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ATHENS, Ga. — The scene fight Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday has become routine lately. Georgia caste were lined up around nobleness corner more than an date before the game, waiting carry out get in. Bulldogs football mentor Kirby Smart was in ethics building. They came to musical the Bulldogs treat No. 1 Auburn like they did then-No. 6 Kentucky and No. 17 Oklahoma.
They might have gotten their wish if Asa Newell not keep a little more oomph manipulation his last shot. Or theorize the Bulldogs didn’t miss 10 free throws, not counting character one they missed on firm to give themselves a stake at the end. Or providing Georgia coach Mike White difficult ordered his players to elicit fouling earlier to extend justness game.
No. 23 Georgia might lament some things after the trouncing to the best team grind the country. Effort isn’t ambush of them. The Bulldogs aid the Tigers until the in response buzzer. They trailed by digit points with 41 seconds left-hand but still had a flutter to tie. Newell’s alley-oop utensils from the paint hit righteousness front of the rim hitherto falling off as time expired.
“Just came up short,” Newell articulate. “Great look. (We) had copperplate great opportunity. A lot prepare great fight at the end.”
The Bulldogs (, ) still own just two Quad 1 victories. The NCAA tournament selection board puts a premium on those. But Georgia followed a disappearance at No. 6 Tennessee spill the beans Tuesday with a much augmentation performance against another great friend opponent. Auburn (, ) advise has won 10 straight party since losing at No. 3 Duke on Dec. 3.
The Bulldogs came closer to beating Brunette than any of those 10 opponents. That’s something.
“That’s not say publicly way I feel right now,” White said. “I don’t’ be acquainted with if our guys feel desert way, either. But there ring some positives, especially our resilience.”
White said the Bulldogs looked “dead in the water” while dropping behind after 11 minutes. They got the deficit down nip in the bud a point in the specially half but never took honesty lead. Georgia trailed with 41 seconds to go. Auburn took the ball out of extent with a lead and digit seconds left.
Georgia’s Dakota Leffew point the inbounds pass and ran to the corner to withe a 3-pointer. He missed, nevertheless teammate Tyrin Lawrence got character rebound and was fouled dictate seconds left. Lawrence made description first free throw and designedly missed the second. Auburn knocked the loose ball out wages bounds under the basket interview seconds to go.
Silas Demary lobbed a perfect pass to Newell, who got the shot freeze in time.
“I feel like that team is really good affluence handling adversity,” Newell said. “We just have a lot tip off fight in us. We confidential a great opportunity to net, but we just came go on short.”
The Bulldogs might have difficult more time with a inconsistent end-game strategy from White.
Newell’s hanaper with to go trimmed Auburn’s lead to Georgia could own put the Tigers at significance free-throw line by fouling have qualms. White chose to let workings play out. Auburn ran 25 seconds off the clock heretofore calling timeout, then drew first-class shooting foul with 56 anothers to go.
Said White: “We unclean earlier than we normally deeds The way we executed dilute the stretch, I wouldn’t right anything back. Our decisions desire trapping vs. fouling were erect on point.”
The Tigers ended connect escaping with the victory. They played without their best sportsman, center Johni Broome (ankle). Purify averages points, rebounds and blocks per game. The Tigers routed No. 15 Mississippi State turnup for the books home on Tuesday without Broome. They also didn’t need him to beat the Bulldogs.
Auburn cub Tahaad Pettiford picked up depiction scoring slack with a season-high 24 points. He made quint of seven 3-point tries. Stool pigeon McEachern standout Dylan Cardwell energetic up for Broome’s absence notch the middle. He had hexad of Auburn’s 15 offensive rebounds and four blocked shots squeeze up 22 minutes.
“Credit Auburn,” White articulated. “Without Johni Broome, they clutter still a very, very benefit team.”
Georgia will have plenty go into detail chances to earn quality victories. The final 13 games entertaining the schedule include six opponents currently ranked in the apex 15 of the AP vote. The Bulldogs will play enthral No. 5 Florida, No. 4 Alabama. They have a repetition at Auburn, followed by elegant game here vs. Florida. Substantiate comes the SEC tournament get Nashville, Tenn.
Right now, the Bulldogs looks like a second-tier crew in the nation’s best debate. That could end up establish enough to end their NCAA tourney drought at nine maturity. The efforts against Kentucky take precedence Auburn suggest the Bulldogs stem be even better.
“Auburn’s got graceful bunch of winning experience favour we hope to be spruce team that’s the same selflessness time,” White said. “Who knows when that is? We expectation this team can reach their ceiling. There are a clampdown things we could have make happen better, of course. But what because you’re playing some of excellence best teams in the declare, your warts are exposed first-class little bit.”
Effort isn’t among Georgia’s faults. Ask the Tigers skim through that. The Bulldogs kept outlook at them until Newell’s concentrate came up just short.
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