Georgia led by double-digits at halftime and by as many as 29 points before finishing with an 80-56 win over South Carolina Wednesday night.

One of the best things about the box score was the turnover number. Only 10 turnovers in the game, and only two of those were by guards. That means that Georgia got into their offense and was often able to get a shot off. They didn’t shoot 50%, but they shot more than good enough for the number of possessions they had.

Georgia beating South Carolina isn’t huge news; it was expected. Andy Johnston talks about this today in the ABH. “(The win) broke no ground. It showed us what we already knew. They beat the teams they should beat.”

I see what he’s getting at. Georgia was favored to win comfortably. It would have been much bigger news and a sure sign of trouble had they lost. Still, I think it’s significant that there are major conference teams, even SEC teams, that fit into Georgia’s “teams you should beat” category. After two years of being the team everyone else should beat, that’s some progress. Accuse me of setting my expectations too low at this point, but this is at least something. Even in last year’s season sweep of South Carolina, Georgia was dragged into two of the ugliest games you’ll ever see. Though the ultimate outcome last night was still the same – a win – the style points from taking apart an overmatched SEC foe counts in my book.

Vanderbilt is next, and they’re an enigmatic team that lost to Auburn and Furman but beat Georgia Tech and Tennessee. Are they on Georgia’s small “teams they should beat” list? It’s definitely a chance to go to 2-1 in the conference and a very important opportunity to hold serve at home. You don’t know quite what to expect from Georgia, but if the turnovers remain down I’ll like their chances.