ATHENS — Georgia basketball has plenty to play for even after likely earning an NCAA Tournament spot Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs can shift focus from surviving to improving quality of life, as every extra SEC win improves their potential March Madness seeding.
That starts with the regular-season finale against Vanderbilt at noon Saturday. One last win at Stegeman Coliseum would create a better opportunity for conference wins next week in the SEC tournament.
UGA (19-11, 7-10 SEC) will play in the first round of the conference tournament, which starts Wednesday. The Bulldogs can finish as high as the No. 10 seed and as low as the No. 12 seed, changing their potential opponents for the rest of the week.
Here’s a look at the three possible SEC Tournament seedings for Georgia, depending on its game against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State’s game at Arkansas on Saturday.
UGA’s potential SEC tournament seeds
- No. 10 seed: Georgia beats Vanderbilt, Mississippi State beats Arkansas
- No. 11 seed: Georgia beats Vanderbilt, Arkansas beats Mississippi State
- No. 12 seed: Vanderbilt beats Georgia
The SEC’s expansion to 16 teams has changed the tournament format. The seeding is split into three tiers that start tournament play on three different days.
Seeds nine through 16 will play Wednesday, with the four winners advancing to play seeds five through eight Thursday. Those four winners would play the SEC’s top four seeds Friday, followed by two Saturday semifinals and a championship Sunday.
Georgia, like Vanderbilt, can earn one of the top seeds for Day One with a win Saturday.
That would give the Bulldogs a more favorable first-round matchup against LSU, who they beat at home earlier this season.
It also would set up a second-round game against the No. 7 seed. The tournament’s 11th seed would play the sixth seed in the second round, and the 12th seed would play the fifth seed.
If Georgia got the No. 11 or No. 12 seed, it would play Oklahoma or Texas in the first round, depending upon the outcome of the Sooners’ and Longhorns’ game Saturday.
Many experts believe Georgia already has a place in the 68-team field, but not all believe they have done enough to earn one of the 60 direct bids.
The Bulldogs could be seeded to play the First Four, meaning they would have to beat another fringe tournament team for a spot in the 64-team field.
The best way UGA can avoid that is by winning Saturday to give itself a better chance with more wins in Nashville next week.
Georgia’s exact March Madness fate will be revealed at 6 p.m. March 16.
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