With Georgia's NCAA tournament bubble getting smaller and smaller, todays game against the Vols in Knoxville has huge implications for the Bulldogs. A loss doesn't completely sink them but a win goes a long way in getting them headed back in the right direction. A win would also would avenge a controversial loss at Stegeman Coliseum earlier this season.
Of course Georgia has not done itself any favors when it comes to its current bubble standing. Had the Bulldogs been able to just pull out a couple of wins at home over the likes of Florida, Tennessee, Xavier, or Vanderbilt then today's game wouldn't have the magnitude that it does for Georgia. Most recently the Bulldogs dropped a 64-56 contest to Vanderbilt where they scored all of three points over the last ten minutes of the game. This Georgia team is capable of winning but they have become prone to lapses like the one above that have cost them many times. Today's game against Tennessee is the first of three tough road games still left for the Bulldogs and they are going to have to show much more mental toughness to pull out road victories over good teams.
When these two teams met 32 days ago in Athens Bruce Pearl was still suspended by the SEC. He has returned to the bench now and the Volunteers are just 1-2. Tennessee defeated South Carolina 73-67 earlier this week. The Vols are 6-5 in the SEC and are part of a three-way tie between themselves, Georgia, and Kentucky.
Tennessee leads the all-time series between the two schools with a 91-52 record against Georgia. The Vols are 53-13 against the Bulldogs in Knoxville.
Todays game is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. tip off and can be seen nationally on CBS with Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery delivering the call.
For more on the Bulldogs or Volunteers, be sure and check out Dawg Sports and Rocky Top Talk.