Story Poster
Photo by James Muilenburg/Dawg Post

Georgia Pops Texas - Is This the Turnaround Moment?

January 26, 2019
3,217

ATHENS - This is more like what we should expect to see in the future. 

That is to say: Georgia beat a legit team in Athens in front of an excited crowd with a high-paced offensive strategy. This should be Georgia basketball under Tom Crean

Yes, there are things to clean up. Whenever you have 26 turnovers it shows that you are not respecting the ball in a way that you should. It could mean you are playing a high-pressure defense. It also could indicate that you are struggling with turnovers anyway - which this team has all season long. 

Those problems seem to be here to stay, and this program won’t take the natural next step into NCAA land until they address the ball-handing spots in the program. 

Good thing that Crean had possible No. 1 overall 2020 NBA Draft pick Anthony Edwards in Stegeman tonight. He could solve a lot of these problems right away. 

The future not withstanding, Georgia, Crean and this fanbase needed this Saturday in Athens. A drubbing of Texas probably felt good after the lousy performance against the Horns in New Orleans on the gridiron. Crean even mentioned that he got a text message from Kirby Smart after the win over Texas.

But this basketball program is better than it has played at times this season. Some of that is who these Dawgs have played, but for the most part it is how they have played… not well; loose with the ball; and just sloppy at times. 

“We need to be more consistent,” Crean said Saturday.

Yep. 

Would the Georgia team we saw play today still lose to Georgia State? Probably not, and that’s the point. Consistancy is going be one of the biggest challenges for Crean the rest of this season - a challenge he will have to confront with while also dealing with the finality and mourning of losing his mother. 

You can become more consistent - you don't get your mom back, and losing your mother is far more important than what happened here today. 

Still, workout clothes and all, Crean and the Dawgs showed up to fight today and did so. Could this be the turnaround win we’ve all been waiting to see? It could be. Sure, but the deficiencies inside the program won’t quickly change - that’s what recruiting is for. That’s why Anthony Edwards was here today. 

At the same time, if this is the way Georgia is going to play it needs to settle into games a little quicker. The Horns were fresher and better at the start of this one. Had Tyree Crump not assaulted the nets from behind the arc Georgia would have had to gut this one out in a different way. Perhaps they would have dropped this game.

Again, this program is going to have turnovers because of its situation, but this is the final time it will win a game with 26 turnovers this year. 

Can’t happen. 

But today was about getting a win for themselves. It has been 17 days since Georgia was victorious in basketball. That can get contagious in a bad way. Now you play back-to-back games against Arkansas and Southern Cootlumbia… those are both winnable games before you travel to Alabama. 

This was a solid stepping-stone win. That it was a must-win makes it all the sweeter. Baby steps. This is still about baby steps in 2019.

 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.