ATHENS — Head Mark Fox knew when he took the job at Georgia the culture had to change. He wanted to secure a home-court advantage, win big games against good competition and compete in the SEC.
Fox has placed a check mark next to those goals. But there is one nagging accomplishment left.
Georgia has yet to win a true road game this season, losing all six games on an opposing team’s court, including three in the SEC. Aside from one neutral game win over Illinois, every Bulldogs victory has been at Stegeman Coliseum.
And with today’s road challenge at South Carolina, where the Gamecocks upset No. 1 Kentucky on Tuesday, the Bulldogs have the chance to change their road misfortunes with an initial victory.
The Bulldogs have lost games on the road in every way imaginable. Missouri blew them out. Kentucky won going away after Georgia led at halftime. The Bulldogs collapsed in the final minutes at Mississippi State. Florida won soundly.
There are deficiencies linking each loss.
“We have several,” Fox said. “I think one of the things when I came here I really wanted to address was our mentality. I think we’ve really made some progress there at home. We’ve made some progress there on the road. It was awful to begin with, and I think we’re dealing with that. But we have to become a complete basketball team to win away from home.”
Becoming a complete team, Fox and players say, involves limiting turnovers, playing better defensively and working hard to grab rebounds. At Florida ON Wednesday night, the Bulldogs shot a season-high 60 percent, including 8-of-14 from 3. But 19 turnovers, allowing nine Gators offensive rebounds and a poor night on defense made the offensive numbers irrelevant.
“We didn’t defend, and we didn’t rebound,” Fox said. “If we defend and rebound, we can stand some turnovers. We didn’t defend and rebound. They shot 50-something percent also. You can’t win at this level giving that number up.”
So, Georgia players know what they must do, what must change for success. Senior leader Albert Jackson says youth has played into the road disparity to a certain extent, but the key to changing the fortunes of this team on the road lies in preparation and approach, as well as on the court.
“A little bit more focus as a team on the things that correlate to winning would help,” Jackson said. “Youth comes into it sometimes. We have a young team. That’s a little challenging for a freshman or sophomore to go on the road. Coach Fox is good at teaching us how to play on the road, but he’s only had so much time to teach guys. It’s maturity and the difference is, we can show that when we go on the road this Saturday with our defense and our approach to the game. But if we come out the same way then there definitely has to be a change within us players.”
Riding the upset
But success won’t come easy in the Colonial Life Center, where the crowd rushed the floor after the win over Kentucky.
South Carolina senior guard Devan Downey is averaging 31.3 points per game in six SEC contests, stating his case for conference player of the year.
Downey may be short in stature—5-9, 175-pounts—but Georgia coach Mark Fox heaped loads of praise for the electrifying scorer.
“Well, he’s getting [points] so many different ways,” he said. “He’s shooting the three, getting to the rim, he has a mid-range game. He can make you miss. He’s like a running back in the open field, he can make you miss. He’s a terrific player and that’s why he’s a candidate for player of the year.
“You don’t ever want a player to get their average. You don’t ever want a guy who’s averaging 30 to get 30. You don’t want a guy is averaging 12 to get 12. But he’s terrific and he’s been finding a way to get them. You have to give him credit.”
Fox wasn’t “laying his cards on the table,” in regard to how he plans to defend Downey before practice Friday. Most teams have tried, and failed to contain the threat. Fox says stopping Downey is more about the Bulldogs than Downey himself.
“Our defensive numbers are disappointing,” Fox said. “We’re going to have to play much more sound. We need to play fundamentally sound.”
And fundamentally sound the Bulldogs must play, on the road, in a hostile environment fresh from a Kentucky upset party. And despite a winless effort in true road affairs thus far, Georgia players remain optimistic of their chances.
“Playing at home, with that crowd—they had a great atmosphere against Kentucky,” said Georgia guard Ricky McPhee. “I guess that played a little factor in them winning. We’re excited to go to South Carolina and compete against those guys.”
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