The Georgia Bulldog basketball team will look to snap a 6-game losing streak in tonight’s game against Vanderbilt. The game tips at 8:30 in Nashville.
From Mike Mobley, UGA Sports Communications...
The Starting Five
• Nine Bulldogs have been mixed and matched to comprise eight different starting lineups this season, including five variations in the last six games. Silas Demary Jr., Russel Tchewa and Noah Thomasson have started every game for Georgia.
• Georgia is 24-1 when holding its opponents to less than 70 points during Mike White’s two seasons with the Bulldogs – 2-0 in 40s, 7-0 in the 50s and 15-1 in the 60s.
• Noah Thomasson is coming off a season-high 26-point outing against Florida last Saturday. The graduate transfer from Houston leads Georgia with 16 double-digit scoring performances this season and is tied with Jabri Abdur-Rahim for the most 20-point outings with four.
• Silas Demary Jr. is the only freshman in the SEC start every game this season. The Raleigh, N.C., native averaged 8.5 ppg in non-conference play but has uppped that to 10.9 ppg in SEC action.
• Georgia entered this week No. 17 nationally in bench points, with UGA’s reserves contributing 29.3 ppg. The Bulldogs sport a bench scoring margin of +275 (+11.0 ppg).
The Opening Tip
Georgia treks to Nashville on Wednesday to face Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium. The Bulldogs enter the contest at 14-11 overall and 4-8 in SEC play and looking to end a couple of losing streaks – a six-game overall skid and a four-game road stretch.
The 2023-24 campaign has been a streaky one for the Bulldogs. Contrary to Georgia’s current situation, the Bulldogs recorded winning streaks of 10 games overall, 10 contests at Stegeman Coliseum and three road outings earlier this season.
Jabri Abdur-Rahim leads a trio of Bulldogs scoring at a double-digit pace for Georgia at 12.7 ppg. Noah Thomasson and RJ Melendez are contributing 12.5 ppg and 10.2 ppg, respectively.
Georgia has been more productive and balanced offensively in conference action.
The Bulldogs are one of three teams with a higher scoring offense in SEC play over non-league games. Four Bulldogs are averaging double figures in conference games, with Thomasson sporting a team-leading 12.8 ppg. Five Bulldogs have upped their scoring averages from their non-conference contributions, including Russel Tchewa’s jump of 3.1 ppg (from 6.1 to 9.2).
Keeping An Eye On…
Among UGA’s career leaders...
Jabri Abdur-Rahim is
• 9 3FGs from co-No. 13s Ty Wilson and Ray Harrison
• 15 3FGAs from No. 17 Ty Wilson
Career statistics wise...
Justin Hill is
• 1 assist from 400
Scouting The Commodores
Vanderbilt is 7-18 overall and 2-10 in the SEC entering Wednesday’s game. The Commodores are 7-8 at Memorial Gymnasium, including a buzzer-beating 74-73 win over Texas A&M last Tuesday.
Ezra Manjon leads Vanderbilt offensively, averaging 14.1 ppg and 3.6 apg. Tyrin Lawrence and Ven-Allen Lubin also are scoring at a double-figure pace for the Commodores, contributing 13.4 ppg and 11.0 ppg, respectively.
Lawrence has been Vandy’s leading scorer in league play, upping his average to 13.7 ppg.
Series History With Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt owns a 95-56 lead in the all-time series between the Bulldogs and the Commodores, including a 57-15 advantage at games played on the Vandy campus.
Georgia last won at Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 22, 2020, when Tyree Crump knocked-down a 35-footer at the buzzer to give the Bulldogs an 80-78 victory.
Last season on Jan. 21 in Athens, Jabri Abdur-Rahim posted what was then a career-high 21 points; however, the Bulldogs suffered their first home loss of the season, 85-82, at a sold-out Stegeman Coliseum. The setback snapped Georgia’s 10-game winning streak at home, which matched the sixth-longest overall and fifth-best single-season stretches of home success ever by the Bulldogs.
A 3-pointer 85 seconds into the game put Vanderbilt up 3-2, and the Commodores never trailed again.
Georgia trimmed an eight-point halftime deficit to a single possession six times in the second stanza. After Vanderbilt matched its largest lead of the day at 77-65 with 4:51 left, the Bulldogs scored 11 straight to close the gap to 77-76 at the 2:13 mark.
Georgia had possession with a chance to tie or take the lead three times in the final 111 seconds but could not complete the comeback.
In the Bulldogs’ last trip to Memorial Gymnasium on Jan. 29, 2022, Aaron Cook’s 18-point performance led a quartet of Bulldogs in double figures in an 85-77 setback. Noah Baumann and Kario Oquendo chipped in 15 points apiece, and Braelen Bridges added 14.
The Commodores scored the game’s first four points and never trailed.
Georgia shot 51.9 percent from the field and 81.0 percent from the line but only connected on just 23.5 percent of its 3-pointers. Conversely, Vanderbilt shot better from 3-point range (52.2 percent) than overall (50.9 percent).
Last Time Out
Noah Thomasson put up a season-high 26 points to lead a quartet of Bulldogs in double figures; however, Florida rallied from an 11-point, first-half deficit to secure an 88-82 decision over Georgia before a sellout crowd at Stegeman Coliseum last Saturday.
Thomasson scored 17 first-half points to help the Bulldogs open up a 22-11 lead. The Gators trimmed that margin to 46-40 by halftime, took their first lead at 52-50 and never trailed again.
“Turnovers, live ball turnovers, continue to harm us in some of these close games,” head coach Mike White said. “If we take away live ball turnovers and a couple of their offensive rebounds, we’d probably be sitting here feeling a lot different.”
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