Georgia Basketball: Ranking the teams from the past decade
A new decade of Georgia basketball will begin this fall. In the mean time, we'll look back at the past decade's teams and compare them among the others.
10. '18-'19 Georgia Bulldogs
The '18-'19 Georgia basketball team was the least impressive team out of of this group, but rightfully so. Tom Crean inherited a ton of Mark Fox recruits that didn't necessarily match up with his style of play. That made it tough for him to win games in year one, as it would have been for anyone in his situation.
While the Bulldogs finished with just two SEC wins and a 11-21 record, Tom Crean was able to produce his first NBA draftee in his Georgia tenure with Nicolas Claxton.
9. '11-'12 Georgia Bulldogs
After making the tournament the previous season, the Bulldogs had a new roster in 11'-'12 that featured six freshmen. One of those freshman was a five-star recruit in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who would go on to be a top choice in the 2013 NBA Draft.
The Bulldogs had some other young players who would have successful careers at Georgia in Nemanja Djurisic and Marcus Thornton. Georgia also had leaders in Gerald Robinson and Dustin Ware, but the loss of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie were tough to overcome. The Bulldogs went 15-17 and finished 10th in the SEC.
8. '12-'13 Georgia Bulldogs
The next season, the Bulldogs were still in rebuild mode, but the foundation was being laid for success in years to come for Georgia. The Bulldogs got another year in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who would go on to win the SEC Player of the Year award before heading to the NBA.
Nemanja Djurisic stepped into a bigger role in his sophomore year, and the Bulldogs also brought along their backcourt of the future in Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines. While still a very young and inexperienced team, Georgia still managed to win 9 games in the SEC, including a win over Kentucky. However, the Bulldogs were bounced in the second round of the SEC Tournament, finishing 15-17 for the second year straight.
7. '19-'20 Georgia Bulldogs
It may not make sense to everyone now, but the '19-'20 season was a turning point in Tom Crean's tenure at Georgia. After winning just 11 games the season before, Tom Crean brought in Georgia's best recruiting class in program history, including the highest rated prospect to ever play in Athens in Anthony Edwards.
The Bulldogs had many ups and downs, which altered between blowout losses and ranked wins against Memphis on the road and Auburn at home. Despite the talent, Georgia was overcome with youth which led to just 5 SEC wins and a 16-16 record. Georgia did finish on a lopsided win against Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament, and had play not been stopped, the Bulldogs could've tacked on a few more wins.
Though their record doesn't say it, this team was loaded with talent and potential that the program hasn't seen in a long time. A few years from now, this team may have had multiple NBA players in addition to Anthony Edwards and Rayshaun Hammonds.
6. '16-'17 Georgia Bulldogs
The '16-'17 Bulldog team was the final year of the Yante Maten and J.J. Frazier duo. That duo averaged for over 18 PPG a piece, and while the Bulldogs got production from Juwan Parker, they couldn't generate enough scoring to compete against elite teams in the SEC.
Georgia was able to compete with most of the SEC, finishing in middle of the pack in the SEC with a 19-15 record and 9 conference wins. However, the Bulldogs couldn't seem to beat the SEC's premier teams that season like Kentucky or Arkansas. Without having any eyeopening wins Georgia failed to make the NCAA Tournament, only to be bounced by Belmont at home in the first round of the NIT.
5. '17-'18 Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs were led by Yante Maten this particular season, averaging nearly 20 PPG along with 8.6 rebounds each outing, leading to his co-SEC Player of the Year honors. The lack of a consistent scorer around Maten held the Bulldogs to scoring just 68.1 points each game.
The Bulldogs ranked inside the Top-50 in the country in points allowed per game, allowing them to pick up marque wins against ranked teams like Saint Mary's and Tennessee as well as road victories like Marquette. These wins kept the Bulldogs in the mix for a tournament spot in February, but the inability to score led to a couple of losses down the stretch.
The Bulldogs finished 18-15 overall, but the 7 conference wins were only good enough for 11th best in the SEC. That was the final straw for Mark Fox, and Tom Crean was brought in later that March.
4. '15-'16 Georgia Bulldogs
In the last year of the Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines duo, Georgia had four players with double-digit scoring averages with J.J. Frazier and Yante Maten leading the way.
The Bulldogs competed in SEC play, winning 10 games. It was non-conference play that got the Bulldogs into trouble. Losing to Chattanooga early on, Georgia took a bad loss before failing to beat ranked teams like Seton Hall and Baylor.
Georgia made it to the semi-finals of the SEC Tournament before losing to Kentucky. The Bulldogs only made it two rounds into the NIT, but the 20-14 record was one of the better seasons from Georgia this decade.
3. '13-'14 Georgia Bulldogs
For a team that had six true freshman on roster, the Bulldogs 12 SEC wins, good enough to be tied for 2nd best in the conference, was an impressive year for the Bulldogs.
Georgia was able to hold their ground at home, going 15-3. The Bulldogs finished with 20 wins on the year, including victories over Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, and Missouri. This allowed for the Bulldogs to reach double-digit conference wins for just the 10th time in program history.
The Bulldogs were then awarded a No. 2 seed in the NIT, and lasted two rounds. Though the outcome wasn't what the Bulldogs wanted, the conference win totals will be highlighted by the program for a while.
2. '14-'15 Georgia Bulldogs
The '14-'15 season is when the Bulldogs peaked from their rebuild. After being held from the NCAA Tournament for three seasons, the Bulldogs cashed in through the teams four double-digit scorers: Marcus Thornton, Charles Mann, Nemanja Djrurisic, and Kenny Gaines in addition to J.J. Frazier and Yante Maten.
The Bulldogs didn't have any ranked wins that year, but were able to chalk up 11 conference wins and finish 21-12 on the year. After recording double-digit SEC wins for the second year in a row, Georgia was awarded an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. The 10-seed Bulldogs fell just a few points short of taking down Michigan State.
1. '10-'11 Georgia Bulldogs
While 2013-2015 was an impressive stretch for the Bulldogs, Georgia's best team arguably came at the beginning of this decade.
In year two under Mark Fox, the Bulldogs were led by two bluechip prospects in Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie. The duo combined for over 30 PPG in their junior years before both being drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft.
The Bulldogs only recorded 9 wins in the SEC, but knocking off a top-ranked Kentucky team helped Georgia find it's way into the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs would end up being knocked off by Washington in the first round, but the 21-12 record set the bar high for expectations of the Georgia basketball program headed forward.
