University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldogs Play Baylor In Big 12/SEC Challenge Saturday
January 29, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Coach Mark Fox and Junior Guard J.J. Frazier talk about their past game against LSU and their upcoming game against Baylor.
Jan. 29, 2016
Georgia Basketball Game Notes
MORE INFO
Game & Broadcast Info
- Opponent: Baylor
- Records: Georgia 11-7 (4-4 SEC), Baylor 16-4 (6-2 Big 12)
- Rankings: Georgia NR, Baylor #17 AP, #18 Coaches
- Tipoff: Saturday, January 30 - 6:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Ferrell Center (10,284) in Waco, Texas
- TV: ESPN2 (Bob Wischusen, PBP; Paul Biancardi, Color)
- Video Stream: WatchESPN.com
- Radio: Bulldog Network | Affiliates
- Audio Stream: Georgiadogs.com | Mobile
- Live Stats:
Related Links
Gameday Central
Buy Tickets
Follow @UGAAthletics
Follow @UGABasketball
SEC Network
Georgia Bulldogs
Roster
Schedule
Stats
Media Guide
Baylor Bears
The Starting Five
- UGA and BU have never met before this year's Big 12/SEC Challenge. UGA is 12-12 all-time against current Big 12 schools.
- UGA is No. 2 in the SEC and No. 11 in nationally in FG pct. defense (.381) and has held 16 of 18 opponents under their season percentage.
- UGA is the only Division I team -- there are 351 of them, by the way -- that has played only one team with an RPI higher than 200.
- In stats for SEC games only, J.J. Frazier is ranked among the top-10 in nine of 11 major categories -- 1st in steals, 4th in FG pct., 5th in 3FG pct., 6th in asts.-to-TOs, 7th in FT pct., 8th in both scoring and 3FGs per game, 9th in minutes and 10th in assists.
- Charles Mann, who became UGA's career leader in free throw attempts earlier this season, is eight free throw makes from also tying the UGA career record for success at the line.
Bulldogs Break From SEC Play To Face Bears In Big 12/SEC Challenge
The Georgia Bulldogs and the Baylor Bears will step away from conference play on Saturday evening to face off in the Big 12/SEC Challenge at the Ferrell Center in Waco. The contest will tip at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN 2.
Ten of the SEC's 14 schools will be matched up with a Big 12 foe on Saturday, with the two leagues taking over a large portion of the programming on the ESPN family of networks for about 10 hours starting at noon.
Georgia and Baylor both earned bids to the 2015 NCAA Tournament, one of three matchups -- along with Kentucky at Kansas and Oklahoma at LSU -- that features two "March Madness" squads from last spring.
Georgia slipped to 11-7 overall and 4-4 in the SEC with Tuesday night's 89-85 loss at LSU. The Bulldogs provided a great deal of late-game drama. UGA rallied from 11 points down with 50 seconds remaining to pull within 87-85 with possession and 13 seconds left before missing a potential game-tying shot.
J.J. Frazier inched ahead of Yante Maten as Georgia's leading scorer during the contest. Frazier's back-to-back 26-point outings against Arkansas and LSU pushed his season average to 16.3 ppg. He also leads the Bulldogs in assists (4.0 apg) and steals (1.5 spg).
All told, four Bulldogs are averaging double digits. Maten is contributing 15.6 ppg and a team-high 7.7 rpg, while seniors Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann are chipping in 14.2 ppg and 10.4 ppg, respectively.
Baylor, which is ranked No. 17 in this week's AP poll and No. 18 in the current USA Today coaches ledger, is 16-4 overall and 6-2 in Big 12 action. The Bears won at Oklahoma State on Wednesday evening in their most recent outing.
Baylor also features a quartet of double-digit scorers, paced by Taurean Prince at 15.1 ppg. Rico Gathers is the only player in the Big 12 averaging a double-double at 12.5 ppg and 10.6 rpg. Al Freeman adds 12.2 ppg, and Johnathan Motley comes off the bench to score 11.0 ppg.
