Georgia Lady Bulldogs
Overall Rank: #27
Conference Rank: #6 SEC
Georgia Team Page
When you think of Georgia, you think of a program that maintains a high degree of respect when it comes to performance on the court. Georgia reached March Madness for the 20th straight season thanks to a solid start. The Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-0 record before cooling off in the second half of the season. Still, Georgia recovered for 20 victories and an NCAA tournament appearance. The Bulldogs open up this season with coach Andy Landers seven wins shy of 850 at Georgia. If he has a strong season and improves from 20 victories, there is an outside chance Landers could reach 950 career wins. From there, another couple solid seasons could put Landers at 1,000 wins. Does he have a solid-enough team to accomplish it?
2013-14 Record: 20-12, 7-9
2013-14 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Andy Landers
Coach Record: 843-287 at Georgia, 925-308 overall
Strengths:
Not only are there are a ton of returning players, Georgia was lucky enough to secure the services of junior college standout Terryuana Goodwin and Syracuse transfer Pachis Roberts. This means there will not be a lot of turnover and the program should improve from where it left off. Shacobia Barbee and Erika Ford, the team’s top two scorers, bring back their leadership on the court and over 20 points per game combined. Barbee and Krista Donald combined for nearly 15 rebounds per game and both are back to lead the Lady Bulldogs to further success. Defense should be solid as well with Merritt Hempe and Halle Washington back as strong shot blockers. Five of the top six scorers are back, as are the two top rebounders and the two top shot-blockers… yes, we’d say that makes for a pretty loaded lineup. Georgia has plenty of strengths to work with that should give other SEC teams (and teams around the country) major fits.
Weaknesses:
The loss of Khaalidah Miller and her 10.4 points per game and 99 total assists will be felt. Miller was a strong floor leader who scored points and helped others do well. Barbee will pick up some of the slack where the assists are concerned, but no team loses one of its top three scorers and gets away with suffering a little bit on the court. Still, this is the only major weakness Georgia has in its lineup.
Final Projection:
With so much returning to the lineup, including five of the top six scorers, plenty of shot blocking, rebounding and assist power, look for Georgia to take a major leap up in the standings this year. With two strong incoming freshmen in Nasheema Oliver and Mackenzie Ingram, plus the transfers of Goodwin and Roberts into the lineup, Georgia needs to worry about replacing only two people. Causwell saw limited action, so if you want to get technical the only person Georgia really needs to worry about replacing is Miller. Look for Georgia to have another solid start, and it should avoid the second-half swoon that took place a year ago. A 25-win season and a further trip through the NCAA tournament should be realistic goals.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA Tournament
Projected Starting Five:
Erika Ford, Senior, Guard, 10.9 points per game
Tiaria Griffin, Junior, Guard, 9.1 points per game
Shacobia Barbee, Junior, Guard, 12.2 points per game
Merritt Hempe, Junior, Forward, 8.7 points
Krista Donald, Senior, Forward, 8.7 points
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 66.1 (199th in nation, 12th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 58.7 (24, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.1 (138, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.2 (80, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.4 (158, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.0 (208, 9)
Free-Throw Percentage: 62.4 (325, 14)
Rebound Margin: 5.3 (47, 3)
Assists Per Game: 13.9 (133, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.1 (184, 7)
Madness 2014 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#61 Nasheema Oliver
#73 Mackenzie Engram
See All Top 44 Women’s Basketball Previews
