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Georgia upsets No. 21 Missouri four days after head coach’s father dies

Mark Fox

Georgia men’s coach Mark Fox talks with reporters during the Southeastern Conference NCAA college basketball media day in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

AP

Georgia head coach Mark Fox lost his father on Friday night, a night where he opted to travel with his team to Washington D.C. and coach his team against George Washington.

On Wednesday, Fox led his Bulldogs into Columbia, MO, and knocked off No. 21 Missouri 70-64 in overtime despite blowing a lead late in regulation and digging themselves a 63-58 hole in the extra frame.

It was a tough, hard-fought win that clearly tugged at all of Fox’s newly raw emotions, as ESPN cameras zoomed in on Fox in tears on the bench as the buzzer sounded.

It was a win that Georgia desperately needed as well. The Bulldogs entered the night 6-6 on the season with less-than-impressive losses to the likes of Georgia Tech, Temple and Nebraska. Will this be the spark that turns the Bulldogs around? Probably not. It’s not easy to make a team that’s not very good relevant in a power conference, even if that power conference is the SEC.

That’s why this loss will hurt so much for the Tigers. The Bulldogs are one of the worst teams in all of high-major basketball. They currently sit at 173th in Kenpom. They entered the night at 266th in the RPI. That certainly isn’t going to help Missouri when Selection Sunday comes around. What’s worse is that the Tigers actually have a chance to make some noise in the SEC race this season, but that’s not going to happen if they keep giving away games at home to bottom-feeders in the conference.

If Missouri wants to be taken seriously this season, they need to start taking teams like Georgia seriously.

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