Alabama at Georgia

Recap

The Big Storyline: This meet ended up being a lot closer than a lot of people imagined, both due to Georgia’s lights-out performance at home and Alabama’s struggles in the final rotation. Regardless of the outcome, this meet allowed Georgia its first season with two or more 197-plus scores in a while. 

Implications: Georgia moves into 14th place and fifth in the SEC, marking the first time it has cracked the top 16 in the national rankings, and the first time the GymDogs haven’t been one of the bottom two teams in the SEC this season. 

Controversies: Many fans were quick to point out the lenient scoring on Alabama’s beam rotation, with many routines with large mistakes still approaching the 9.8 range.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 9 Alabama at No. 19 Georgia

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: While not the fierce rivalry of the 2000s during the tenures of legendary head coaches Suzanne Youclan and Sarah Patterson, the Georgia-Alabama meet has continually delivered as one of the closest duals of regular season SEC play.  

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Alabama’s Makarri Doggette has re-emerged as one of the top bars workers in the conference, scoring her second career 10 on the apparatus earlier this season. For the Gymdogs, Soraya Hawthorne has really hit her stride on floor, hitting 9.925 or higher in four of her last five routines. Both teams will also have freshmen to watch out for: Georgia’s Naya Howard and JaFree Scott, along with Alabama’s Gabby Gladieux, make up some of the country’s most talented newcomers.