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Athens, GA (Jan 16, 2008) - The people in Athens are panicking because there MIGHT be a light dusting of snow, but the University of Georgia is not canceling their men's basketball game agaainst Alabama. I am back in my spot doing official statistics for the Comcast/CSS tape delay of the game. As usual, I will stay within the NCAA blogging rules and will be writing about everything except the game during time-outs and halftime.

Pregame Notes

Georgia (9-5, 0-1 SEC) enters this game against Alabama (11-6, 0-2) with both teams needing a conference win to have hopes of an NCAA bid alive.

Mark Freidinger, color analyst for Wake Forest Men's basketball, is here tonight in his role as a scout for the San Antonio Spurs. In a conversation in the press room, he was telling us his impressions of UNC-Asheville's 7' 7" Junior Center Kenny George. We also talked about the protest that the Miami Heat won over the Atlanta Hawks. This led to a discussion with AP Sports Writer Charles Odum, who was at the game where Shaq was incorrectly disqualified. The print media sits in row 16 at Phillips Arena with part of the official stats crew, even though there is no logical reason to split the crew with so many empty seats at every Hawks game. Odum says that the officials were still at the Arena two hours after the game, watching the game tape and counting fouls. Tim Hix if the UGA Sports Communications Department wants to use what happened as a teaching point for his stats crew.I will be writing more about the official stats glitch at a later date.

Back to this game...The game will be telecast on Comcast/CSS at 10:00 PM EST/9:00 PM Central. Matt Stewart will have the play-by-play and Shaun Golden will provide the color. UGA Radio, with Scott Howard and Jeff Dantzler calling the game on WSB-AM (750) in Atlanta and WPUP-FM (103.7) in Athens. XM radio is Channel 199. Alabama Radio, with Chris Stewart and Bryan Passink, is on Sirius 110, and on the Internet at http://www.rolltide.com/...time to work for a bit.

First TV Timeout

Not much to say. ... Georgia is 4-5 (2-2 on 3's), and Alabama is (3-4)...much better shooting than last week's GA tech-Georgia game.

Second TV Timeout

Rocky Oliver of Flowery Branch tells me via IM that it is snowing big time up by him. you would think it was snowing inside this coliseum the way both teams turned stone cold in their shooting...

Third TV Time Out (and Fourth)

This game is moving way too quickly. Lot's of 3-pointers from Georgia, and ugly turnovers on both sides.

Halftime

Georgia on top of Alabama 35-25. It is NOT snowing here, only cold rain. Back to my conversation with Mark Freidinger. His old boss with the Spurs is 31-year old Sam Presti, now the GM of the Seattle Sonics. According to Mark, Presti (who played Division III ball for Emerson College) sold evrything he owned and showed up in San Antonio and said he wanted to learn how to be a General Manager. The rest, they say, is history.

As we come back on the air, they just used my obscure stat of the day. In the last 3 halves of basketball played here at Stegeman Coliseum, Georgia is 13-26 in each of those halves. Back to work...

First TV Timeout

UGA Coach Dennis Felton is on the court a lot, but they are not calling the T. Bama Coach Mark Gottfried telling the Ref "I saw it" to no avail.

Second TV Timeout

Shades of the Atlanta Hawks. The official stats crew is way behind, trying to catch up and fix the stats. Not good...now we are caught up.

Third TV Timeout

Talent has lost access to official stats screen and UGA is trying to fix the problems...again not ideal...

Last TV Timeout

Alabama has to find a way home tonight as their plane will not be braving the weather to pick them up. part of the problem is that Athens Benn Epps Airport cannot handle bad weather landings. So Alabama may try to find a way to start driving home.

Georgia Timeout

Mark Freidinger has left the building, as he has to get to Knoxville for the Vandy-Tennessee tomorrow night.

That's A Wrap

Final Score: Georgia 61 Alabama 54. Georgia is now 10-5 (1-1 SEC), Alabama (11-7, 0-3 SEC). The next live blog will be from UGA Gymnastics on January 26 (ESPN2).