Friday at 6:45, the Dawgs are set to take on no. 10 seeded Georgia in the first round (technically, it’s the second round with the addition of Tourney play-in games) of the NCAA tournament. Not a ton of West Coast fans know much about the Bulldogs with them playing in the SEC conference. Here’s what you need to know about Georgia and how they match up with UW.
Final Record: 21-11, 9-7 SEC
Seeding: 10
Biggest Win:
Georgia: 77 Kentucky: 70 (1/8/2011)
After Georgia beat Kentucky in the first game of SEC play, the college basketball nation started to take them more seriously. The fact that Georgia fell hard after that game shows how important this win was for the Bulldogs when it came time for Tournament selections.
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Starting Lineup
• Trey Thompkins, F (16.1 PPG)
• Travis Leslie, G (14.5 PPG)
• Dustin Ware, G (8.1 PPG)
• Gerald Robinson, G (12.2 PPG)
• Jeremy Price, F (9.2 PPG)
- Georgia has limited opponents to just .396 field-goal shooting this season, while sinking 45 percent of its shots.
- The Bulldogs are an experienced team, starting four juniors and a senior.
- Georgia’s best player by far is forward Trey Thompkins. Thompkins is regarded as NBA ready, as he averaged 16.1 points and 7.5 rebounds over the season to lead his team in both categories. He is athletic and tall at 6-10. Don’t be surprised if Thompkins gives Matthew Bryan-Amaning trouble on the inside, especially on the defensive end.
Huskies guards vs. Bulldogs gaurds: This isn’t even close. UW has one of the best guards in the tournament, Isaiah Thomas (16.8 PPG, 6 APG), and two of the best freshman guards in the entire country, Terrence Ross (7.9 PGG) and C.J. Wilcox (8.1 PGG, .399 3-point percentage). While Thomas is just 5-9, Ross (6-6) and Wilcox (6-5) have incredible length for guards, which give them an advantage on the defensive end of the floor.
On Georgia’s side, you have Travis Leslie, Dustin Ware, and Gerald Robinson. None of these guys are true scorers like Isaiah Thomas, but they get the job done. The only one with great length is Leslie, who’s 6-4, but Robinson (6-1) and Ware (5-11) could be at a disadvantage facing the taller Terrence Ross and C.J. Wilcox.
ADVANTAGE: UW
Huskies forwards vs. Bulldogs forwards: This one is closer. UW has Matthew Bryan-Amaning, while Georgia leads with star Trey Thompkins. These players are fairly close is skill level, but Thompson has proved to be more consistent with his play, while MBA has faded occasionally.
Where Georgia has the advantage is the other forward spot. Currently, UW has a rotation of hard-working Darnell Gant (5.1 PGG) and 7 foot Aziz N’Diaye (4.1 PGG). Georgia on the other hand has senior Jeremy Price (9.2 PGG). Price is a lot more experienced than Gant or N’Diaye, which will come in handy with post moves and post passing.
ADVANTAGE: Georgia
Huskies bench vs. Bulldogs bench: If you have watched UW this season, you know they have a talented, deep bench. At this moment, Senior defensive ace Justin Holiday (10 PPG) is the 6th man, while the Huskies best perimeter defender Venoy Overton (6 PPG) and sharpshooting Scott Suggs (.450 3-point percentage) finish up the bench guards. Aziz N’diaye and Darnell Gant share the other forward spot. The Huskies bench is very diverse skill set wise, which gives head coach Lorenzo Romar the ability to shake up the opponent’s defensive schemes.
Arizona has a much weaker bench. They rely on their starters a heck of a lot more, which becomes a problem if the starters are having a bad night. Their best bench player is Chris Barnes, who is averaging a measly 3.4 PPG.
ADVANTAGE: UW
My prediction: Washington wins 76-72 because of their deep bench and fast paced play. Georgia is not an uber-athletic team, while the Huskies are. Expect Romar to push the pace.
Reach Nathan Parsons at nathanparsons98@yahoo.com