Most Recent Starters
| GEORGIA BULLDOGS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown | PPG | RPG |
| 30 | J.J. Frazier | G | 5-10 | 155 | Jr. | Glennville, Ga. | 16.3 | 4.8 |
| 12 | Kenny Gaines | G | 6-3 | 205 | Sr. | Atlanta, Ga. | 14.2 | 2.7 |
| 4 | Charles Mann | G | 6-5 | 215 | Sr. | Alpharetta, Ga. | 10.4 | 3.9 |
| 1 | Yante Maten | F | 6-8 | 240 | Soph. | Pontiac, Mich. | 15.6 | 7.7 |
| 34 | Derek Ogbeide | F | 6-8 | 250 | Fr. | Atlanta, Ga. | 3.6 | 4.6 |
Head Coach: Mark Fox
Record at Georgia / Years: 117-96 / 7th season
Overall Record/Years: 240-139 / 12th season
Assistant Coaches: Philip Pearson, Jonas Hayes, Yasir Rosemond
| BAYLOR BEARS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown | PPG | RPG |
| 11 | Lester Medford | G | 5-10 | 175 | Sr. | Tucson, Ariz. | 9.0 | 2.4 |
| 25 | Al Freeman | G | 6-3 | 200 | So. | Charlotte, N.C. | 12.2 | 3.2 |
| 24 | Ishmail Wainright | G | 6-5 | 240 | Jr. | Kansas City, Mo. | 5.3 | 3.8 |
| 21 | Taurean Prince | F | 6-7 | 220 | Sr. | San Antonio, Texas | 15.1 | 5.9 |
| 2 | Rico Gathers | F | 6-8 | 275 | Sr. | LaPlace, La. | 12.5 | 10.6 |
Head Coach: Scott Drew
Record at Baylor / Years: 244-164 / 13th season
Overall Record / Years: 264-175 / 14th season
Tale of the Tape
| Points Per Game | 70.7 | 79.7 |
| Opp. Point Per Game | 68.2 | 67.3 |
| Scoring Margin | +2.6 | +12.4 |
| Field Goal Pct. | .439 | .478 |
| Opp. Field Goal Pct. | .381 | .434 |
| 3-Point Pct. | .361 | .364 |
| 3-Pointers Per Game | 6.4 | 6.2 |
| Opp. 3-Point Pct. | .309 | .352 |
| Free Throw Pct. | .681 | .730 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 16.5 | 16.0 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 38.2 | 39.2 |
| Opp. Rebound Per Game | 35.9 | 29.2 |
| Rebound Margin | +2.2 | +10.1 |
| Assists Per Game | 13.1 | 20.3 |
| Turnovers Per Game | 14.1 | 12.8 |
| Assist-to-Turnover Ratio | 0.9 | 1.6 |
| Turnover Margin | -2.6 | +1.7 |
| Steals Per Game | 5.5 | 8.6 |
| Blocks Per Game | 5.3 | 4.0 |
Keeping An Eye On...Entering today's game:
Among UGA's career Leaders
Charles Mann is...
- 4 points from No. 23 Jacky Dorsey
- 10 points from No. 22 Jimmy Pitts
- 23 points from No. 21 Lavon Mercer
- 7 FTs from No. 2 Litterial Green
- 8 FTs from No. 1 Alec Kessler
- 20 assists from No. 9 Ray Harrison
Kenny Gaines is...
- 42 points from No. 26 Jerry Waller
- 10 3FGs from No. 7 Bernard Davis
- 39 3FGAs from No. 6 G.G. Smith
J.J. Frazier is...
- 4 3FGs from No. 15 Sundiata Gaines
- 35 3FGAs from No. 16 Michael Chadwick
Series History With BU, Big 12
The Big 12/SEC Challenge will provide the first-ever meeting between Georgia and Baylor on the hardwood.
The Bulldogs are a combined 12-12 all-time against the schools that currently comprise the Big 12 Conference.
In Georgia's most recent date with a Big 12 foe, the Bulldogs dropped a 68-66 decision to Kansas State in Athens earlier this season on Dec. 4.
The Wildcats rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit to force a back-and-forth second stanza featuring seven ties and 11 lead changes. Dean Wade knocked down a jumper with 4.1 seconds left to put Kansas State up 68-66 before J.J. Frazier's potential game-winning 3-pointer drew iron but was just off the mark.
Last Time Out
Georgia's last-minute comeback attempt against LSU came up short as the Bulldogs fell to the Tigers, 89-85, Tuesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Georgia was led offensively by J.J. Frazier with 26 points followed by seniors Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines with 20 and 19 points, respectively.
"I was proud of our kids competitive spirit in the face of adversity," Mark Fox said. "I was proud of our players, and I am proud to be their coach. To deal with all that and to have a chance to win says a lot. We don't believe in moral victories, but I was proud of how these kids represented Georgia and how we fought."
