Georgia sets near program-low record as 2021-22 seasons comes to close

Georgia’s abysmal 2021-22 basketball season came crashing down on Thursday after a fittingly poor performance in the first round of the SEC Tournament, as head coach Tom Crean’s last game at the helm of the program resulted in a 86-51 beatdown by Vanderbilt.

Georgia looked every bit as bad as the score suggested on Wednesday, as the Bulldogs shot 29.8 percent from the field (14-for-47), while making just 11.8 percent of their three-point shot attempts (2-for-17). Georgia did not make a three-point field goal in the entire first half, and the Bulldogs ended the first period of play with a 12-plus minute streak in which they were unable to make a field goal. It later became clear that it would be Crean’s last game at Georgia, but he managed to notch a near program-low record before his dismissal: Georgia’s 6-26 record gave Crean a .188 win percentage in his final season, the third-worst in program history, beating out only two former Georgia teams — both of which played in the 1950’s.

Now, Georgia’s athletic department has a tough task on its hands. It must find a head coach that can not only right the ship after Crean’s departure, but one that can do a better job than Mark Fox, too, Georgia’s former head coach that managed to do better than Crean but still sat largely around the .500 mark at Athens.

Odds released for next Georgia basketball coach following Tom Crean’s firing

Tom Crean has officially been fired as Georgia’s head basketball coach after finishing the 2021-22 season with a 6-26 record, and now the Bulldogs must seek a head-coaching candidate that can pull off an unlikely turnaround.

Formerly the head coach at Indiana and Marquette, Crean had by far and away the worst win percentage of his career while in Athens. He went 47-74 in four years at Georgia, amassing a .388 win percentage, along with a 15-57 record in SEC play. Georgia finished no better than 10th in the SEC in Crean’s four-year tenure, and the Bulldogs never made it to the NCAA Tournament.

As a major head-coaching decision looms at Georgia, here’s a look at the odds of the seven most likely candidates to replace Crean with the Bulldogs, via SportsLine:

Jonas Hayes, +300

Hayes, who played four seasons at the University of Georgia, is the favorite to land the job in Las Vegas’ eyes. Currently the associate head coach at Xavier, it’s worth noting that Hayes has never been a head coach in his young career, something that may serve as a minor barrier to entry.

Matt McMahon, +400

McMahon is currently the head coach at Murray State, and he’s done a remarkable job in seven years with the Racers. Of course, he recruited and developed Ja Morant, helping Murray State make an NCAA Tournament run, but the Racers are going dancing in 2021-22, despite it being years removed from the Morant era.

Dennis Gates, +400

Frank Martin, +700

Martin is currently a head coach in the SEC, and oddsmakers see it as a possibility that he leaves South Carolina for Georgia. The 2009-10 Big 12 Coach of the Year at Kansas State, Martin hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament at South Carolina since 2016-17, when the Gamecocks made it to the Final Four.

Rob Lanier, +800

Lanier, currently the head coach at Georgia State, could make a short trip to Athens if he’s offered the job. He’s amassed a 53-29 record in three seasons at Georgia Tech, and he previously coached at Siena in the early 2000’s.

Ben Howland, +1000

Like Martin, Howland is currently in the SEC, serving as the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He’d bring loads of head coaching experience, having served as the head coach at Mississippi State, UCLA, Pitt and Northern Arizona.

Andy Kennedy, +1500

Kennedy is currently the head coach at UAB, and he has previously coached in the SEC, too, having served a lengthy stint at Ole Miss. In two years at UAB, Kennedy has gone 46-14.

Ed Cooley, +2000

Cooley has done a remarkable job as the head coach at Providence, winning the 2021-22 Big East regular-season crown, and he’s 218-139 overall record in 11 seasons with the Friars.