Florida Game Notes

March 4, 2003

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Tonight's Game Game 26: #3 Florida (24-4, 12-2) at #25 Georgia (17-8, 9-5)
Tuesday, March 4, 2003 - Athens, Ga.
Broadcast Information TV: Live national telecast by ESPN (Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale)
Georgia Radio: Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (74 stations for basketball), broadcast by Scott Howard (Play-by-Play) & Jeff Dantzler (Color).
Local stations: WSB-AM (750) in Atlanta & WNGC-FM (106.1) in Athens.
Actual Tipoff Time: 9:05 p.m. (EST) On the World Wide Web For up-to-date stats, notes and other information, log on to: http://georgiadogs.ocsn.com
To follow Georgia games via the internet, log on to the following address: http://georgiadogs.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/geo-m-baskbl-sched.html

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
Georgia Bulldogs (17-8 overall, 9-5 in SEC games)
Head Coach: Jim Harrick (65-53 in fourth season at Georgia)

Pos. No.Name Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG
F 24 Jarvis Hayes 6-7 220 Jr. Atlanta, Ga. 18.1 4.2
F 50 Chris Daniels 6-7 220 Jr. Albany, Ga. 10.1 7.2
F 55 Steve Thomas 6-8 240 Jr. Carrollton, Ga. 9.5 7.2
G 5 Ezra Williams 6-4 235 Sr. Marietta, Ga. 16.9 5.1
G 3 Rashad Wright 6-3 190 Jr. Statesboro, Ga. 7.8 5.5*
Top Reserves
F - 33 Jonas Hayes 6-8 240 Jr. Atlanta, Ga. 7.0 4.5
G/F 12 Damien Wilkins 6-7 220 Jr. Washington, N.C. 8.0 3.1

Florida Gators (24-4 overall, 12-2 in SEC games)
Head Coach: Billy Donovan (148-69 in seventh season at Florida)

Pos. No.Name Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG
F 15 Matt Bonner 6-10 240 Sr. Concord, N.H. 15.1 6.1
F 44 Matt Walsh 6-6 205 Fr. Holland, Pa. 13.0 4.6
C 24 David Lee 6-9 240 So. St. Louis, Mo. 10.5 7.0
G 12 Justin Hamilton 6-3 225 Sr. Sarasota, Fla. 8.4 3.8
G 1 Anthony Roberson 6-1 180 Fr. Saginaw, Mich. 12.9 2.5
Top Reserves
G 10 Brett Nelson 6-4 205 Sr. St. Albans, W.Va. 6.7 1.8
F 11 Christian Drejer 6-9 210 Fr. Hallerup, Denmark 3.8 1.8
*Assists Per Game

SEC Homestretch Begins Tuesday vs. Florida

Georgia welcomes its second top-five opponent in 48 hours to Stegeman Coliseum when Florida visits tonight. The Bulldogs dropped their most recent game, a 74-66 decision Sunday afternoon to No. 2 Kentucky. Despite the loss, they remained in third place in the SEC Eastern Division standings, two games ahead of Tennessee with two games left to play.

Tonight's game will be Georgia's 10th matchup against a top-25 opponent. Georgia this season is 4-5 against ranked foes, having defeated Pitt, LSU, Auburn and Mississippi State, with losses to Texas, Minnesota, Florida and UK (twice). Georgia's strength of schedule rating is No. 1 in both the RPI and Sagrin lists, not soley because of those top-25 games but also thanks to other highly rated foes like Colorado, Cal and Gonzaga.

This game is a rematch of the Jan. 11 contest in Gainesville that was decided on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Florida's Anthony Roberson. It was the third such ending for the Bulldogs this season. They lost at Minnesota in the season's fourth game on an almost identical shot. They also defeated Colorado on an improbable, banked-in 3-pointer by Jonas Hayes with two-tenths of a second remaining.

Georgia vs. Florida

Tonight's game is the 186th all-time meeting between Georgia and Florida in basketball. Georgia leads the overall series 94-91. Following is a breakdown of the series:

Games in Athens:
Georgia leads 57-32

Games in Gainesville:
Florida leads 52-33

Neutral-Site Games:
Florida leads 7-4

SEC Tournament Games:
Georgia 1, Florida 1

Some more tidbits about the series:

> Prior to the first meeting this season, the visitor had won each of the previous five meetings.

> Just four of the past 19 meetings could be classified as "close" games (final margin of five or fewer points). Three of those games have occurred in the past two seasons. The average margin of those 19 meetings was 11.2 points.

