Georgia Bulldogs

ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia’s women’s basketball team earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament and will face No. 13-seeded Marist in the opening round.

The Lady Bulldogs (22-8), who received an at-large bid to the tournament, will face MAAC champion Marist (25-7) at 12:05 p.m. Sunday in Tallahassee, Fla. The game will air live on ESPN2.

The tournament selection committee assigned Georgia to the Raleigh Region, where Notre Dame (30-3) is the top seed.

The Georgia-Marist winner will advance to face the winner between No. 5 seed St. Bonaventure (29-3) and No. 12-seeded Florida Gulf Coast (29-2) on Tuesday.

There were large numbers of Georgia fans last September who were convinced that Mark Richt was finished as the Bulldogs' head coach following the 0-2 start, and many of those same fans were clamoring for a change.

Some of them still are, in fact, although not as loudly.

Their rationale: They like and respect Richt as a man, but feel like the football program has hit a ceiling with him as head coach.

The Georgia administration obviously doesn't feel that way after it was announced Monday that Richt had been granted a three-year extension, keeping him under contract through the 2016 season. Richt is also expected to receive a raise, although the details of the contract are still being finalized, according to Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity.

Richt was already making $2.81 million per year, which doesn't include retention/longevity bonuses that take him above the $3 million figure.

Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham also received a two-year extension, taking him through the 2014 season. He made $750,000 last season and will also get a raise. When you consider what Grantham brought to the defense in the way of mental toughness, he deserves a hefty raise.

The thing to keep an eye on when Georgia releases all the particulars of Richt's new deal is how much the buyout has been tweaked. In other words, extensions in the world of the SEC are merely window dressing unless they're backed up by guaranteed money.

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At this rate, Georgia might be holding tryouts at cornerbacks, especially for those first couple of games in the fall.

Rising senior cornerback Branden Smith was arrested early Monday morning in Abbeville, Ala., and charged with marijuana possession. Smith was apparently on his way to Panama City, Fla., for spring break. He's the second Georgia cornerback to be arrested in the past two months. Sanders Commings was charged with domestic violence/simple battery on Jan. 21 after police accused him of striking his girlfriend during an argument in downtown Athens, Ga.

Georgia coach Mark Richt has already suspended Commings for the first two games in 2012, including the road trip to Missouri on Sept. 8.

Georgia has a policy that mandates game suspensions for such transgressions as alcohol and drug arrests. Richt said Monday he was gathering additional information before determining how Smith would be disciplined.

Commings started all 14 games at cornerback last season. Smith started seven games at cornerback in 2011 and has 17 career starts. They were projected as the Bulldogs' starting cornerbacks heading into spring practice with Brandon Boykin departing.

If Smith is indeed suspended for the Missouri game, that leaves the Bulldogs precariously thin at cornerback and means that they will have to play Malcolm Mitchell there even more than originally expected. Mitchell was the Bulldogs' top receiver last season as a true freshman, but Richt has said Mitchell will play both offense and defense next season.

On Monday, Richt said Mitchell would get the majority of his snaps this spring on defense.

Mitchell said last week, "I don't want to come off the field."

He may get his wish, at least early on next season.

The Georgia defensive staff has a lot of high hopes for sophomore Damian Swann, who was already going to compete with Smith for one of the starting cornerback jobs. Swann played in 11 games last season as a true freshman.

Redshirt freshman Devin Bowman would probably be next in line after Swann, and signee Sheldon Dawson will be on campus this summer.

The Bulldogs' depth at cornerback has been slowly dwindling over the past several months. Nick Marshall and Chris Sanders would have both been a part of the cornerback rotation next season, but they were dismissed from the team last month reportedly for their role in a theft of money.

Also, cornerback Jordan Love left the team following the bowl game, while Derek Owens left the team during the season last year.

The Missouri game the second week of the season was already going to be a tough one for the Bulldogs. But if they're as depleted as they look like they might be at cornerback, slowing down James Franklin and that Missouri offense (and doing it on the road) will be a monumental task.

To get ready for the start of Georgia’s spring football practice on March 20, DawgNation will do a position breakdown each day. We begin our analysis today with quarterbacks. On Tuesday we will look at the running backs.

2011 starter (stats): Aaron Murray, Jr. (238-for-403, 3,149 yards, 35 TD, 14 INT)

Key losses: None.

Reserves (stats): Hutson Mason, Jr. (18-for-30, 254 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT); Christian LeMay, RFr. (Redshirted); Faton Bauta, Fr. (NA)

New faces: Bauta completed high school early in order to enroll in January and participate in spring practice -- a common practice for Georgia quarterback signees.

Spring goal: Murray is obviously Georgia’s starter after setting a UGA single-season record for touchdown passes last season, but the Bulldogs need to begin settling a pecking order behind him.

The coaching staff’s stated goal is to let Mason redshirt this season in order to build class separation between Mason and Murray. That leaves Bauta and LeMay -- neither of whom has taken a snap in a college game -- to battle it out for the chance to be Murray’s top backup in 2012.

Worth watching: It will be interesting to see who makes a move. The coaching staff will likely wait until preseason practice before it begins making decisions on the quarterback depth chart, but this is the first round of a position battle that figures to last well after this season.

The Bulldogs already have a commitment from one of the top quarterback prospects in 2013, Brice Ramsey (Kingsland, Ga./Camden County), so the depth chart will only become more crowded next year -- particularly if Murray stays around for his senior season. One of his backups can really help his cause for the future by outplaying the other contenders this spring.

