It was a great day for me personally---I attended an old friend’s wedding---but it was less than a stellar Saturday in Bulldog Nation, as the Gym Dogs carded a solid 195.8 yet fell to Utah by one-tenth of a point, Justin Houston waited until the eleventh hour to declare for the NFL Draft, and Georgia alumnus Royal Marshall passed away suddenly at the age of 43. Fortunately, the day in Bulldog athletics was redeemed by the men’s basketball team claiming its first SEC road win of the Mark Fox era . . . and how!
The Georgia Bulldogs never trailed in Oxford, opening the game with a 7-0 run on the way to a 53-37 halftime lead over the Mississippi Rebels. The Red and Black built on the 16-point advantage they held at intermission, outscoring their hosts by a 45-39 margin in the final 20 minutes to win the game going away.
Georgia outscored Ole Miss 44-30 in the paint, and the Bulldogs pulled down 32 rebounds to the Rebels’ 21. The Classic City Canines hit half of their shots from beyond the arc (6 of 12) while knocking down an astounding 26 of 27 free throws. While the home team’s bench outscored the visitors’ reserves by a 23-11 margin, the Red and Black starters rendered yeoman’s service, with each of the first five logging at least 28 minutes on the court. The Rebs’ Chris Warren was a non-factor in his 32 minutes of playing time, as he missed nine of 12 field goal attempts and five of six three-point tries while being sent to the line for just two free throws.
Gerald Robinson led the way with a season-high 22 points, but he was one of five Bulldogs to score in double figures. With the win, Georgia improved to 13-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play heading into a three-game homestand. The Fox Hounds still have 13 SEC games to go, so it is a bit early yet to be making plans for an NCAA Tournament berth, but the Athenians today cleared a major hurdle with room to spare. Now we will find out whether these Bulldogs can handle prosperity as well as adversity. When was the last time we had the opportunity to ask that question of a Georgia team in any sport?
Go ‘Dawgs!