University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldogs Face Top-Ranked Gators Wednesday
February 06, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Tickets
- Reserved seats for the Florida game are SOLD OUT.
At The Game: Halftime Activities
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Check Presentation. UGA AD Damon Evans and Chick-Fil-A Bowl Director Gary
Stokan will present a $50,000 check to CHOA Sports Network Director Shelton Stevens.
- Chick-Fil-A Bowl Trophy Presentation. Head football coach Mark Richt will accept the 2006 Chick-Fil-A Bowl championship trophy.
Georgia returns to Stegeman Coliseum this Wednesday to play host to SEC East leader Florida. When they last played before their own partisans, the Bulldogs defeated 21st-ranked LSU 10 days ago by a 57-54 count. The win boosted their record to seven games over the .500 mark for the first time of the Dennis Felton era.
Since that LSU win, Georgia has dropped a pair of road games to Tennessee and Vanderbilt, the latter a 66-61 decision last Saturday that brought Georgia’s worksheet to 13-8, 5-4 in SEC games.
• Tonight’s game is the return matchup of the meeting that was played in Gainesville to open the SEC schedule and won by Florida 67-51.
• Florida is the ninth Top 25 team that Georgia has faced thus far. The Bulldogs are 3-5 in such games, having beaten Gonzaga, Kentucky and LSU, and lost to Clemson, Wisconsin, Florida, Alabama and Vandy.
The Gators also represent the tenth time that Georgia has ever faced the No. 1-ranked team in the Associated Press poll. No Bulldog team has ever beaten a top-ranked opponent. Its last try came on Dec. 27, 1997, when Georgia lost an 82-80 decision in overtime to North Carolina at Stegeman Coliseum.
Georgia and the SEC
Following are a few tidbits about Georgia’s history in the SEC:
> Georgia’s all-time record in SEC games, covering 74 years, is 459-665 (.408). That ranks 10th of the 12 current SEC members.
> Georgia can claim one SEC regular-season championship (1990), one regular-season divisional title (2002) and one SEC Tournament crown (1983).
> Since the league expanded and was pared into East and West Divisions in 1992, Georgia has a 113-131 (.461) record. Seven times since ‘92 Georgia has had a league record of .500 or better (1993, ‘95, ‘96, ‘97, ‘01-’03).
> Since the league’s expansion, Georgia has a 51-40 record against SEC Western Division teams. Bulldog teams have had winning records against the West in 10 of 15 years. Georgia’s only undefeated season against the West came in 2003.
> In the 16-game SEC schedule format, Georgia’s most wins came in 2003, when it compiled an 11-5 mark.
Murderous Row
Through early December, the Georgia schedule had ranked among the nation’s lowest in degree of difficulty. Things changed dramatically in the latter half of December. So much, in fact, that perhaps no UGA team would ever again willingly make a stretch as difficult as that one.
Florida on Jan. 6 represented the fifth Georgia opponent in six games to either be ranked or to receive Top 25 poll votes at game time. The Bulldogs defeated then-No. 16 Gonzaga on Dec. 16, played at Georgia Tech on the 22nd, at No. 25 Clemson on Dec. 27 and at home against #4 Wisconsin on 12/31.
In playing Wisconsin and Florida consecutively, the Dogs faced Top Five teams back-to-back for the first time since 2003.
Stukes Etching Name in History
These are heady times for senior guard Levi Stukes. The Randallstown, Md., native started the season off by joining Georgia’s list of 1,000-point career scorers. He’s already climbed 16 places on that list and he enters this week in 20th place with 1,237 career points.
Stukes is also in the process of becoming the school’s all-time leading 3-point shooter. Two weeks ago he moved past D.A. Layne (1999-2001) as Georgia’s career leader in 3-point attempts. He enters Wednesday’s game needing just three treys to pass Layne and become the Bulldogs’ leader in 3-pointers made.
Bulldogs Among Best on Boards
This current group of Bulldogs surely ranks among the strongest rebounders of recent UGA vintage, perhaps of all time. They begin this week ranked 18th nationally in rebounding margin (+6.8), second in the SEC behind Florida.
A few random notions about Georgia’ s rebounding success this year:
• The Bulldogs have outrebounded seven of their first nine SEC opponents. Last season, Georgia outdid just three SEC foes over the entire 16-game league schedule.
• Georgia outrebounded the two highest-ranked opponents on its schedule thus far -- Florida and Wisconsin -- each by a decisive margin. Florida currently leads the SEC with a +9.3 margin on the boards, but Georgia beat the Gators 39-34 on the glass in their only meeting to date. Georgia also outdid the Badgers -- who rank second in the Big Ten in rebounding margin at +6.2 -- by a 42-34 count.
