Daniel Shirley: Georgia's basketball teams should follow baseball teams' lead

It hasn't been a good year for the NCAA Division I men's basketball teams in our state, and when we turn on the NCAA Tournament in March, there's a good chance we won't see any of our teams taking part.

Georgia has a chance -- barely -- but the Bulldogs probably need to win out in the regular season and have a good SEC Tournament showing to get in. Georgia Tech (ACC), Mercer (Southern Conference), Georgia Southern (Sun Belt), Georgia State (Sun Belt), Kennesaw State (A-Sun) and Savannah State (MEAC) have no shot unless they can win their respective conference tournaments. And in most cases, that would be stunning.

So, it hasn't been good. But why is that?

One reason is scheduling. It's not that these teams play bad schedules in basketball, but they don't play each other, and that hurts their programs and the game, in general, throughout the state.

Yes, Georgia plays Georgia Tech every year, and Georgia State and Georgia Southern are in the same conference, so they play, as well. Outside of that, Mercer played Kennesaw State and Georgia Southern played Savannah State, and that's it.

That's ridiculous.

Sure, teams have to build their schedules around other teams' schedules and finding enough home games to make money, but these teams need to be playing each other. It would help their programs improve, and it would help promote the game throughout the state.

Need proof? Look at baseball. College baseball in this state is in much better shape than college basketball, and a part of that is the teams all play each other (or most of them do).

Mercer's schedule includes all six of the other Division I programs in the state, and Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern also play the other six. Georgia State and Kennesaw State play five, while Georgia and Savannah State play four.

That leads to rivalries, which lead to good games, which lead to bigger crowds, which lead to more fan interest and in the end, better programs all around the state.

The same could happen for basketball. Sure, the big two of Georgia and Georgia Tech might not want to play the other teams, but they should. Not finding a way to get those other teams on the schedule or avoiding them altogether is just silly.

But there's no excuse for the other teams to not play each other. The other five could all play each other, and the team with the best record would get a trophy to keep for the year and then pass along to the top team the following year. It would be great to have all seven involved, but if Georgia and Georgia Tech won't take part, the other five could shame them into it if they got something started and make it special.

It would be great for the teams, players and fans and great for the game. And it simply makes too much sense to not do it.

It works in baseball, and it would work in basketball, too.

Contact Daniel Shirley at 744-4227 or dshirley@macon.com

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Daniel Shirley: Georgia's basketball teams should follow baseball teams' lead ."