, the more adversity kicks in, the harder it is to fight it off. But you have to fight it off.”
With the win, the Gators (18-11, 8-8) swept the season series against the Bulldogs and enhanced their postseason resumé. Florida made 14 3-pointers and shot 45.2% from behind the arc.
Adding insult to Georgia was that much of Florida’s damage on offense was done by 6-5 guard Phlandrous Fleming. A graduate transfer, Fleming is from Athens and chose the Gators over the hometown Bulldogs. He finished with 27 points, which was 17 above his season average.
“It feels amazing,” Fleming said. “I did have a circle around this one (on the schedule). I wanted all my family to be able to see me play. ... I believe this is the way it was supposed to turn out. God is good.”
Georgia got 20 points from Kario Oquendo, who came in averaging 18.4 in SEC play. Braelen Bridges added 16.
The Bulldogs stayed within arm’s length of the Gators for much of the game, but they lost footing within the first three minutes of the second half. Trailing 41-34 at intermission, the Bulldogs turned the ball over on its first three second-half possessions and missed shots on the next two. Meanwhile, Florida converted all but one of its possessions, which included two 3′s. That made for a 10-0 run and a sudden and insurmountable 51-34 Florida lead.
“We didn’t have the right urgency,” Crean said. “We had a couple of turnovers there, and they were unaggressive.”
The Bulldogs actually matched their season low with 10 turnovers.
Georgia and Florida traded baskets in the opening period without much resistance. Both teams were shooting above a 50% clip for the first 10 minutes of play, and even better than that from beyond the arc. Georgia was shooting 67% from 3-point range and had an 18-16 lead by the 11:56 media timeout.
But the Bulldogs quickly were plunged into reality. They came away empty on seven of their next eight possessions, didn’t score for two two-minute stretches and found themselves on the short end of a 13-2 Florida run. The Gators took a 29-20 lead and drew a Georgia timeout at the 7:14 mark.
Whatever Crean communicated during the stoppage worked. The Bulldogs scored seven consecutive points before Florida had to call a timeout. Georgia was within 29-27 at that point.
The Gators’ timeout also proved productive. They quickly extended their lead back to seven, making two more 3-pointers in the process. By the halftime buzzer, Florida had attempted 15 treys, making eight of them (53.3%), and led 41-34.
Georgia also shot reasonably well from outside (6-of-15) in the first half. Oquendo led the Bulldogs with 12 points, with all his points coming from 3-point range. The Bulldogs’ issue was inside the paint. The incredibly efficient Bridges uncharacteristically missed three of his five shots.
“It’s disheartening,” Crean said of logging a 15th SEC loss. “I feel for these guys in so many ways. We had a great crowd. I feel for them, and I feel for our players so much.”