• Georgia has accrued these numbers without a truly great rebounder in the post position. Takais Brown, who just this week took over as the team’s rebounding leader, has more offensive boards than defensive. Point guard Sundiata Gaines had led Georgia all season until his three rebounds vs. LSU cost him the team lead.
• As far back as team stats are available (1960), no Georgia team has had as large a rebounding margin as the current mark of +6.8. The closest came in 1995 (+5.2).
Fast Out of the Starter’s Blocks
Just how infrequently does Georgia attain five SEC wins before the calendar flips to February? Well, when the current Bulldogs got their fifth win Jan. 28 against LSU, it was the first time since 2002 and just the eighth time since the Hugh Durham era began in 1979.
Highlights from the Games...
vs. Vanderbilt (2/3): The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 13 points in the 2nd half before thrice trimming their deficit to three....Terrance Woodbury pulled down a career-best 7 rebounds.
vs. Tennessee (1/31): The Vols, minus top scorer Chris Lofton, still managed to shoot 57 percent...Georgia, which finished the game shooting 23 percent from 3-point range, made just 7 percent in the first half.
vs. LSU (1/28): First time UGA has defeated back-to-back Top 25 opponents since 2002-03...first time for back-to-back home sellouts since the ‘03 season, too...In the decisive 2nd half, the Dogs were 1x12 on their 2-point shots, 8x15 from 3-pt. range.
vs. Kentucky (1/24): Georgia overcame a double-digit deficit for the first time since late in the 2003 season...The Bulldogs shot 38 percent in trailing 43-30 at halftime, 58 percent thereafter.
vs. Alabama (1/20): Georgia hasn’t lost a lead as large as the one it built against the Tide since 2002, when the Bulldogs led 30-11 over Southern Illinois in the NCAA Tournament.
vs. Arkansas (1/17): Lost amid the hub-bub over Georgia’s improbable comeback was its season-low total of 10 turnovers...Hero Steve Newman was the game’s final sub, entering just before he received the inbounds pass from Mike Mercer.
vs. Vanderbilt (1/13): Billy Humphrey’s 17 points were a career high in an SEC game...The 58 3-point shots tried by both teams were the most in one of Georgia’s SEC games in eight years.
vs. South Carolina (1/10): For the first time since Dec. 16 vs. Gonzaga, Georgia had a positive AST/TO ratio...It was Georgia’s third straight win over Carolina, only the second time that’s happened since the Gamecocks joined the SEC in 1992.
vs. Florida (1/6)
As far back as game stats are available (1980), Georgia had never before failed to score from the foul line...The Bulldogs got season-low figures in points and steals...They managed to become the third Florida foe this season to outrebound the Gators.
vs. Wisconsin (12/31)
For the first time this season, Georgia lost to an opponent it outrebounded, and decisively at that (42-33)...In his best effort of the season, Takais Brown had compiled a double-double by halftime.
vs. Clemson (12/28)
Bad combination: season-high 26 turnovers = season-low 60 points...The Tigers scored 29 of their 75 points off Georgia miscues...Gaines’ return, albeit at half-strength, had little effect on Georgia’s overall effort.
vs. Georgia Tech (12/22)
Georgia got an untidy look at life without point guard Sundiata Gaines...His pinch-hitter, scoring leader Mike Mercer, committed a career-high seven TOs and failed to score a FG for the only time as a collegian.
vs. Jacksonville (12/19)
Point guard Sundiata Gaines went down with a sprained right ankle near the 10-minute mark of the first half...Nonetheless, Georgia survived its largest deficit of the season thus far (12 pts.) with a 18-0 run before halftime...
vs. Gonzaga (12/16)
This was Georgia’s first win over a Top 25 opponent since 2/14/04 vs. No. 8 Kentucky...The Zags shot 59 percent from the field, the highest rate by a Georgia opponent -- that still managed to lose the game -- since January of 1988 (Auburn).
vs. Gardner-Webb (12/5)
Georgia has now shot at least 50 percent from the field in six of seven games...Georgia guards -- Humphrey (8), Gaines (7) and Mercer (7) -- combined to pull down almost half of the Bulldogs’ 50 rebounds...
vs. Wake Forest (12/2)
This marked the second straight year that Georgia has won its first true road game of the season...For the fifth time in six games four or more Georgia players posted double-digit scoring efforts.
vs. Alabama A&M (11/24)
Georgia shot over 50 percent on FGs for the fourth time in five games...It had a negative AST/TO ratio for just the second time this season...Georgia shot at least 43% on its 3-point shots for the third time.
vs. South Carolina State (11/21)
The Bulldogs went over the 100-point mark for the second straight game, the first time in almost 13 years Georgia has done so...It was the Dogs’ best offensive effort to date, with 32 assists (most in 7 years) to just 11 TOs.
vs. Valdosta State (11/18)
Takais Brown made his Georgia debut with a strong, 23-point outing...The Bulldogs went over the 100-point mark for just the second time of the Felton era...
vs. Western Kentucky (11/14)
Levi Stukes became the 36th player in Bulldog annals to score 1,000 career points with a layup with 8:06 left in the second half....For the third straight year in this 4-game series, the visiting team won.
vs. Southern (11/10)
Southern’s 35 turnovers marked the most by a Georgia opponent since Mercer committed 40 miscues against the Bulldogs on Dec. 8, 1990...Billy Humphrey’s seven 3-pointers were the third highest total ever by a Georgia player.
