Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Will Fox be back?
Georgia soon could be searching for a new coach along with Ole Miss.
Mark Fox fell to 163133 in nine seasons as the Bulldogs’ coach after Kentucky beat Georgia 6249 on Friday.
Fox has led Georgia to two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2015. Both times the Bulldogs were seeded 10th and lost firstround games to Washington 68-65 in 2011 and to Michigan State 70-63 in 2015.
The Bulldogs (18-15) won’t make a third NCAA Tournament trip under Fox this season, increasing speculation the Georgia administration might decide it’s time to make a change.
Kentucky Coach John Calipari defended Fox after Friday’s game.
“I know how good a coach he is,” Calipari said. “I know what he’s doing with young kids. He’s doing it the right way. He’s a great guy.”
Calipari said part of him actually was pulling for Georgia so the Bulldogs would have a shot to win the SEC Tournament and the conference’s automatic NCAA bid.
“I told [Fox] prior to the game, ‘I’d love for you to beat us and get two more and go play in that [NCAA] Tournament and squelch all the crap,’ ” Calipari said.
“It’s nuts in our profession.”
Fox said he’ll be meeting with Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity soon to discuss the program.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on out there, stuff that’s not going on at Georgia,” Calipari said in a reference to an FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball. “They’re in good hands. That has to mean something.”