Georgia knows seeding as SEC Tournament is now set

A regular-season finale loss combined with a couple of upsets dropped Georgia to the No. 8 seed in next week's SEC Tournament.

Georgia lost Saturday's game to Arkansas 85-67, in a game the Razorbacks pulled away throughout the second half. That combined with Vanderbilt stunning Florida and Mississippi upsetting South Carolina caused Georgia to drop two spots. The Bulldogs entered the day with the inside track to the No. 6 seed.

As a result, Georgia will face No. 9 seed Tennessee in the second round of the SEC Tournament at 1 p.m. EST next Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee. Georgia and Tennessee played a thriller earlier this season, with the Bulldogs winning 76-75 in Knoxville.

The winner of this game will play No. 1 seed Kentucky, a team Georgia played tough twice earlier this season, on Friday at 1 p.m. EST.

Georgia was firmly in the bubble conversation heading into Saturday. The loss to Arkansas set Georgia back in its tourney quest, at least to some pundits. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi completely removed Georgia from his "Next Four Out" category, with ESPN reporter/analyst Andy Katz stating on air that the Bulldogs' chances of an at-large bid are over.

USA Today and BracketWAG.com bracketologist Shelby Mast still thinks Georgia still has a chance as long as it takes care of enough business in Nashville.

“If they win three games, I think they’ll probably be in,” Mast said. "If they win two games, they’re going to be right there on the cut line. I don’t know which side of it, though.”

SEC Tournament schedule

Wednesday, March 8

Game 1: 12 Mississippi State vs. 13 LSU, 7 p.m.

Game 2: 11 Auburn vs. 14 Missouri, 25 minutes after Game 1

Thursday, March 9

Game 3: 8 Georgia vs. 9 Tennessee, 1 p.m.

Game 4: 5 Alabama vs. 12 Mississippi State/13 LSU, 25 minutes after Game 3

Game 5: 7 Vanderbilt vs. 10 Texas A&M, 7 p.m.

Game 6: 6 Mississippi vs. 11 Auburn/14 Missouri, 25 minutes after Game 5

Friday, March 10

Game 7: 8 Georgia/9 Tennessee vs. 1 Kentucky, 1 p.m.

Game 8: 5 Alabama/12 Mississippi State/13 LSU vs. 4 South Carolina, 25 minutes after Game 7

Game 9: 7 Vanderbilt/10 Texas A&M vs. 2 Florida, 7 p.m.

Game 10: 6 Mississippi/11 Auburn/14 Missouri vs. 3 South Carolina, 25 minutes after Game 9

Saturday, March 11

Game 11: Semifinals 1, 1 p.m.

Game 12: Semifinals 2, 25 minutes after Game 11

Sunday, March 12

Game 13: SEC Championship, 1 p.m.

This story was originally published March 4, 2017 at 10:44 PM with the headline "Georgia knows seeding as SEC Tournament is now set."