The Tigers led much of the first half with their largest margin at 18-9. Georgia chipped away and eventually had a chance to tie at the half, but Frazier's 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark to leave LSU ahead 33-30.
Georgia tied the game at 39-39 after Yante Maten scored an and-one at the 16:49 mark. The Tigers responded with an 8-0 run of their own to take a 47-39 lead.
The Bulldogs trailed by 11 points with 50 seconds remaining when things heated up. Frazier started the rally with a layup and -- after an LSU free throw -- hit a 3-pointer. Mann stole the ensuing inbounds pass and scored to cut the margin to 83-78.
Another LSU free throw was followed by a pair of free throws by Mann to make it a four-point game. The Tigers missed two free throws with 28 seconds left before another Frazier 3-pointer cut the gap to 84-83 with 23 ticks remaining.
LSU converted two free throws, but Frazier matched those points with a layup at the 16-second mark. Keith Hornsby then made one of two free throws, giving Georgia the ball down two with 13 seconds left.
E'Torrion Wilridge's potential game-tying jumper rimmed out with four seconds remaining before LSU hit two free throws.
Dogs' "D" Has Been Consistent
Georgia currently ranks No. 11 nationally in field goal defense, with opponents shooting just 38.1 percent. The Bulldogs have held 16 of 18 opponents -- and all 10 non-conference foes -- under their season FG percentage.
During the 2015 calendar portion of the schedule, Georgia's opponents connected on a paltry 36.6 percent (218-of-596) of their shots from the field against the Bulldogs. Subtract out those totals and UGA's opposition made 45.8 percent (3203-of-6990) of their field goals attempted.
Georgia also has held six of its eight SEC foes under their season FG percentage.
Florida became the first team to shoot a better percentage against the Bulldogs than otherwise. The Gators entered the SEC opener shooting 42.2 percent but hit 42.3 -- yes, .1 of one percent better -- versus Georgia.
Texas A&M became the first team to make half its FG attempts against the Bulldogs, shooting 52.7 percent on Jan. 16.
J.J. Almost Everywhere In SEC Stats
In statistics for SEC games only, junior J.J. Frazier is ranked among the league's top-10 leaders in nine of 11 major categories.
The 5-10, junior from Glennville, Ga., is currently No. 1 in steals (2.0 spg), No. 4 in field goal percentage (.495), No. 5 in 3-point percentage (.457), No. 6 in assist-to-TOs (2.5 ratio), No. 7 in free throw percentage (.828), No. 8 in both scoring (17.4 ppg) and 3-pointers (2.6 3FGpg), No. 9 in minutes (33.1 mpg) and No. 10 in assists (4.0 apg).
The only two categories where Frazier is not listed are rebounds and blocks.
Trailing Frazier, Stefan Moody of Ole Miss is ranked in seven stats, while Tyler Ulis of Kentucky is included in six.
Gaines, Mann Rewriting Records
Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann are consistently making moves on UGA's career scoring leaders ledger.
Mann entered the season at No. 36 among the Bulldogs' all-time points leaders and has ascended to No. 24. He is now just four points away from No. 23 Jacky Dorsey and 10 shy of No. 22 Jimmy Pitts.
Gaines became Georgia's 46th 1,000-point career scorer against Clemson on Dec. 22. He is now up to the No. 27, 38 points from No. 26 Jerry Waller.
Fox Ties To Big 12 Territory
Georgia head coach Mark Fox is a native of Garden City, Kansas. He grew up in the heart of the Big 12 Conference, which was actually the Big Eight at that time.
Fox earned his master's degree in Athletic Administration/Sports Psychology from Kansas and served as an assistant coach at Kansas State from 1994-2000.
Fox then spent nine seasons at Nevada, the first four as associate head coach and the final five as head coach.
During his stint as the Wolf Pack's head coach, Fox was 2-1 against the Big 12, defeating Texas and posting a 1-1 record against Kansas. Fox is one of only nine coaches to win at Allen Field House during Bill Self's 12-season tenure.
Fox is 1-1 against Big 12 institutions during his seven seasons in Athens, with the road team winning both ends of a home-and-home series with Kansas State contested last and this seasons.
A Positive Breakout
Not that the media needs any self affirmation but the folks who predicted Yante Maten would be one of the nation's "breakout" players this season -- including those at CBS, NBC and SI -- are probably feeling pretty good.
Most expected Maten to up his contributions following the departure of seniors frontcourt mates Nemanja Djurisic and Marcus Thornton. He's done more than just that.
