Georgia basketball schedule: We're gonna make you like it

The SEC announced this year's men's basketball schedule last week. That means Georgia can announce their entire 2012-2013 men's basketball schedule. With a trip to Italy in the books, the season has already started for the team, and the experience abroad should be a huge benefit for developing much needed young talent, and putting the team together. We just hope it doesn't wear them down as the season goes on.

After the jump, our analysis of the season's slate AND A POLL! (Vote or die!)...

2012-2013 SCHEDULE

Date	Opponent / Event	Location	Time / Result
11/02/12	Opponent TBA EX	Athens, Ga.	TBA
11/09/12	vs. Jacksonville	Athens, Ga.	TBA
Legends Classic
11/12/12	vs. Youngstown State	Athens, Ga.	7:00 p.m. ET
11/15/12	vs. Southern Miss	Athens, Ga.	TBA
11/19/12	vs. Indiana	Brooklyn, N.Y.	5:30 p.m. ET
11/20/12	UCLA / Georgetown	Brooklyn, N.Y.	7:30 / 10:00 ET
11/23/12	vs. East Tennessee State	Athens, Ga.	TBA
SEC/Big East Challenge
11/30/12	at South Florida	Tampa, Fla.	7:00 p.m. ET
12/04/12	at Georgia Tech	Atlanta, Ga.	TBA
12/15/12	vs. Iona	Athens, Ga.	TBA
12/18/12	vs. Mercer	Athens, Ga.	TBA
12/22/12	vs. Southern Cal	Athens, Ga.	TBA
12/29/12	vs. Florida A&M	Athens, Ga.	TBA
01/04/13	vs. George Washington	Athens, GA	TBA
01/09/13	at Florida *	Gainesville, Fla.	7:00 p.m. ET
01/12/13	vs. Mississippi State *	Athens, Ga.	1:45 p.m. ET
01/16/13	at Missouri *	Columbia, Mo.	8:00 p.m. ET
01/19/13	vs. LSU *	Athens, Ga.	8:00 p.m. ET
01/23/13	vs. Florida *	Athens, Ga.	8:00 p.m. ET
01/26/13	at Texas A&M *	College Station, Texas	6:00 p.m. ET
01/30/13	vs. Auburn *	Athens, Ga.	7:00 p.m. ET
02/02/13	at South Carolina *	Columbia, S.C.	1:45 p.m. ET
02/06/13	at Tennessee *	Knoxville, Tenn.	8:00 p.m. ET
02/09/13	vs. Texas A&M *	Athens, Ga.	5:00 p.m. ET
02/12/13	vs. Alabama *	Athens, Ga.	9:00 p.m. ET
02/16/13	at Ole Miss *	Oxford, Miss.	8:00 p.m. ET
02/21/13	at Arkansas *	Fayetteville, Ark.	7:00 p.m. ET
02/23/13	vs. South Carolina *	Athens, Ga.	2:00 p.m. ET
02/27/13	at Vanderbilt *	Nashville, Tenn.	9:00 p.m. ET
03/02/13	vs. Tennessee *	Athens, Ga.	1:45 p.m. ET
03/07/13	vs. Kentucky *	Athens, Ga.	7:00 p.m. ET
03/09/13	at Alabama *	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	4:00 p.m. ET
SEC Tournament
03/13/13	Opponent TBA	Nashville, Tenn.	TBA

Taken from Georgiadogs.com

Out of conference

We start with a trio of gimme wins in early November, before a big time match up with Indiana. The nationally televised (ESPNU) Monday afternoon tilt will be in the new Barclay's Center in Brooklyn and against what should be a top 5, if not #1, ranked Hoosier squad. Being followed a day later by either UCLA or Georgetown (please let us get the Bruins, and beat them), these games should be great exposure, and much needed quality competition to prepare us for SEC play. No matter how these games turn out, they'll be good for RPI, good for our program, and there is the chance for a win against a name brand in the top 10.

Another gimme win, and then it's our turn in the SEC/Big East challenge, against South Florida in Tampa. Another nationally televised (ESPNU) chance for a win, against a team that has been making in roads in to Atlanta recruiting. Then we make the journey up the road to Atlanta ourselves, for the annual matchup against Tech. We owe them for last year, and they should be improved in year 2 under Brian Gregory.

The schedule doesn't get much easier, with Iona coming to town. The Gaels made the NCAAs last year, although they return only 3 player who took the floor in their loss to BYU. Then comes Mercer, and another winnable game against a major conference team, with Southern Cal in Athens on Dec. 22. Florida A&M and George Washington give us what should be two more wins before entering the 18 game SEC season.

We should be able to register 10 wins before heading to Gainesville in January, if not 11. Do that, and we would be looking at a possible post season team. Anything in single digits, and we're having some struggles.

SEC games

Thanks to our Daddy ESPN, every game will be televised. With the new 18 game schedule, we don't play the East twice. In fact, there is no East/West divisions in men's hoops anymore. We play everyone at least once, and 5 teams twice.

We get South Carolina, Florida, Texas A&M, Alabama, and Tennessee both home and away. We don't go to Rupp, just hosting Kentucky on the home finale March 7th. We go to Missouri (Jan 16), and to Vanderbilt (Feb 27), with no return trips. Mississippi St (12th), LSU (19th), and Auburn (30th) come to Athens in the month January. We have back to back visits to Oxford (16th) and Fayeteville (21st) for February games against Ole Miss and Arkansas.

It's a tough schedule, but aside from Kentucky no team in the SEC (after added correction) is going to be considered a power coming in to the year. A lot depends on the development of sophomores Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Nemanja Djurisic. We'll need freshman guards Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann to be ready for big minutes, and it'd be great if Marcus Thornton could be healthy after two hard years of setbacks. We have some talent, and the best coach in the country at developing talent. Only 14 wins is not out of the question though, if some of those questions turn out negative. But then again, if things turn out for the better on a few fronts, 18+ wins is a possibility, which would put us squarely on the bubble if not in the NCAAs thanks to what should be one of the harder schedules in the country.

GO DAWGS!