The early portion of the Georgia men’s basketball team’s season has been frustrating. Flashes of improvement have been overshadowed by mental lapses, which have led to discouraging losses.

Armed with arguably the most talented roster since head coach Dennis Felton arrived in Athens in 2002, the Bulldogs finished 9-6 in out-of-conference play.

Georgia’s inconsistent play has been alarming, especially with the SEC opener this Saturday against Tennessee.

Victories over Virginia Tech and Santa Clara have shown Georgia’s potential, but baffling defeats to the likes of Loyola (Chicago) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and quizzically close wins over Wofford and Eastern Michigan have tempered excitement.

Losses to Georgia Tech, Missouri and Illinois were especially hard to swallow because in each game the Bulldogs held leads and played competitively. But Georgia let a stretch of disparity erase a chance for victory each time:

The Bulldogs let a first half double-digit lead slip away Tuesday night against the Yellow Jackets.

Against Missouri, the Achilles tendon was a three-minute stretch where a one-point Georgia lead turned into a nine-point deficit.

Georgia’s low point came in Chicago as the Bulldogs failed to score a single point over the final 7:18 against Illinois in route to a 76-42 drumming.

Georgia’s in-game weaknesses begin with turnovers, as the Bulldogs are averaging 17 a game, second worst in the SEC ahead of only Kentucky. That’s not only 17 less Georgia opportunities for points, but 17 more for its opponents.

Scoring has also been an issue as the Bulldogs average of 68 points per game places them last in the SEC. Georgia’s 62 percent shooting from the free-throw line falls short of the league average of 69.

Injuries and inexperience have hurt Georgia as starters Trey Thompkins, Terrance Woodbury, Albert Jackson and Zac Swansey, although now healthy, have missed games. Felton has been forced to experiment, employing seven different starting line-ups to this point in the season.

Georgia is now heading into SEC play with Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky and Vanderbilt looming on the schedule two times each. Potential looks great, but the Bulldogs must translate its high expectations to the court, before the league leaves them behind.