Area of concern: An injury to Murray would justifiably create alarm inside and outside the program. Mark Richt and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo have publicly professed their faith in Mason as an SEC-caliber player, but he has appeared in only eight games in mop-up duty -- and he’s by far the team’s most experienced backup.

Position grade: B-plus. Murray is an All-SEC player and could pop up on some Heisman Trophy watch lists, but he is the only quarterback on the roster who has played in high-pressure situations.

Results: Georgia started the week with a 3-2 win in its final at-bat on Tuesday against Kennesaw State at the Gwinnett Braves’ stadium, but the Bulldogs flopped over the weekend, getting swept 2-0, 7-6, and 7-3 by No. 16 UCLA.

Georgia record: 11-5

Highlight of the week: Kyle Farmer provided the late heroics in Tuesday’s victory against Kennesaw State, lacing a bases-loaded single to bring home Nelson Ward with the winning run.

Top offensive performer: Curt Powell. There weren’t many good options this week as Georgia’s offense largely struggled. Powell went 3-for-10 with a walk and three RBIs in the four games, including an RBI sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout in Sunday’s finale against UCLA.

Top pitching performer: Alex Wood (3-1) took the loss in Friday’s 2-0 opener against UCLA, but he had a solid overall outing. Wood allowed a two-run home run in the fourth inning, but otherwise held the Bruins in check through 6 2/3 innings. He surrendered six hits and one walk while striking out five.

Key statistic: The Bulldogs stranded 23 men on base -- 11 on Saturday and 12 on Sunday -- in the final two games against UCLA.

They said it: “You have to cash in with the opportunities we are getting, and we are just leaving too many runners on base.” -- Georgia coach David Perno

Up next: Georgia will host Alcorn State on Tuesday and Wednesday and then will open SEC play at home against Tennessee starting Friday.

How the game was won: Georgia (15-17) held a surprising 25-24 lead at halftime, but Vanderbilt (22-10) opened the second half on a 12-2 run, claiming a lead Georgia would not seriously threaten in the rest of the game as the Bulldogs suffered a season-ending defeat.

Turning point: Brad Tinsley sparked Vandy on its scoring run to start the second half, scoring the Commodores’ first five points as they claimed the lead for good.

Player of the game: John Jenkins. Vandy’s star shooting guard made his presence felt with his trademark sharpshooting from beyond the 3-point line. Jenkins scored 15 points and went 3-for-9 from 3-point range to help the Commodores reach Saturday’s SEC semifinals.

Unsung hero of the game: John Cannon. The little-used Georgia freshman came off the bench to actually lead the Bulldogs with six points at halftime. Cannon finished with the same total of six points, a career high.

What it means: Georgia’s rocky season -- and the careers of seniors Gerald Robinson, Dustin Ware, Connor Nolte and Matt Bucklin -- comes to a conclusion with a loss in the SEC quarterfinals for the third consecutive season. Vanderbilt moves into great position to reach Sunday’s SEC finals, as it will face Ole Miss -- which it defeated during the regular season -- in the semis.

Record performance: Ware notched both his 1,000th career point and his 400th career assist against Vanderbilt. That makes Ware one of just six Georgia players ever to reach both milestones.

ATHENS, Ga. -- Former Georgia all-American tight end and current NFL draft prospect Orson Charles was arrested for driving under the influence early Friday morning in Athens.

Charles, whom ESPN rates as the No. 3 available tight end in the upcoming draft, was charged with DUI and impeding traffic flow by Athens-Clarke County police after being stopped at approximately 3 a.m.

According to the police report, Charles was stopped in the roadway at South Milledge Avenue and Morton Avenue when a police officer pulled up behind him to check if his vehicle was disabled. Charles then began to drive away and the officer followed him a short distance before pulling over the vehicle.

Charles submitted to sobriety tests and registered a .095 blood alcohol level and was arrested for DUI. He was booked into Clarke County Jail at 4:31 a.m. and released on $1,750 bond at 5:29 a.m.

Charles, 21, announced in January that he would leave Georgia after a standout junior season in which he was a finalist for the John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation’s top college tight end. He made 45 catches for 574 yards and five touchdowns last season, completing his career with 10 touchdown catches -- which ties for the UGA record for tight ends.

How the game was won: Georgia (15-16) used an 18-4 run in the second half to build a 13-point lead and then withstood a late Mississippi State (21-11) charge to advance to the second round of the SEC tournament and potentially knock State off the NCAA tournament bubble.

Stat of the game: Dustin Ware had a couple of his early 3-pointers rattle out and he went to halftime without having scored a single point. But Georgia’s senior guard hit three 3s and another long jumper during the 18-4 run, helping his team take control. He scored 13 points in the second half.

Player of the game: Gerald Robinson. Georgia’s senior point guard set the tone for the Bulldogs’ offense throughout, scoring 12 of his 23 points in the first half and providing several clutch baskets in the second half, as the Bulldogs fought to hold onto their lead.

Unsung hero of the game: Nemanja Djurisic. The freshman post seemed to have his work cut out against Mississippi State’s stellar frontcourt, but he had one of his best games of the season. Djurisic’s 11 points and 10 rebounds marked his first career double-double.

What it means: After a severe second-half swoon, it’s possible -- maybe even likely -- that Mississippi State played itself out of the Big Dance. Meanwhile, Georgia survives to face a Vandy team that beat Georgia in both of their meetings during the regular season. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET Friday in New Orleans.