Where They Stack Up...
Here’s where Georgia players rank among the latest overall SEC Statistics:
Takais Brown: 14th in scoring, 16th in rebounding, 4th in FG Percentage, 2nd in offensive rebounds
Sundiata Gaines: 17th in rebounding, 6th in assists, 1st in steals, 6th in AST/TO ratio
Mike Mercer: 17th in scoring, 5th in steals
Levi Stukes: 24th in scoring, 4th in 3-pt. FG Pct., 5th in 3-pt. FG made, 6th in steals
In the SEC Games-only stats, here is where they rank:
Brown: t12th in scoring, t14th in rebounding, 5th in FG Pct., 4th in off. rebounds.
Gaines: 19th in scoring, 20th in rebounding, 5th in assists, 1st in steals, 2nd in 3-pt. FG Pct., 5th in AST/TO ratio
More Random Facts...
Georgia’s recent four-game stretch frayed the nerves of anyone with a vested interest in the outcomes. Three of the four were decided at the buzzer, and the one that wasn’t went into overtime. A two-week portion of the 2002-03 season included four similar games: close loss at Ga. Tech, buzzer-beating loss at Minnesota, buzzer-beating win at Colorado and an overtime win vs. California.
For Steve Newman, the cherry on top of his late-game heroics Jan. 17 at Arkansas was that his mom, Downing, had made the 1,100-mile trip from Orlando to see her son’s team play. She was the only Bulldog parent among the red & black partisans in Fayetteville...
Newman, a senior Finance major, is basking in another glow this semester. He has but one class in his final academic term, and attendance is not required! He needs only to submit a 10-page paper in May to complete his “Directed Project in Leadership” class. Take that, Matt Leinart!
On Jan. 13, Georgia and Vandy combined to try 58 three-point shots, the most in an SEC game involving Georgia since 2/13/99 (30 by Ga., 29 by Florida)...
Georgia’s +14 rebounding margin Jan. 10 against South Carolina was its largest against an SEC foe in five seasons, going back to a +16 margin against Ole Miss...
Go figure: Sundiata Gaines, a career 29 percent shooter from 3-point range, currently ranks 2nd in the SEC in 3-point percentage during SEC games only...Takais Brown has become the first post player for Georgia to get a double-double in three years, going back to Jonas Hayes in 2004. Since then, only Sundiata Gaines in 2005 and Billy Humphrey last year compiled double-doubles.
...Little has been said about how valuable the late Kevin Brophy would have been while Gaines mends his right ankle. Brophy, a solid ballhandler with a high basketball IQ, was pegged as the Bulldogs’ top backup at point guard....Georgia’s 62 percent shooting Nov. 21 against S.C State was the program’s best effort since a 62% game vs. Ga. Southern in 2001...
Gonzaga shot superbly (58.9%) in losing by 13 points to Georgia on Dec. 16. That’s the highest percentage by a team that lost to the Bulldogs since Auburn shot 60% in losing to Georgia in 1988, 570 games ago!
Georgia on the Road
Three of Georgia’s eight road games to date have come against ACC opponents. The Bulldogs defeated Wake Forest in Winston-Salem before dropping matchups at Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Last season’s squad, which went 15-15 overall, went 3-7 in true road games, winning at Western Ky., Vanderbilt and South Carolina. It represented a vast improvement over the previous year, when the 2005 Bulldogs were winless in nine road games.
The only Georgia team in the past 10 years with a road record better than .500 was the 2002 squad (6-5 record).
Big Year for UGA Hoopsters of Yore
This has been a momentous year for the Georgia program and two of its alumni.
Dominique Wilkins, perhaps the school’s most visible hoops figure, became its first inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame in September. Wilkins played in Athens for three years (1980-82) before turning pro and being taken third in the ‘82 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. He was soon traded to the Atlanta Hawks, for whom he played 12 of his 17 years in the league.
Last spring, Shandon Anderson, who lettered at Georgia from 1993-96, became the Bulldogs’ first alum to play on an NBA championship team as a reserve on the Miami Heat. A veteran of 10 pro seasons, Anderson played for Utah, Houston and the New York Knicks before reaching the championship in Miami. He had played in the NBA finals once before (1998) for the Jazz.
