Georgia struggling since first matchup vs. Kentucky

Just over three weeks ago, Kentucky followed up a massive win over No. 5 Tennessee with an 85-71 victory over Georgia at Rupp Arena. The Bulldogs actually led at halftime, 42-34, but Oscar Tshiebwe took over in the second half to lead the Cats to the win, finishing with a career-high 37 points and 24 rebounds.

Since then, Kentucky is 4-2, with losses vs. No. 9 Kansas and Arkansas in Rupp, and in desperate need of wins heading into the home stretch. What about Georgia? The loss to the Cats started quite a skid for the Bulldogs, who have lost six of their last seven games. The only win was over South Carolina by three in overtime in Athens. Several of those losses were by sizable margins: Tennessee by 29, Auburn by 21, and Texas A&M by 25. The Bulldogs’ most recent loss was a close one, to Ole Miss by four.

Georgia’s record since losing to Kentucky (Jan. 17)

• Jan. 21: 85-82 L vs. Vanderbilt
• Jan. 25: 70-41 L at No. 4 Tennessee
• Jan. 28: 81-78 OT W vs. South Carolina
• Feb. 1: 94-73 L at No. 25 Auburn
• Feb. 4: 82-57 L at Texas A&M
• Feb. 7: 78-74 L vs. Ole Miss

Kentucky cannot afford to lose tomorrow’s game in Athens. The Cats could be without Sahvir Wheeler, who sat out the Arkansas game after injuring his right ankle in practice, and CJ Fredrick, who played vs. the Razorbacks but was hampered by a rib injury suffered in the Ole Miss game. Turns out the Bulldogs may be shorthanded too.

Terry Roberts missed the last two games with a concussion

If Oscar hadn’t taken over in the second half, Terry Roberts could have led Georgia to the upset win. The senior guard was stellar in last month’s game, finishing with a team-high 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists. He leads the Bulldogs in scoring (15.0 PPG), assists (4.2 APG), and steals (1.4 SPG). Roberts missed the last two games with a concussion. White told reporters this afternoon that Roberts returned to practice today and they will discuss tonight whether he’ll be able to go tomorrow. For now, he remains day-to-day.

“We’re not as good without our best player. He’s our best player,” White said on Monday. “He’s been our best defensive player this year, he’s got one of the highest usage rates offensively in our league. He’s had a really good year. Arguably, in my opinion, I love him, an all-league-type year. I would think he would need to be in that conversation depending on how he finishes this season and how we finish of course. He’s a really good player.”

Junior Justin Hill stepped up in Roberts’ absence, scoring a combined 33 points over the last two games. Against Ole Miss, he had a season-high seven assists to only one turnover. Fellow guard Kario Oquendo, who scored 18 points vs. Kentucky last month, had 19 vs. the Rebels.

Georgia to honor 1983 Final Four teams

As is often the case when Kentucky comes to town, Georgia will used the added exposure to celebrate their own. The Bulldogs will celebrate their 1983 Men’s and Women’s Final Four teams at halftime of tomorrow’s game. Members of both squads and coaching staffs will be in attendance, including hall of fame coach Hugh Durham, Vern Fleming, 1983 SEC Tournament MVP, and James Bank, the East Region MOP. That year, Georgia became the first basketball program to have both its men’s and women’s teams advance to the NCAA Final Four, a distinction the Bulldogs held until Duke did it 16 years later.

If you’re curious, only seven SEC schools have been to at least one Final Four: Georgia (1), Mississippi State (1), South Carolina (1), Auburn (1), LSU (4), Florida (5), Arkansas (6), and Kentucky (17). Feel free to remind a Tennessee or Alabama fan about that if they get too big for their britches next month.