> Georgia's win in Gainesville last year marked the highest-ranked opponent a Bulldog team had ever beaten (Florida was 2nd at the time.). This year's team equalled that with a win over #2 Pitt on Dec. 31.

> The Bulldogs played without today's starting center Steve Thomas in both games last season.

Leftovers from the Kentucky Game

Following are a few tidbits from Georgia's 74-66 loss to Kentucky two days ago:

> When Georgia forged ahead 42-41 with 15:19 left, the Bulldogs became the first team to lead Kentucky in the second half since Auburn on Jan. 22.

> Georgia scored two more field goals than Kentucky, and four treys to the Cats' two. UK, however, won this game by getting to the free throw line 38 times (compared to Georgia's 21) and making 74 percent of them (compared to Georgia's 67%).

> A major factor in UK's big edge in foul shots was its rebounding advantage. The Wildcats outdid Georgia on the boards by a 50-32 count. In the two combined games this season, Kentucky outrebounded Georgia 95-63.

> The most surprising element of this game was the way in which the last four minutes unfolded. Georgia has been the SEC's surest-handed squad throughout the 2003 season, but the Bulldogs committed four straight turnovers in those four minutes, which led to six decisive points by Kentucky.

> This was the third game in which multiple Georgia players fouled out. For Jarvis Hayes it was just the second DQ of his Bulldog career, his first coming in his debut against Furman in November of 2001.

> Steve Thomas got his second double-double of the SEC schedule, his fourth overall this season and the eight of his career. The 12 shots he took marked the 11th time in 76 career games that he had double-figure field-goal attempts.

Attendance Records Fall Again

With yet another sellout tonight, Georgia has established new single-season attendance records for the second consecutive year. Here are the marks that have been set again:

Avg. attendance for all home games:
9,857 (94 percent of capacity)

Avg. attendance for SEC home games:
10,523 (100 percent of capacity)

Most sellouts in a season: 9
Most consecutive sellouts: 9

The streak of sellouts began Dec. 31 in the Pittsburgh game and continued through the SEC schedule.

During the Jim Harrick era, attendance has risen each year, beginning with an average of 6,777 fans per home game in 2000 to the O03 average of 9,857.

RPIs? Go Figure...

Who can decipher the computer formula that ranks Georgia as a Top 5 team? For three weeks in mid-January, the Bulldogs were ranked either 1 or 2 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Only since their loss to Kentucky Feb. 11 have they dropped to their current mark of 5th. They're now one of just two teams in the RPI's Top 25 with as many as eight losses.

Through December the Bulldogs held an RPI rating in the 30s. Since the calendar flipped over to January, though, they've stayed in the top 10. Why? Most likely because their Strength of Schedule rating is a solid #1.

Following are some current numbers on Georgia's non-conference opponents, listed in chronological order:

Current W/L S-O-S Team RPI Record Rating Texas 2 20-5 3 Belmont 137 16-11 191 Ga. Tech 73 12-13 23 Minnesota 55 16-9 73 Colorado 47 17-10 55 California 31 20-6 84 Gonzaga 43 22-7 116 S. Alabama 143 12-13 103 App. State 158 14-9 254 Wis.-Milw. 74 20-8 178 Pittsburgh 20 21-4 86 Avg. RPI of all 11 teams: 71.1 Agg. W/L Record: 190-95 (.667) Avg. S-O-S Rating: 106

Dogs Teetering on Edge of Polls

Georgia's current ranking of 25th in both polls represents a landmark in the program's history. That makes nine consecutive weeks of residency in the polls, the longest streak ever for Georgia within a single season. In two other seasons (1984, 2002) Georgia stayed in the polls eight straight weeks.

Georgia began this season ranked 16th in both national Top 25 polls, probably an inflated standing, given the Bulldogs' partial roster. Three losses in their first four games caused them to drop from the polls and, in essence, the national college hoops radar screen.

The return of Steve Thomas on Dec. 18 gave Georgia a full roster, and since then, the Dogs have gone 12-5.

Footballers Gibson, Moses Join Dogs

Georgia added two more players to its teeming roster, bringing to 16 the total of active Bulldogs. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, football players Fred Gibson and Quentin Moses suited up and have practiced with their new teammates.

Gibson is surely no stranger to the Georgia basketball program. He averaged 4.9 points in 18 games last season. Three times during the SEC schedule he scored in double figures, most notably at Florida, where he had 13 points, including six in the final 51 seconds.

