By: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

If you ask me what I remember about the 1995 college basketball season two things come to mind.

The first thing was the one and only losing season the Blue Devils have endured since Kryzewski’s third year as their head coach. The other event I vividly remember that season is the half-court shot Jeff Capel hit to send their game against the #2 ranked Tarheels into double overtime.

Even though Duke lost the game 102-100 in that second overtime, the mere fact they were able to play that type of game against their rivals was enough to take one of their worst seasons in the past 30 years and almost turn it into a positive. Had they actually won the game, that year would be remembered more for their victory over Carolina than it would be for all their struggles.

I mention this only because that situation is more or less what Georgia is walking into when they play Florida on October 29th. I’m not saying the Dawgs are having exactly the same type of season as the ‘95 Duke squad that finished with a record of 13-18, but I feel pretty confident in saying a 4-3 record, following a loss to Vanderbilt at home, isn’t exactly what the fan base was expecting.

When you look at Georgia’s remaining schedule they should be able to get to at least six wins, which will be enough to put them in a bowl game; albeit a bowl game somewhere along the lines of the “Chipotle E.Coli Bowl presented by the American Medical Association.”

If you include the game against Georgia Tech to end the year- which is really just a rivalry game in proximity only- or Georgia’s very slim chance to actually win the SEC East, there isn’t much left for the players to get excited about……except for beating Florida.

With Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee all on their bye this weekend the Gators will arrive at EverBank Field next week sitting in 1st place in the East Division. A loss to the Bulldogs would be a major blow to their SEC Championship aspirations. Although Florida currently leads Tennessee by one game in the loss column, Tennessee owns the tiebreaker due to their 38-28 win over the Gators, plus has a much easier schedule now that the Florida/LSU game has been rescheduled for Nov. 19th in Baton Rouge.

A loss to Georgia would not only require Florida to run the table, but they would need Tennessee to lose at least one more conference game against teams they will be heavily favored to beat and who have a combined conference record of 4-12. I’m not saying that scenario can’t work out in the Gator’s favor, but I’m sure it’s not something they would like to try to find out.

I truly believe this year is more of a blip on the radar for Georgia than anything. With Eason’s maturation, and Smart being a little more comfortable in his new role, I fully expect next year to see the Bulldogs back up near the top of the East Division, fighting for a spot in the SEC Championship game.

For this season though a win over Florida and knowing that you may have played a pivotal role in them being left out of the conference championship game will more than make up for a disappointing season. Trust me.

In all honesty I had to look up what Duke’s record was during that ’95 season, but I remember almost everything when it comes to that Carolina game. And they didn’t even win.