ATHENS — It’s tourney time. It was this time last year when the Georgia Lady Bulldogs got hot, and they’re hoping that will be the case again this year.
Last season, coach Joni Taylor’s Lady Dogs opened as the SEC Tournament’s No. 4 seed. After getting the double-bye to open the tournament, they managed to make the finals and push South Carolina to the brink before finally bowing out.
This year, as the SEC Tournament gets underway in Nashville, Georgia (20-8, 9-7 SEC) enters as the No. 6 seed and will open play in the second round tonight against No. 11-seed Alabama (15-12, 6-10). The Crimson Tide defeated 14th-seeded Auburn 75-68 in Wednesday’s opening round to advance.
“This is a fun time of the year, and we’re looking forward to it,” Taylor said. “Everybody knows what our mission is and what our purpose is. So, let’s get back to doing what we’re supposed to be doing.”
The Lady Bulldogs lead the all-time series against Alabama 44-12 and have won five consecutive overall. But it’s not necessarily an easy draw for Georgia. It trailed the Crimson Tide by 21 points late in the first half when they played Jan. 9 in Athens. The Bulldogs stormed back for the win thanks to nine third-quarter points from Mikayla Coombs and 15 second-half points from Jenna Staiti.
Staiti and Que Morrison lead the Lady Bulldogs this season. The two All-SEC selections have led Georgia in scoring a combined 23 times in 28 games during the 2021-22 campaign. “Steady Staiti,” as she’s called, has scored in double figures in 52 of her past 63 games with 21 double-doubles during that span. Overall, she’s averaging 15 points and 7.9 rebounds a game.
Another bright spot for the Lady Bulldogs over the past few weeks has been the play of freshman guard Reigan Richardson. Richardson has scored in double figures in five of the past six games. She hit 60% from the field in a three-game stretch against Missouri, Auburn and Arkansas.
Georgia enters the tournament needing to prove itself to the NCAA Tournament selection committee. Currently ranked No. 24 in the AP poll, No. 21 in the Coaches poll and No. 22 in the NET rankings, the Lady Bulldogs are hoping to land one of the top 16 seeds for the NCAA Tournament. Another deep run in the SEC Tournament could help them considerably.
Last year, Georgia made the tournament finals for the first time since 2004. Georgia has won the SEC tourney on four occasions (1983, 1984, 1986 and 2001) and is looking for its third consecutive appearance in the quarterfinals.
“There are so many great teams in the SEC, you’ve got to take it one game at a time,” Morrison said. “During that process, you’ve got to be focused on whoever’s next, so it’s always exciting.”
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