Georgia basketball: Dawgs must answer the Big 12 challenge

Grown man basketball in the SEC

The anchor around the Georgia basketball March Madness neck is an extremely tough SEC.

The Southeastern Conference is in a dead heat with the ACC and Big East in conference RPI, and  the SEC has a nation leading eight teams ranked in the top 40 NCAA RPI and a nation leading ten teams ranked in the top 75 RPI.

SEC basketball in 2018 is summed up by the South Carolina basketball team. The Gamecocks own a pedestrian 4 – 4 conference record which includes a home loss to Missouri, but a home win over Kentucky and a road win Wednesday night over what was at the time the league leading Florida Gators.

After four home games and four road games in the conference, Georgia stands at 3 – 5. Even with road games to Kentucky and Auburn behind them, excellent play by Georgia may not lift the Dawgs to more than a game above .500 in the SEC.

Next: South Carolina basketball's ugly game wins

The league everyone else is chasing is the Big 12, the toughest league in college basketball. If the SEC wants the country to sit up and take notice, it just needs to win on Saturday. If Georgia steals a road win in Manhattan against the Wildcats, the Dawgs will be playing in the NCAA tournament.