Georgia Bulldogs 2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Georgia Bulldogs - Southeastern Conference (17-16, 4-12)

Seed: #14 - West Region

RPI: 89

Big Wins: 3/15 vs Kentucky (60-56), 3/15 vs Mississippi State (64-60), 3/16 vs Arkansas ()

Bad Losses: 12/20 vs East Tennessee State (58-76), 12/21 vs Tulane (69-70), 3/2 at LSU (64-71)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2002, Second Round loss to Southern Illinois

Coach: Dennis Felton (0-3 in 3 NCAA appearances)

Probable Georgia Starters:

• Sundiata Gaines, Senior, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 4.1 apg, 6.0 rpg
• Billy Humphrey, Junior, Guard, 12.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg
• Terrance Woodbury, Junior, Guard, 10.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg
• Albert Jackson, Sophomore, Forward, 3.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.0 bpg
• Dave Bliss, Senior, Center, 7.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Key Georgia Roleplayers:

• Zac Swansey, Freshman, Guard, 4.1 ppg, 1.7 apg
• Corey Butler, Junior, Guard, 3.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg
• Jeremy Price, Freshman, Forward, 8.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Why The Bulldogs Can Surprise:
No player on Georgia averages over six rebounds per game, yet the Bulldogs are one of the best rebounding teams in the Southeastern Conference. Six players average at least three rebounds per contest and rebounding by committee has never had such an apt example. The frontcourt certainly does its part on the glass and Jeremy Price, Dave Bliss and Albert Jackson will hit the backboard hard.

Price and Bliss are decent interior scores and will use their big frames to create space for themselves and others in the paint. Jackson is not much of a scorer, but he is a great defender and, along with Bliss, a shot blocking threat. The Bulldogs frontcourt could be more productive scorers than they are and that would certainly open up the shooters on the perimeter and that is where UGA does all of its damage.

Why The Bulldogs Can Disappoint:
Georgia is a perimeter orientated team, but the turnovers and free-throw shooting have become big problems. Sundiata Gaines, Billy Humphrey and Terrance Woodbury are great scorers from the perimeter, but the turnover numbers are not so good. The trio commits about seven turnovers per contest and the team commits 15.1. That number will have to come down drastically if the darlings of the SEC Tournament want to make another improbable tournament run. The free-throw shooting is the other concern. Gaines gets to the charity stripe more than twice as much as anybody else on the team and he shoots under 61 percent from the line.

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Who To Watch:
The free-throw shooting is the only spot where Gaines fails to impress. The 6-1 senior leads the team with 14.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals. Gaines’ outside shooting is nothing spectacular and he spends a little too much time hoisting up three pointers instead of getting to the basket, but being able to mix in the occasional long ball does make it easier for him to score in other ways. With Humphrey and Woodbury on the wings, Georgia will do a lot of scoring on the perimeter. At 6-7, Woodbury is a dynamic, yet inconsistent, scorer. He can hit the three point shot, but he is much more effective working above the rim. It is Humphrey who takes the most shots from beyond the arc and when his shot is falling, it opens up space for everybody else.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 68.8 (178th in nation, 11th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 68.1 (153, 4)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.8 (234, 11)

Field-Goal Defense: 43.2 (144, 6)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.0 (214, 11)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.4 (255, 11)

Free-Throw Percentage: 67.7 (210, 6)

Rebound Margin: 3.8 (55, 4)

Assists Per Game: 11.6 (285, 12)

Turnovers Per Game: 15.1 (224, 9)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Xavier

By Joel Welser
CollegeSports-fans.com Guest Writer

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