Every so often a Georgia player will earn permanent and eternal untouchable status from me with one play or one game. Short of showing up in the next bin Laden home video, these guys could do nothing else their entire careers or lives that would remove them from my pantheon of Sacred Bulldogs.

Usually this status comes with a big play against Georgia Tech, but other events have also triggered it. Michael Johnson’s ownership of Auburn put him right up there.

I bring this up because UGASports.com has an interview today with Mario Raley discussing his expectations for his senior season. “As a leader and a senior in my fifth year, I feel like my role is to step up and lead the guys and show them the ins and outs and dos and don’ts,” Raley said.

It’s great that Raley has that outlook, but he has already stepped up in my eyes. As UGASports.com’s Brad Harrison wisely notes, “(Raley’s) biggest catch (of 2005) came against Georgia Tech, an eight-yarder that kept a Georgia drive going late in the game.” Exactly right, Brad. In a tie game late in the 4th quarter, facing third down just on the outside of field goal range, Raley caught a pass heading towards the sideline and turned it upfield for the first down. It was his only catch of the game, and it was only for eight yards, but it was the first in a trio – or dare I say trinity – of events that led to another win over Georgia Tech. Soon after Raley’s catch left the Bulldogs comfortably in field goal range, DJ Shockley found Bryan McClendon for the go-ahead score. A few minutes later, Tim Jennings stepped in front of a Reggie Ball Western Union Special to seal the win. Thomas Flowers set up the final drive with another big return, but it was Raley’s catch that kept it alive.

I hope Mario Raley does continue to improve and find an increased role as a senior. He’s not going to transform into Hines Ward, but hopefully his catch at Tech will give him the taste for making the key catch when Georgia needs a reception. If any catch this season even approaches what his reception at Tech meant to me, he’ll be an instant hero. You can do much worse as a Bulldog than to be remembered for your contribution, no matter how small, in a win over Tech.

The SEC Tournament went about as expected for Georgia. Though they fought back from a poor start and held the lead in the second half, they just couldn’t stop Tennessee’s inside game. Parker and Fluker scored at will, and Georgia was outrebounded 40-22.

I guess if there was a disappointing part of the game, it was Tennessee’s (specifically Zolman’s) success from outside. Tennessee’s dominance inside was to be expected, but Georgia did match up along the perimeter. One sequence in particular put it all together – Tennessee had a slim 3-point lead late in the second half. They hit a basket and were fouled to set up a possible three-point play. They missed the foul shot, got the rebound, kicked it outside for a three-pointer, and a three-point lead was suddenly eight. Dagger. Nail in coffin. Game over.

Now at 21-8, the Lady Dogs await their NCAA Tournament fate. The seedings won’t be announced until a week from today (Monday the 13th).

Georgia’s current RPI is 16. If that were the only consideration, Georgia would be a 4 seed, probably in North Carolina’s region. Let’s look at some other factors:

• Strength of schedule. According to the RPI figures, Georgia had the 11th toughest schedule. That’s a nice plus. Strength of schedule can help a team, but it can go overboard. For instance, NC State currently sits ahead of Georgia in the RPI because of their schedule rating of 2 despite three more losses and a .500 conference record.
• Wins and losses. 21 wins, particularly with an SEC schedule, is what you’d expect from a team making its case for a higher seed. Eight losses seems like a bit much, but five of those losses came to teams in the RPI’s top 4.
• Bad losses. Georgia simply has none. The “worst” loss is Temple – a team with an RPI of 39 who is ranked in the Top 25 and on the verge of winning its conference tournament. All other Georgia losses have an RPI better than 20. No shame there.
• Big wins. This is a negative for Georgia. The Lady Dogs have played seven games against teams in the RPI Top 20 and lost them all. The best win RPI-wise might be Kentucky, and there are several decent wins against teams like Florida and Vanderbilt who are just on the periphery of being ranked and have an RPI from 30-40. The bottom line is that they pretty much beat everyone they should have (especially in conference) and did it in impressive fashion but lack any really landmark wins that stand out.
• Finish to the season. Georgia is 7-3 over their last ten games, and those three losses were to LSU and Tennessee. The seven wins feature three wins by 20+ points over ranked teams (Florida and Vanderbilt) and a devastation of Kentucky, the SEC’s #4 team. Forget the last ten games – if the jersey hasn’t read LSU or Tennessee, Georgia has been playing at a very high level with great consistency since Christmas.