Moses, a freshman from Athens, was redshirted as a defensive end in football this past season. In basketball, he averaged 20.3 points and 10 rebounds for Cedar Shoals High School last season, playing primarily in the frontcourt for the Jaguars.

Gibson last year became the third two-sport participant to try the football/basketball duet in recent years. Fellow receiver Terrance Edwards had a neglible impact in 14 games of the 1999 season. Ex-tight end Larry Brown, however, had great success as a low-post player in the 1996-98 seasons.

Below is a sampling of stats compiled by the aforementioned duo:

Larry Brown

Year G-GS PPG RPG FG% FT%
1996 8-0 0.5 0.9 .250 .000
1997 26-0 4.6 3.4 .603 .729
1998 28-7 6.3 4.2 .462 .779

Terrence Edwards
1999 14-0 1.9 1.0 .250 .571

Despite a full roster that totals 16 players, Georgia still has just nine student-athletes that are on basketball scholarships.

TV, TV and more TV

Never before has Georgia been slated for more television appearances than in 2002-03. Tonight's game is 22nd of 26 games that is being televised.

How ironic that, in this season of almost total TV coverage, the year's most dramatic moment went almost unnoticed because of a lack thereof. No broadcast-quality footage exists of Jonas Hayes' game-winning shot against Colorado on Dec. 3.

All but four of the Bulldogs' 27 games are being carried by some TV entity, including seven times with national coverage: three times each on CBS and ESPN and another on ESPN2. Through a new agreement with the UGA Athletic Association, Comcast Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) carried four of Georgia's non-conference home games: Belmont, South Alabama, Appalachian State and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

What a difference a year makes! Before the postseason, the 2002 team played just twice on national TV and only 14 times overall.

Short Shots...

> Here's where Georgia ranks in the 15 categories for which NCAA stats are kept. New NCAA rankings are released each Tuesday: SEC NCAA Category Rank Rank ? Scoring Off. (79.8 ppg): 1st 15th ? Scoring Def. (73.6 ppg): 12th 249th ? Scoring Marg. (+6.2): 6th 54th ? FG Pct. (46.7%): 6th 56th ? FG Pct. Def. (43.8%): 9th 167th ? 3-Pt. FGs/G (6.8/game): 2nd 102nd ? 3-Pt. FG Pct. (39.0%): 1st 22nd ? FT Pct. (71.2%): 4th 79th ? Reb. Marg. (+1.1): 9th 99th ? Assists (17.8 apg) 1st 50th ? Steals (7.8 spg): 7th 105th ? W/L Pct (.680): 5th 57th ? TOs (11.9 TO/g): 1st 13th ? Fouls (17.5): -- 47th

> Jarvis Hayes needs just nine points to reach 1,000 for his Georgia career. Should he reach that mark today, it will have taken him just 55 games to do so. UGA's career scoring leader Litterial Green (2,111) needed 61 games to reach 1,000 points.

> Here are some more numbers to consider about Hayes and No. 2 scorer Ezra Williams:

At Stegeman Coliseum this season: PPG FG% 3FG% Jarvis Hayes 16.3 ppg 48.2 43.1 Ezra Williams 17.7 ppg 46.3 49.4 In true road games (10 games total) Jarvis Hayes 20.0 ppg 54.0 52.0 Ezra Williams 14.7 ppg 40.6 34.4

> The Bulldogs have had a negative Assist/Turnover ratio in just five of 25 games: Cal, Pitt, Kentucky, Vandy and Alabama.

If this stat, in fact, is any indicator of a team's overall quality, check out the A/TO ratio of all nine of Georgia's previous NCAA Tournament teams: Year W/L Record A/TO Ratio 1983 (Final 4) 24-10 +1.11/1 1985 22-9 +1.35/1 1987 18-12 -1.13/1 1990 (SEC Ch.) 20-9 +1.03/1 1991 17-13 +1.08/1 1996 (Sweet 16) 21-10 +1.26/1 1997 24-9 -1.08/1 2001 16-15 -1.03/1 2002 (SEC East) 22-10 +1.08/1

>Last year Georgia was the SEC's only team with four players averaging at least 30 minutes per game. This year so far, the Bulldogs are one of four SEC teams with THREE players over the 30-minute mark (UGA, UF, MSU, UT). Tennessee freshman C.J. Watson leads the league in minutes at 36.3 per game. Bama's Mo Williams and Chuck Eidson of USC are second at 35.0 mpg. Georgia's leader, Rashad Wright, ranks 10th at 33.0 mpg.