A year ago, Maten averaged 5.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 18.2 minutes per game.
This season, Maten has more than tripled his scoring (15.6 ppg) and also has upped both his rebounding (7.7 rpg) and playing time (29.8 mpg) by massive chunks.
Maten posted four career-high scoring outputs in the Bulldogs' first seven games this season, improving from 13 points entering the year to 17 points versus Chattanooga in the opener to 21 points to back-to-back outings against Seton Hall and Oakland and 24 points versus Winthrop.
Maten's increased production can actually be traced back to last year's postseason. He notched his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against South Carolina in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tourney.
That opened an active 21-game stretch in which Maten has recorded 15 of his 19 double-digit scoring outputs, as well as all six of his career double-figure rebounding efforts and all five of his double-doubles.
Mann Joins UGA Top-10 Assist List
Charles Mann moved into Georgia's all-time top-10 assists leaders during the Bulldogs' Jan. 23 victory over Arkansas. Mann distributed five buckets-to-be against the Razorbacks to up his career total to 355.
That tied Donald Hartry, who was a member of Georgia's 1983 NCAA Final Four and 1984 and 1986 NIT teams, for the No. 10 slot on UGA's top-10 list. Mann inched past Hartry with a pair of assists at LSU and is now 20 away from No. 9 Ray Harrison.
Bulldogs Finding Their Stride
After a relatively injury-free preseason, the Bulldogs were bitten hard in the week of the season opener.
Following a Nov. 6 exhibition outing, freshman Derek Ogbeide (pronounced "Ohwg-Bay-Day") suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out of action for four weeks.
In addition, Juwan Parker, who started the first 18 games last season, has been held out of action since the exhibition due to soreness in his Achilles. Parker missed virtually the entire second half of last season due to that injury, which required offseason surgery.
The lateness of those changes forced Georgia, which appeared close to setting its regular rotation, to mix and match combinations for much of the first several games.
Following the Kansas State loss on Dec. 4, Georgia was 3-3.
Since then, the Bulldogs have compiled an 8-4 record. That stretch includes decisive victories over a pair of ACC foes -- Georgia Tech (75-61) and Clemson (71-48) -- as well as another double-digit win over Robert Morris, a 2015 NCAA Tournament participant with four returning starters.
Ogbeide Back, Making Big Strides
Following the aforementioned injury-induced detour, freshman Derek Ogbeide has shown signs of becoming an inside presence for the Bulldogs.
Ogbeide enjoyed an impressive unofficial debut in a Nov. 6 exhibition win over Armstrong State with a game-high 10 rebounds in 19 minutes of action.
Ogbeide suffered a right shoulder injury in practice thereafter and missed Georgia's first five games of the season.
He finally made his official premiere against Kansas State, checking at the 17:27 mark of the first half versus the Wildcats and playing two minutes in the contest.
"He was just cleared today a little before 2 o'clock," Mark Fox said. "I just wanted to get him 45 seconds here and there just to get him to relax and so he'd been out there before."
The day before the Kansas State contest Fox was asked about what Georgia was missing without Ogbeide.
"He would allow us to impose our size and physicality on people" Fox said.
The Pebblebrook High School product now is helping Georgia doing just that.
Ogbeide played a combined five minutes against Kansas State and Winthrop before UGA's 11-day break for Final Exams. In the 11 games since, Ogbeide is averaging 4.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 14.1 minutes.
His impact has been even more dramatic in SEC play. Ogbeide, who earned his first career start against Tennessee and also got the nod against Texas A&M and LSU, is averaging 4.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 15.0 mpg.
In fact, equating out 40-minute production makes Ogbeide the SEC's most proficient rebounder among league leaders in conference pla Bulldogs In The BPI & RPI
Georgia is currently No. 54 in the ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI) and No. 75 in the NCAA's Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
The Bulldogs' strength of schedule, which was ranked as the nation's toughest in both ledgers for a good bit of December, is now at No. 9 in the BPI and No. 24 in the RPI.
Georgia is the only two team in the nation that has played only one opponent with an RPI higher than 200 this season.
UGA's All-SEC Tandem...
Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann were both named preseason first-team All-SEC in voting of league coaches, becoming just the second duo of Bulldogs to earn first-team preseason honors since the recognition began prior to the 2004-05 season. Travis Leslie and Trey Thompkins were first-team preseason All-SEC selections prior to the 2010-11 season.
Mann became Georgia's first-ever two-time first-team preseason All-SEC selection.
