Despite March Madness Elimination, Can Georgia Bulldogs Go All the Way in National Invitational Tournament?

The amazing world of college basketball, more often than not, treats us with a team’s dream run. Be it in the Division I of the NCAA tournament in March Madness or NIT, there always emerges a group of players that creates a moment that fans can etch in their memory for a very long time. One such feat is recently accomplished by the Georgia Bulldogs.

After failing to qualify for the March Madness this year, the three-time SEC champions are making some serious in-roads at the NIT. Consequently, their success of late is calling for a closer look at what their journey has been like.

It hasn’t been the best of seasons for the Bulldogs. A dismal run in the regular season, which included just 6 conference wins, placed them at the 11th position on the SEC table. In addition to this, a heartbreaking second-round loss against the Gators washed away their SEC championship hopes. Nonetheless, their overall win-loss record of 20-16 earned them a chance to compete in the National Invitation Tournament. This was when they started to turn the tide and are making the most of the opportunity.

They entered the Stegeman Coliseum against the Xavier Musketeers on 20th March. Seeded No.4, Georgia entered the contest as firm favorites. However, a valiant second-half fightback led by Desmond Claude (30 points) almost ended their campaign. Fortunately, they were able to hold their nerves in the closing moments and secured a hard-fought 78-76 victory. Seemingly, the story remained the same in their next round as Wake Forest was able to overcome their first half-lead. Anyhow, it was an inspired performance from their No.11 Justin Hill (21 points) who ensured their advance into the quarterfinals.

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Following this, it was a grinding 40 minutes against the No.2 seeds that grabbed all the attention.

Georgia topples Ohio State

In a battle of the heavyweights, it was the Bulldogs who came out to be the better team after a nail-biting contest. This riveting matchup saw a lot of twists and turns with the lead exchanging hands multiple times in the game. Yet, Georgia was able to have a slight edge over the Buckeyes throughout the fixture. They bested their opponents by 2.2% while scoring from the field. Moreover, they had better accuracy from beyond the arc (10 of 25) in comparison to Ohio State (35%). Further, Georgia showcased better efficiency while grabbing rebounds as the offensive and the defensive tally displayed better numbers for them in the end.

Only time will tell if they can punch their way into the Finals. By any means, the brand of basketball put forth by them cannot be ignored. We’ll have to wait and watch how they will end their story this season.

Do you think the Georgia Bulldogs will go all the way in NIT?

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