> Here's a stat that's worth watching as the season winds down. According to all available records, Georgia has never had five players finish with at least 60 assists. This year's team already has three and its top two scorers are on a pace to reach 60, depending on how long the postseason lasts. The Final Four team of O83 had four players reach that mark: Fleming, Banks, Heard and Crosby, with Terry Fair getting close to 60 (54).

> One more brief mention about the quality of Georgia's schedule: Six of the Bulldogs' non-conference opponents are either first or second in their respective leagues. Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Horizon), Appalachian State (SoCon) and Gonzaga (West Coast) lead their conferences. Minnesota, Texas, Cal and Pittsburgh are all in second place.

> Seven times in their two seasons together have Jarvis Hayes and Ezra Williams hit for 20 or more points apiece in the same game. The Ole Miss game Wednesday marked the latest such occurrence. Georgia is 7-0 in those games:

43 pts (EW 22/JH 21) vs. Ga. Tech in O02 50 (JH 30/EW 20) vs. Kentucky in O02 43 (EW 23/JH 20) vs. Cal in O03 50 (JH 29/EW 21) vs. Gonzaga in O03 45 (EW 25/JH 20) vs. LSU in O03 52 (EW 29/JH 23) vs. Tennessee in O03 53 (JH 32/EW 21) vs. Ole Miss in O03

> Jarvis Hayes became the second Georgia player to win SEC Player-of-the-Week honors when he was tapped last week. Ezra Williams won the honor Jan. 7. It was the fourth time of Williams' career he won it. In doing so, he became Georgia's career leader in that honor, passing Alec Kessler, who thrice won the award during the 1990-91 seasons.

Since the award was begun in 1985, 13 Georgia players have won it a total of 19 times.

> Jim Harrick described the game-winning 3-pointer made by Jonas Hayes against Colorado on Dec. 3 as "the luckiest shot I've ever seen in all my years of coaching." Perhaps it was, for how often does a player kiss in a 30-footer at the buzzer? Especially a player who had never before attempted a 3-pointer in a game! Hayes deserves high praise, however, for his presence of mind in flagging down his brother's errant pass that seemed headed out of bounds.

> The Bulldogs added four walk-ons through open tryouts in October. They are Jay and Nick McAuley, freshmen from Marietta (Pope HS); Daniel Laird, a freshman from Dalton (Dalton HS); and Michael Bucklin, another freshman from Pope High School. Jay McAuley was the only one to make the travel squad.

Hayes Named to SEC "Good Works" Team

Georgia junior Jonas Hayes has been selected to represent the Bulldogs on the 2003 SEC "Good Works" team. This squad, which includes one player from every league member, is chosen to showcase players that contribute their time to acts of community service.

During the Christmas holidays, Hayes visited Fourth Street Elementary School in Athens and entertained kindergarten students as Santa Claus. He's also been a volunteer for the Toys for Tots program; the Northeast Georgia Food Bank; the Athens Boys & Girls Club; and a participant in the National Assn. of Basketball Coaches Reading Program.

Signing Period Nets Fivesome

In the early national signing period, Georgia basketball coach Jim Harrick signed the following high school seniors to national letters-of-intent: Mohamed Abukar of Escondido, Calif.; Corey Gibbs of Lithonia, Ga., and Jordan Howell of Madison, Ala.

In addition, he also added junior-college players Marcus Jackson, a 6-9 forward from Peoria, Ill.; and Cassiano Matheus, a 6-10 forward from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Both players currently attend South Plains College in Levelland, Texas.

The 6-9, 200-pound Abukar has just begun his final season at Rancho Bernardo High School. As a junior there last season, he averaged 20.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists, shooting 48 percent overall and 41 percent from 3-point range.

Last summer Abukar was the youngest member of the U.S. team at the World Junior Championships Qualifying Tournament in Venezuela.

Abukar, who made his official visit to Athens in the off-season, got an early in-person glimpse of his future teammates. He watched Georgia's win over California at the Pond in Anaheim on Dec. 7.

Gibbs is widely considered to be the top senior prospect in Georgia for the 2003 season. Though he now attends Redan High School, the 6-8, 235-pound forward starred last season for Pace Academy in Atlanta, averaging 22.5 points, 15.0 rebounds and 6.2 blocks per game. He is ranked 79th among the top 100 national senior prospects, according to ESPN.com's recruiting analysts.

Howell, a 6-3 point guard, is currently a senior at Bob Jones High School. Last season he averaged 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game and was an All-State selection.

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