Why the ‘dangerous’ Lady Bulldogs see potential for a deep SEC tournament run

Georgia has known its potential for quite a while — from the moment preseason practices began on Sept. 27, in fact. And it all began with a locker-room dance session.

Senior Stephanie Paul, who calls the final stretch of her Georgia career the last dance, started it off in fitting fashion. Paul has an affinity for the song “Toast,” an upbeat reggae song by Koffee. Some of her teammates engaged; others didn’t with the fear of being embarrassed from a lack of rhythmic skills.

Each of the Lady Bulldogs wanted their moves to go viral, and one even gave a shout-out to “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” with hopes of making it onto the mega stage. That dance became one worthy of a disco ball and all of the theatrics, and it also served as a testament to the team’s chemistry — an element to Georgia’s season-long journey that began on an overseas trip to Italy.

“This team is definitely my favorite, by far,” Maya Caldwell said before the first practice of her junior campaign. She finished the regular season as the team’s third-leading scorer at 9.9 points per game. “The energy and the vibes are different — in a good way. We’re all so goofy.”

Georgia’s chemistry and hunger for a return to the NCAA tournament felt different from the outset. Many of the results, however, mimicked that of falling short a season ago.

Some of the losses could be a result of the nation’s 14th-toughest schedule that included seven games against teams with a top-20 RPI ranking (Georgia went winless against South Carolina, Baylor, Mississippi State, UCLA and Texas A&M). Nonetheless, the Lady Bulldogs didn’t play up to the program’s standard through most of the season — backed by a 13-loss record, two substantial losing streaks and home losses to Vanderbilt and Missouri.

Georgia overcame a number of hurdles — from injuries to strategizing an efficient playing rotation. Suddenly, it has found its stride entering a stretch where peaking can be rewarded. Head coach Joni Taylor began to see the upswing materialize nearly six weeks ago, even when the Lady Bulldogs were losing through a gauntlet against ranked teams. The momentum has shown in the win column over a three-week stretch:

▪ A 17-point win on the road against LSU, a No. 7 seed in the SEC tournament.

▪ An offensive eruption at Kentucky with 77 points scored (tied with a Nov. 30 victory over Virginia Tech for the second-highest total this season).

▪ Forward Jenna Staiti emerged as Georgia’s centerpiece over the past month. The junior has recorded monstrous-like performances with seven-consecutive double-digit scoring games (with three straight with 20-or-more points).

▪ Georgia has continued to perform despite the loss of junior Que Morrison, who many of her teammates called “irreplaceable,” to a torn labrum. Much of that has been possible due to improvements from Staiti, Caldwell and freshman guard Chloe Chapman.

SEC tournament time

As the No. 9 seed in the SEC tournament, Georgia has built confidence for a deep run that begins Thursday against Alabama (noon, SEC Network). The two teams recently squared off on Feb. 16, and Georgia won a 76-75 overtime contest in Athens.

“I think everybody is very tuned in on the objective,” point guard Gabby Connally said. “We need to give our all and leave it on the floor. We want to give ourselves the best chance to make the NCAA tournament. … I’m glad we’re clicking.”

The odds aren’t particularly in Georgia’s favor. It sits on the disadvantageous side of the tournament bracket: No. 1 South Carolina (undefeated in SEC play) awaits the Georgia-Alabama winner. The nation’s top-ranked Gamecocks routed Georgia 88-53 inside Stegeman Coliseum and show little signs of becoming a potential upset victim.

The focus rests on Alabama, but Georgia knows it’ll need more than one win to re-enter the NCAA tournament discussion. Taylor reminded the team of the big-picture scenario earlier in the week, and an at-large bid is a long shot. Georgia will likely need to win the SEC tournament title in order to hear its name called for the postseason. A ninth-seeded team hasn’t won the conference tournament since Auburn did so in 1997.

Those aforementioned strides, however, don’t squash the Lady Bulldogs’ hopes.

“Everybody can step up and they understand their role,” Staiti said. “That can make us dangerous and we can expose other teams.”

Said Taylor: “We’re playing well and that’s what you want. We’re continuing to hit our stride. We have to remain locked in and focused.”

The challenge of endurance for a potential run

Four games in four days. That’s what it’ll take for Georgia to reach its goal.

All the coaches inside the women’s basketball offices are crammed with planning obligations and meetings. Some staffers don’t realize the game schedule and mix up days of the week due to having such a lengthy list of tasks. Players walk into the facility with large suitcases, packed for the chance at a lengthy stay, ahead of Tuesday’s two-hour bus ride to the team hotel outside Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

Georgia’s practices are run a bit differently this week, too. Heavy contributors will see less reps while the young athletes get more of a chance to show their improvements. The thought of playing a string of games without much rest trickles into the players’ minds.

Welcome to postseason basketball.

“We have a lot of resources and equipment at Georgia,” said Taylor, who referenced jobs by the nutritionists, athletic trainers, the use of Normatec compression tights and cryotherapy machines as methods of recovery. “We’re preparing their minds and bodies for this all year long. We do things to make sure it’s not too big of a deal right now. … They’re tired, but so is everybody. That can’t be an excuse for us not to go give it our all.”

The dynamic of playing consecutively for numerous days is a challenge but an obvious luxury. All of the players understand that it’s mandatory for Georgia, and the oft-used “one game at a time” cliche comes to life. Taylor and her staff are focused on Alabama and its scoring prowess led by Jordan Lewis and Jasmine Walker.

If Georgia is to beat the Crimson Tide, that’s when the draining turnaround begins. South Carolina has an extra day to scout each opponent. With a win, the Lady Bulldogs would have to be ready for another noon tip-off without a shootaround (which would have to happen around 6 a.m.).

Once March rolls around, a 29-game regular season takes its toll. Players’ bodies are beat up and lingering ailments call for frequent massage and treatment sessions with athletic trainer Maria White.

But if it means a chance at a run and an NCAA tournament berth, Georgia is ready to show what it knew about itself back in September.

“I need to go into every game knowing it could be the last one. You have to put it all out there,” Staiti said. “It doesn’t matter how I’m feeling. I have to put my body on the line for everybody else.”

Georgia Lady Bulldogs at SEC tournament

No. 8 Alabama (18-11, 8-8 SEC) vs. No. 9 Georgia (16-13, 7-9 SEC)

When: Thursday, March 5, Noon ET

Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SC

TV channel: SEC Network (Eric Frede and Tamika Catchings)

Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)