View from 315A

SMA and I attended the Tennessee-Georgia game in Athens on Saturday.

We arrived at Stegeman Coliseum early and watched the team warm up, largely because there was nothing else to do. JuJuan Smith, fresh off a 32-point game, had one side of the court to himself for quite awhile as the rest of our team congregated on the other half of the court. We were amazed at the shooting exhibition he put on. He was flawless, having a personal rebounder, and hitting shot after shot. Naturally, he scored only two in the game and missing all six of his three-point attempts.

The Vol contingency was unbelievable, both in number and volume. Just prior to the game, Georgia coach Dennis Felton fields three "Hot Seat" questions from the UGA student section. The Georgia fans were visibly upset when he had to pause for some time when the Vols hit the floor. The Vol fans cheered throughout his interview, making it almost inaudible. I had no sympathy as the timing of this segment seemed inappropriate.

The game itself unfolded strangely as Tennessee continually worked the ball inside against a Georgia press, instead of relying on their typical barrage of three-pointers. The game did ultimately end in a shooting duel between Tennessee’s Chris Lofton (22 points) and Georgia’s Sundiata Gaines (23). Tennessee fans were so appreciative of Gaines that he received a standing ovation when he returned to the court during the post-game radio broadcast. Bruce Pearl acknowledged the class of the gesture but also said, "you probably wouldn’t be feeling that way if he had knocked down that three."

Tennessee won the game, 74-71. We were thankful to win. With our lofty national ranking, we now get everyone’s best game.

Half-time was dedicated to remembering the twenty-fifth anniversary of Georgia’s Final Four team. In addition to the 1983 team, many former starts were there. Current Detroit Piston Jarvis Hayes was announced during the pre-game. We were disappointed that Georgia’s most famous basketball alumnus, Dominique Wilkins, was not there. We saw him on television later that night commenting on the NBA dunk contest.

My favorite moment of the trip came during the post-game "Bruce Pearl Show." Before being interviewed as the player of the game, Chris Lofton was inundated with a wide range of Tennessee paraphernalia to autograph. Somehow, a woman got her baby through the masses to pose for a photo with Lofton. An obliging, but uncomfortable Lofton held the child. Somewhere in the sea of Tennessee fans, someone yelled out "Shoot it!" It was priceless. That could be interpreted many ways, none of which would be in the baby’s best interests.

As an aside, "Sic ‘Em" is one of Georgia’s themes and is posted on the walls in the stadium. In editorial terms, [sic] indicates improper grammar. Could this be part of Georgia’s game plan - to infuriate rival teams and fans with poor English. As an example, their guard Zac Swansey clearly misspells his own last name. Everyone knows his surname is properly spelled Swansea. I can just picture Ramar Smith puzzled by this misspelling the entire time he was guarding Swansey. This would account for Swansey’s otherwise inexplicable ability to get past out defenders. Think about it. (But not too long.)