There aren’t many negatives that should drop Georgia much below a 4 seed. They might even move up. They present as good of a case as teams with slightly higher RPIs such as Western Kentucky, DePaul, and NC State. Let’s be honest -the Georgia name carries some weight, and at the end of the season they could play with all but about the top 5 teams. Could the Lady Dogs slide up into a 3 seed? It’s possible. Georgia would present a big concern for any 2 seed in a potential Sweet 16 matchup.

The NCAA selection committee, especially on the men’s side, always likes to add little twists to create matchups along the way. How would you like to see Oklahoma and their freshman phenom Courtney Paris as a 2 seed going up against Georgia and sophomore all-American Tasha Humphrey as a 3 seed?

Georgia will be extremely sensitive to matchups in this tournament. As we’ve known all season, they are thin (and short) in the frontcourt and have had problems against quality teams with strong frontcourts. A lower seed with those strengths might mean that Georgia faces a tough game in an early round. On the other hand, Georgia might get a draw where they can hold their own among the frontcourt and can get the upper hand with favorable guard matchups.

Tasha Humphrey and Sherill Baker were named first team All-SEC, and Cori Chambers was named to the second team. Baker was also named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year. All three are very deserving of the recognition.

I hope it never becomes old to point out how good Tasha Humphrey is. She WAS the Georgia frontcourt this season. She faced double-teams all year, and she also usually played against taller girls. Importantly, she had to learn how to play smart ball and avoid fouls to remain in the game. Her conditioning after off-season foot surgery got a serious test this season, and she has passed.

Baker has shed the “defensive specialist” label to become much more of a complete player. Though she has stepped up the defense, she is now much more assertive and effective on the offensive end than ever. Though her outside shot is still spotty and the only real weakness of her game, she is devastating inside of 17 feet. Baker has likely earned a first-round WNBA selection with her all-around improvement.

I might be most pleased with the recognition for Chambers. Baker got press for her steals record, and Humphrey is a superstar. But Chambers was the critical piece of this year’s team. Inconsistent outside shooting hurt the Lady Dogs several times in the 2005 season, and they didn’t have the frontcourt to compensate. Chambers hasn’t only been consistent from outside this year – she’s been outstanding. During a three-game stretch in the heart of the SEC schedule, Chambers was hitting nearly 60% from outside. When she is on, and she usually is, defenses must extend, and lots of things open up around the basket for other players.

Only six players on this team generally get more than five minutes a game. Half of them are all-SEC honorees. That’s how a team with such serious depth issues can continue to operate at a very high level.

Though they didn’t make All-SEC, Darrah, Kendrick, and Hardrick all had huge roles during this season. Case in point – Alexis Kendrick was injured during the Arkansas game. Janese Hardrick has come off the bench to score around 20 points per game in the final two games of the regular season right when the team needed an offensive shot in the arm.

PS…I really disagree with the selection of Mickie DeMoss as Coach of the Year. That’s basically an award for beating Tennessee. Landers’ job with the personnel he had was far more impressive.

The NCAA released the first round of Academic Progress Reports today. The reports measure the academic progress of student-athletes within each team and through formulas derived from Max Planck’s recently-discovered diaries arrive at an index. If a program’s index number is below 925, problems start.

Georgia came out fairly well, and no UGA sport will incur penalties. The flagship football program is in very good shape, and both basketball teams did well. Only baseball and men’s track seem to have work to do, and I’m not going to look into why they are below the 925 mark and what they have to do. You can see any school’s report by clicking here. (PS…”University of Georgia” is under “U”.)

It’s not surprising that the penalties announced today impact smaller public schools and especially historically black schools. In the case of a school like Middle Tenn. State, they built a program by finding the marginal qualifiers who fell through the cracks of larger Division 1 programs who didn’t want to take the risks. The pressures of winning are still there without the resources of the big programs, and one or two difference-makers can build a smaller program and enhance a coach’s career. I noted this earlier when it was found that women’s basketball graduation rates are dropping – more programs are willing to take more academic risks because the pressure to win has increased.