ATLANTA -- Trey Thompkins sat on a small chair in the Georgia locker room, a roll of ankle tape on the floor next to his bare feet. In quick-hitting answers, he pointed to where the injuries had been.
The right foot was where the high-ankle sprain had been. Above that had been the shin injury. The latest malady, an ingrown toenail, had been on his left foot.
“This was the first time all year I’ve felt 100 percent,” he said.
And it’s just at the right time for his Georgia men’s basketball team.
Thompkins scored a game-high 22 points as Georgia cruised past Auburn 69-51 in Thursday’s first round of the SEC tournament. That sets up an important quarterfinal game Friday against Alabama, although the importance of it remains up for debate.
Georgia (21-10) sits on the NCAA tournament bubble, as does Alabama. Some experts say that makes Friday’s game is a possible play-in game, although the Bulldogs will make a case that they have done enough to earn their spot already.
At a minimum, the Bulldogs needed to avoid a loss to Auburn, one of the worst major-conference teams in the country. Thanks in large part to Thompkins, it was never an issue.
Thompkins, the preseason SEC player of the year, has been dealing with injuries all season. But he looked fine from the start Thursday, nailing 3-pointers and helping Georgia dominate in the rebounding category.
“I feel like I’m more fluid on the court, rebounding and running,” Thompkins said. “I feel like I’m myself again.”
Georgia head coach Mark Fox said it was the best Thompkins had looked all season.
“His legs are back, his feet are underneath him,” Fox said. “I don’t know how much wear and tear he got (Thursday), but (Thursday) he looked as good as he had all year.”
The first time Georgia played Auburn -- which finished the season 11-20 -- the game went to overtime in Athens. But this time at the Georgia Dome, the Bulldogs never trailed.
Dustin Ware opened the game with a 3-pointer, and soon the Bulldogs had a 7-2 lead. When Auburn pulled within 16-15, Leslie put back a Thompkins miss, starting a 15-2 run. The Bulldogs led by as many as 15 in the first half.
Briefly, the lead was cut to 10 early in the second half. Then a run of 3s -- two by Thompkins and one by Leslie -- extended it to 16.
It was never in doubt after that, and Thompkins was able to rest for the final stretch.
“I don’t feel like we had to over-exert ourselves,” Fox said. “I don’t feel like it was a game that was really physically draining and a bang-bang wrestling match. It’s still just good to win.”
Alabama (20-10) knocked off Georgia in the regular-season finale last Saturday in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide began Thursday with an RPI rank of 82, which was 42 spots behind Georgia.
Fox was asked after the game what he thought of the idea that Friday’s quarterfinal would be a play-in or elimination game for the NCAA tournament.
“We have played the entire season to create a tournament resume in which the committee will evaluate. And we have tried to do what the committee has asked us to do,” Fox said, then ticked off his team’s argument for an NCAA bid, including its RPI rank, overall and conference recor and road record. “That body of work will hopefully be evaluated as it always has been. Alabama’s probably tried to do the same thing. There’s two good teams playing (Friday). I have no idea where either of us sit in the eyes of the committee.”
