Five observations: Georgia goes cold late, drops Big 12/SEC Challenge game against Kansas State

Here are five observations following Georgia's 56-51 loss to Kansas State.

The final 6:30

Georgia was up 49-44 with the 6:30 left to play in the game. The Bulldogs played a great game defensively, and ultimately only needed a few more offensive positions to go their way.

Instead, Georgia went the final 6:30 of the game with only two points on the offensive end. This is the third consecutive game that Georgia has blown a lead against a quality opponent. Georgia (12-8) has now lost five of their past six games and can be considered off of the bubble.

The way Georgia played over the final stretch of the game would be concerning for most teams. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, this has been a trend throughout the whole season. Head coach Mark Fox has spoken about the team's inconsistency issues on the offensive end, which essentially negated any positive output his defenses provided.

Georgia has the worst scoring offense in the SEC and managed only 51 points. And the two points the Bulldogs got in the final 6:30 came on a put-back from forward Derek Ogbeide.

The inability to close out a team on the offensive end has persisted far too long. If Georgia is unable to do fix this, then any kind of argument for inclusion in the NCAA Tournament will be null and void, despite how strong the SEC is.

Ultimately, Georgia has to win games. It hasn't done enough of that this season, let alone in the past three years.

The final 33 seconds

Once again, Georgia found itself in position to lengthen a game with less than a minute to play. And once again, the Bulldogs declined to foul. While Georgia nearly got a steal with 19 seconds to play, which would have made the coaching staff look smart, the odds dictate a foul in that situation.

The more time that runs off the clock, the less likely a team can come from behind and win. Georgia needed more possessions, not fewer. By waiting to foul, the Bulldogs got less time to attempt to score before fouling again. And this isn't a one-time affair. This happened against San Diego State, when Georgia declined to foul when the Aztecs held a four-point lead with only 45 seconds left to play.

Georgia probably wasn't going to win regardless of if it fouled or didn't foul. The way the offense sputtered down the stretch was indicative of that.

But hey, you have to give yourself a chance, right?

Claxton plays well ... and then sits when it matters most

If you're a Georgia fan, you have to be losing your mind over how freshman Nicolas Claxton was used in the final stretch of the second half.

Claxton provided energy off the bench for the second consecutive game. With 13:38 left in the second half, Claxton came down with an offensive rebound. Later that possession, guard Turtle Jackson got the ball back to him, which was converted into a layup. Claxton came down with a defensive rebound with 10:50 to go and an offensive rebound with 10:24 to go. He sank two free throws after drawing a foul following the rebound.

He added another offensive rebound with 7:56 left to play and drew a foul shortly after. While he missed both free throws at the line, Claxton was playing at a high level. He finished the game with six points and six rebounds, with three of those rebounds on the offensive end.

Those three offensive rebounds were a team-high too, with Claxton being the best player of the day helping give Georgia second-chance opportunities.

Yet after those missed free throws, Claxton soon went to the bench and didn't re-enter the game until the final 33 seconds of the game. And remember, as stated above, Georgia scored only two points in the final 6:30 of the game.

Keeping Claxton on the bench, given his output in 16 minutes, is a head-scratcher. Claxton stayed in the game late Tuesday against Arkansas and provided Georgia with some key moments, albeit in a loss. Against Kansas State (16-5), Claxton saw the bench.

Given the flow of the game when he was in, it's certainly reasonable to wonder why Claxton was an afterthought late.

Rebounding

Georgia out-rebounded Kansas State by 11, which would normally suggest a good game resulting in a win.

But for the third consecutive game, Georgia has out-rebounded its opponent and lost. Against Auburn, the Bulldogs bested the Tigers by seven. Against Arkansas, Georgia pulled down 10 more rebounds than the Razorbacks. When a decisive rebounding advantage is negated, it's safe to say you have problems.

Prior to this three-game stretch, Georgia was 10-0 when out-rebounding its opponent.

No 3-point shooting on either side

Georgia hasn't been a great team at shooting the 3-pointer all year long. That continued against the Wildcats.

Georgia made only two of its 18 3-point attempts. For the math folks out there, that's good for a showing of 11.1 percent. With no 3-point threat, it's easy for teams to pack the paint and limit Yante Maten to 14 points.

But the crazy thing is that if Georgia would have shot 30 percent from behind the arc, it probably wins this game. Kansas State was almost as bad from the perimeter and finished the game by making 21.4 percent of its 3-pointers on 3-of-14 shooting. Given the game was decided by five points, a 30-percent outing for Georgia would have been to make five of its 18 3-pointers.

Obviously, with three more made 3-pointers, Georgia out-scores Kansas State. Shoulda, coulda, woulda.

This story was originally published January 27, 2018 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Five observations: Georgia goes cold late, drops Big 12/SEC Challenge game against Kansas State."