Former University of Washington coach Bob Levesque once noted that the strange thing about NCAA gymnastics was that a team could lose all of its regular season meets and still win the NCAA Championship.
That idea must give a team like Georgia heart going into the fifth week of NCAA competition. The defending NCAA champion Gym Dogs are currently 1-3 and coming off a dispiriting loss to Auburn for the first time in program history. No one expected Georgia to lose that meet, and despite the team's weak competition showing so far, no one really expects them to lose against no. 12 Kentucky tonight either.
Still, we've been shocked before, and in some ways Georgia remains as unpredictable as it did a month ago.
Here's what else is happening in NCAA women's gymnastics this weekend:
Feb. 5:
Illinois State vs. Ball State @ Illinois State
William & Mary vs. West Virginia, Michigan @ West Virginia
Iowa State vs. Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Brockport @ Pittsburgh
Auburn vs. Arkansas @ Arkansas
Wisconsin-La Crosse vs. Gershon, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wisconsin-Eau Claire @ Wisconsin-La Crosse (McLellan Invitational)
Georgia vs. Kentucky @ Georgia
Utah State vs. BYU, Denver @ BYU
Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, Texas Women's @ Oklahoma
Seattle Pacific vs. UC Davis @ Davis
UCLA vs. Arizona @ Arizona
LSU vs. Alabama @ LSU
Utah vs. Arizona State @ Utah
Maryland vs. North Carolina, Towson @ Maryland
Florida vs. North Carolina State, George Washington @ North Carolina State
Centenary vs. Southeast Missouri @ Centenary
Feb. 6:
New Hampshire vs. Missouri @ Missouri
Wisconsin-Whitewater vs. Wisconsin-Stout @ Wisconsin-Whitewater
Kent State vs. Southern Utah @ Southern Utah
Rhode Island College vs. Yale, Ithaca, Bridgeport, Southern Connecticut @ Southern Connecticut
Winona State vs. Hamline, Gustavus Adolphus, Minnesota @ Minnesota (Best of Minnesota)
Illinois vs. Penn State @ Penn State
Ohio State vs. Iowa @ Iowa
Temple vs. Penn, Wilson, Ursinus, Towson, West Chester @ Temple (Liberty Classic)
UIC vs. Bowling Green State @ UIC
Feb. 7:
Oregon State vs. Cal @ Cal
Washington vs. Stanford, Sacramento State, San Jose State @ Stanford
Air Force vs. Texas Women's, Northern Illinois @ Texas Women's
Eastern Michigan vs. Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Michigan State @ Western Michigan (Michigan Classic)
Boise State vs. Cal State Fullerton @ Cal State Fullerton
Cortland State vs. Springfield @ Springfield
Feb. 10:
Penn vs. Ursinus, Wilson, West Chester @ Penn
Can't miss meet of the week: Alabama vs. LSU @ LSU. Oh, it's not about the team competiton here -- Alabama is ranked no. 1 and LSU is looking like an outside candidate to go to the NCAA Championships at this point. But it is a chance to see two of the best all-arounders in the NCAA -- LSU senior Susan Jackson and Alabama standout Morgan Dennis -- match up. The fact that Dennis is the home gymnast at this meet may or may not give her an edge over Jackson, who has not lost an all-around competition yet this season.
Follow Gymnastics Examiner Blythe Lawrence on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GymExaminer.
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