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No need to panic, or re-invent the wheel. We just need to

take advantage of the talent we have. The first thing, easily implemented because we rebound so well, is to push the pace and break at every opportunity. Pressing more will also step up the pace. Playing faster will let us do a few things that can utilize our athleticism. Our guards and wings are not really quick enough and good at breaking down defenses in the halfcourt. Silas, Blue, DeShayne and Tyrin are really good taking it off the dribble to the rack in space. Our bigs can all run, especially Asa. If nothing develops off the initial break the bigs need to post low right away and be ready to get the ball and make a post move before the D is really set. Somto has shown some nice low post moves, but we haven't found he and Asa as much as needed. We should also find more open 3s for our shooters off secondary break.

Yesterday we had several mismatches with guards switching, but we didn't once exploit it. The reason is we were not in position to feed the post. We have not been in good position to feed our posts on the block all year. You cannot feed the post efficiently from above the ft line. It must be done from the mid to low wing. It's a simple fundamental, but makes all the difference.

Pushing the break and creating steals off pressure is our best game. I'd much rather have a turnover pushing the ball than a fumble, or lazy pass in the halfcourt.

Yesterday was disappointing, but Ole Miss, a ranked team playing at home, was primed after their loss to Memphis. If we shoot just a bit better it goes to the wire. But, we cannot keep playing the same high post offense and halfcourt game and expect we won't keep struggling. If we don't have something on the break back it out and run sets, stop all the dribbling and move the fn ball quickly. And play Abson more minutes. His passing alone makes us better.

Shoutout to Blue Cain. He didn't shoot it well , but he busted his tail every minute he played.

Offensive Coordinators

I have been told many times that Bobo’s offense is essentially the same offense Monken ran, and that apparent differences are the result of QB preferences, personnel, or execution. Frankly, I am not expert enough to debate the issue.

But I can say this. This year’s Bobo’s offense looked a lot like the Chaney/Coley offenses. Run 8 or so ineffective plays in a row to set up a possible explosive play. Watching Monken’s offense this weekend was a reminder of how different it can be.

The Daily Dawg Caller When Ezra Williams and Co. ended the home drought vs. the ‘Cats

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When I think of when Stegeman Coliseum was probably at its loudest/best—at least during my lifetime—I think back to this era. Jim Harrick’s 2001-02 and 2002-03 teams were really good. Those were exciting times.

Yet, entering the Kentucky game in February of 2002, Georgia was experiencing adversity like few Bulldog teams had before.

Ranked No. 15 in the country just a couple of weeks beforehand, Georgia had lost four of its previous six games, including back-to-back setbacks to Florida and Auburn entering the game. But that’s only scratching the surface.

Starting forward Chris Daniels was forced to miss the first half against Kentucky for throwing an elbow in the Florida loss. The suspension, which wasn’t handed down by the SEC until the day before, was ordered after a “belated re-review” of the elbow-throwing incident.

To make matters more interesting, there were accusations that Kentucky supplied the video clip to the SEC of Daniels’ thrown elbow. During the game, Georgia students chanted “Tattle-Tale” towards the Kentucky bench while holding up video tapes. The students also booed Kentucky head coach (former Georgia head coach) Tubby Smith in pregame introductions and jeered him throughout the contest.

More so, just a week before, the brother of junior guard Ezra Williams, Antwonne R. Williams, 24, had been shot and killed in Atlanta. Ezra, the league’s fourth-leading scorer at the time, buried his older brother just two days before the game. Although he had played in the Florida loss a few days prior, missing 11 of 14 shots from the field, Williams was admittedly reluctant to play against Kentucky.

Good thing he did.

Dedicating his game to his late brother, Williams scored a game-high 20 points, which was followed by 19 from Jarvis Hayes. In just 20 minutes of play—the entire second half—Daniels grabbed seven rebounds. Coming off a one-game suspension, big-man Steve Thomas (the team’s tallest player at only 6-foot-8) was named Georgia’s player of the game after scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

For the Bulldogs, which entered the game as four-point underdogs, the win not only ended a seven-game home losing streak to the Wildcats but also clinched a regular-season sweep of Kentucky for the first time since the 1986-87 season.

“The Lord works in mysterious ways,” Jim Harrick said after the win over Kentucky. “We’ve had adversity for about a month. Hopefully, it’s behind us now.”


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