...Has Very Strong Ties
The duo of Peach State natives Kenny Gaines, who is from Atlanta, and Charles Mann, who hails from Alpharetta, has played a significant role since they arrived on campus in 2012.
Between them, Gaines and Mann have a combined 226 games played, 168 starts and 5,834 minutes played.
Much of that has been compiled together.
Gaines and Mann have started together for 74 of Georgia's 84 contests since the beginning of the their sophomore year of 2013-14. All told, they have played 1,824 minutes and 39 seconds together at Georgia.
UGA In Midst Of Most SEC Success
Georgia entered Southeastern Conference competition looking to extend its most successful two- and three-year stretches in league play ever.
The Bulldogs finished 11-7 and tied for third in the SEC last season. That followed a 12-6 record in 2013-14 when Georgia tied for second in the league and a 9-9 effort during the 2012-13 season.
The Bulldogs' 32 wins over the past three seasons and 23 during the past two campaign represent UGA's most ever.
Georgia is one of only two teams to secure a top-4 seed to each of the past two SEC Tournaments, along with Kentucky. The Bulldogs and Wildcats also are the only two teams to reach the semifinals of both the 2014 and 2015 SEC Tourneys.
Mann's Versatility Not Just Hype
It's not uncommon to hear a comment like "Ya know, he could play all five positions."
Charles Mann proved that isn't idle hyperbole when discussing his game, largely due to the aforementioned rotation shuffling early in the season following injuries to Derek Ogbeide and Juwan Parker.
Mann, one of two Bulldogs along with Yante Maten to start every game this season, got the nod at four different positions during Georgia's first eight outings.
He started at his natural `1' slot in five games but also did so at the `2' versus Winthrop, at the `3' against Georgia Tech and at the `5' -- yes the `5' -- against Chattanooga.
Against High Point, Mann saw action at all five spots. Perhaps most impressive was his defensive effort in several matchups with John Brown, the nation's No. 4 active scorer.
"He's been so unselfish and willing to do that and has not complained one time," Mark Fox said.
More PT for KPG
Kenny Paul Geno entered the 2015-16 season with a career high of 21 minutes played against Missouri late last season.
This season, Geno is averaging 21.3 minutes of action per game. The Booneville, Miss., native has matched or bettered his previous career-most MP in nine games during 2015-16, including a new career-best of 35 versus Chattanooga.
Tigers Make Record Trips To Line
LSU's 55 free throw attempts against the Bulldogs represented the most-ever by a Georgia opponent in 111 seasons and 2,586 games played in program history.
Tim Quarterman made 19 trips to the charity stripe, and Ben Simmons ventured there on 17 occasions. Those efforts equaled the sixth- and eighth-most ever by opposing players against the Bulldogs.
Georgia was whistled for 33 fouls in Baton Rouge, tying the third-most in school history.
Indoor Athletic Facility -- Construction Activities 12/22/15 -- 1/31/17
Construction of the new UGA Indoor Athletic Facility immediately adjacent and attached to Butts-Mehre will begin on 12/22/15 and extend continuously until 1/31/2017.
A portion of East Rutherford Street between Pinecrest Drive and Smith Streets will be closed throughout construction extending from the northeast corner of Foley Field Stadium heading east to the access drive to the Carlton Street Parking Deck.
The access drive will remain open throughout construction and the adjacent sidewalk to the south of East Rutherford will remain open for pedestrian traffic.
Post-game traffic patterns will continue from previous games. Law enforcement personnel will be stationed at additional intersections to assist with moving vehicles following men's basketball games.
Lumpkin Street positions will include intersections at Cedar Street, Rutherford Street and Milledge Avenue.
Positions on College Station Road will include intersections at East Campus Road, River Road/Rec Sports Complex and the Inner Loop On Ramp.
The goal is to move traffic away from the Coliseum as quickly as possible while allowing fans to travel toward their desired location. However, there is always the possibility traffic will need to be re-routed from your accustomed direction to account for significant congestion surrounding campus. Your understanding to these occurrences is appreciated.
All parking decks and lots in the surrounding areas of the Coliseum will be available for free parking. The Carlton Street Parking Deck and the South Campus Parking Deck will again be free for all Coliseum athletic events. The following parking lots are reserved and need a gameday parking permit for entry:
S10 - McPhaul Lot (Men's Basketball)
S12 - Hoke Smith Annex Lot (Men's Basketball)
S16 - Coverdell Center Lot (Men's Basketball)
We appreciate your cooperation during this construction period.
