Zero hour, of sorts, for the Diamond Dogs

If the Georgia baseball team is done playing by Thursday or Friday, then it's done playing.

If the Bulldogs are still playing by the weekend, they'll likely be playing next week too.

That's pretty much how it breaks down, according to the experts, as the SEC tournament begins Wednesday in Hoover, Ala.

Georgia is 28-28 entering the tournament, and plays Vanderbilt in the first round. The Bulldogs need to be over .500 to be eligible for an NCAA bid, so they need at least three wins this week, or else their season is over.

Here's my preview of Georgia's tournament chances. The key quote from Baseball America analyst Aaron Fitt:

“If they (win three games), I think they will get in, on the strength of their SEC record and their challenging nonconference schedule,” Fitt said. “The committee has made a point to emphasize nonconference strength of schedule under chairman Tim Weiser’s leadership.”

Here's the immediate schedule for Georgia:

Wednesday: vs. Vanderbilt, 9:30 p.m. (approximately)

Thursday: (if wins first round) vs. Auburn-South Carolina winner, 8:30 p.m. (approximately) .... (if loses first round) vs. Auburn-South Carolina loser, 1 p.m. (approximately)