Bubba 'N Earl's NCAA Tournament Picks

Who is going to cut down the nets this year?

Let the Madness begin!

The NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament kicks off today and we here at Bubba N' Earl have filled out our brackets. Here's a look at our picks for the Final Four, the Championship Game, and who we think will take home the trophy.

Bubba's Picks:

Final Four: Louisville, Missouri, UCLA, UNC

Championship Game: Louisville vs. UNC

Champion: Louisville

(Side note: Bubba would also like to include his Final Four picks for the NIT: Davidson, UAB, Florida, and Virginia Tech - These were made before UAB lost its opening round game)

Earl's Picks:

Final Four: Kansas, Memphis, Villanova, North Carolina
Championship Game: Memphis vs. North Carolina
Champion: Memphis

Bulldawg Josh's Picks:

Final Four : Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse, Memphis

Championship Game : Louisville vs. Pitt

Champion : Louisville

Streit's Picks:

Final Four: Louisville, Memphis, Villanova, North Carolina
Championship Game: Louisville vs. North Carolina
Champion: Louisville

BFR's Picks

Final Four: Louisville, Memphis, Pitt, North Carolina

Championship Game: North Carolina vs. Memphis

Champion: North Carolina

(Disclaimer: The real world keeps calling on BFR so his picks are based on 4 and 1/3 minutes of actual bracketology consideration and a full season of ignoring college basketball (with the exciting exception of Georgia's unexpected first conference win of the season over the Hated Gators of Gainesville)

The Bubba N' Earl Sittin' on the 50 pick for the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Champion is Louisville.

Spring Practice: Welcome Freshmen

Georgia had three early enrollees attending their first practice as members of the Dawgs on Tuesday. According to reports, offensive lineman Dallas Lee got his first taste of offensive line coach Stacey Searels as he struggled through his first day. Quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger also saw their first action under center for the Dawgs. While senior Joe Cox and sophomore Logan Gray got high remarks for their work on Tuesday, the freshmen were said to have struggled. Would we have expected any better? No.

Here's a quick video of AJ Green running drills during his first practice last summer. The video is only about 30 seconds long and Green drops not 1 but 2 easy passes during a drill.


Struggling during your first days of practice at the collegiate level is expected. These three players already have a step up on the remaining 16 members of the Georgia signing class who won't begin their careers at Georgia until the summer. As past early enrollees Matt Stafford and Richard Samuel proved, getting to school early can help you earn playing time as a freshman. While I don't see any of these players having an impact this fall, I am proud to see their enthusiasm and hard work.

Today, I will leave you with another football practice scene, this time from the movie "Gridiron Gang" starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Johnson was a solid player for the Miami Hurricanes in the 90's and is famous for going into the crowd to beat up an opposing team's mascot. I would love to see a conversation between him and Lou Holtz.



Only 24 days until G Day!
GO DAWGS!!!

The Start of Spring Practice

This fires me up. Is it August yet?

Today marks the beginning of spring practice for Dawgs. Hopefully Coach Richt has the players going full steam. After finishing the 2008 season at 10-3, the Dawgs head into spring with a number of key questions they are hoping to answer between now and opening day in Stillwater.

1. Is Joe Cox ready to take the reigns?

He is saying all the right things, has the backing of his coach, and the Bulldog Nation seems behind him. With two freshmen quarterbacks already enrolled, G Day should provide us with a glimpse of the future as well.

2. Who starts at halfback?

With Richard Samuel out for spring because of surgery, Caleb King is the only experienced scholarship back who will be active this spring. I look forward to getting a glimpse of Carlton Thomas in the backfield and in the return game.

3. Can we kick the ball deep?

We all know Walsh has the leg to kick it deep, the question is whether we have finally abandoned the directional kick and just let our guys kick it as far as they can.

4. Will the lines get healthy?

This one will not be answered during spring as many of our key guys on both sides are still recovering. I can't wait to see teams try and cover the two headed monster that is Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens this fall.

5. Who will step up at the other wideout position?

AJ Green is arguably the best receiver in the nation and this spring he says he is finally healthy. The person on the other side of the field will play a key role as teams will try and double team AJ. Michael Moore showed flashes last season that he could be the man. If no one steps up, look for Marlon Brown and Orson Charles to compete for playing time in the fall.

G Day is 25 days away. Mark your calendars!

GO DAWGS!!!

'09 Commit Dexter Moody Released from Scholarship

Linebacker Dexter Moody, who committed to the Dawgs along with teammate Washaun Ealey has been released from his commitment to play football at Georgia beginning in the fall. This happened after Moody was suspended from his high school, the Emmanuel County Institute. The Red and Black has more on the story here.

This will be the last Bulldog uniform Moody wears.

Opening on the Road

Georgia will open the 2009 season on the road to take on the Cowboys of Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This will be the only the 5th time Georgia has opened a season outside of Sanford Stadium since 1990. The other four season openers away from home during that time were:

1990 - At LSU - Loss 18-13
1992 - At South Carolina - Win 28-6
1994 - At South Carolina - Win 24-21
2003 - At Clemson - Win 30-0

Speaking of that 2003 game at Clemson, here are two amazing plays that started the '03 season off on the right foot:





As of right now, the next scheduled road season opener is at Clemson to start the 2013 season. Here's to hoping that the results of this years game in Stillwater and that game in '13 turn out the same as the game in 2003.

GO DAWGS!!!