University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Hosts Mizzou In SEC Home Opener
January 05, 2016 | Men's Basketball
This preview features interviews with Coach Mark Fox and J.J. Frazier.
Georgia Basketball Game Notes
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Game & Broadcast Info
- Opponent: Missouri Tigers
- Records: Georgia 7-4 (0-1 SEC), Missouri 7-6 (0-0 SEC)
- Rankings: Georgia NR, Missouri NR
- Tipoff: Wednesday, January 6 - 6:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Stegeman Coliseum - Athens, GA
- TV: SEC Network (Mike Morgan, PBP; Joe Dean Jr. Color)
- Radio: Bulldog Network | Affiliates
- Audio: Georgiadogs.com | Mobile
- Live Stats:
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The Starting Five
- MU leads the all-time series with UGA 4-3; however, the Bulldogs have won the last three meetings and are 2-1 versus the Tigers at Stegeman Coliseum.
- In the Jan. 3 editions, UGA was No. 51 in both the ESPN BPI and the NCAA RPI. UGA's schedule was ranked as the nation's sixth-toughest in the BPI and seventh-most difficult in the RPI.
- UGA is in the midst of its winningest two-year (23 Ws) and three-season (32 Ws) stretches ever in SEC play and is one of two teams to earn a top-4 seed in the past two SEC Tourneys.
- Yante Maten has recorded 20-point outputs in six of UGA's last eight games, averaging 18.9 ppg in that span.
- Charles Mann enters the Missouri game three FTAs and 33 FTs made shy of UGA's career records in both stats.
Georgia Faces Mizzou In Dogs' SEC Home Opener, Tigers' SEC Opener
Georgia hosts Missouri this evening at 6:30 in a contest that will serve both as the Bulldogs' Southeastern Conference home opener and the Tigers' initial league outing of the 2015-16 season.
Georgia enters the contest at 7-4 overall and 0-1 in the SEC following last Saturday's loss at Florida.
Yante Maten led the Bulldogs offensively in Gainesville with 20 points, his sixth 20-point performance in the last eight outings. The sophomore continues to pace Georgia and rank among the SEC's top-10 individual leaders in scoring (No. 7 at 16.6 ppg), rebounding (No. 8 at 7.5 rpg), blocks (No. 5 at 1.8 bpg) and field goal percentage (No. 2 at .577).
Maten, J.J. Frazier and Kenny Gaines all scored in double figures against the Gators and each player now has eight double-digit scoring efforts in the Bulldogs' 11 games to date. That accounts for 24 of the 31 double-figure individual outputs by Georgia this season.
Frazier is chipping in 15.1 ppg, while Gaines is adding 14.4 ppg.
Missouri arrives in Athens with a 7-6 record following decisive wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Savannah State to close the Tigers' pre-SEC slate.
Kevin Puryear (11.8 ppg) and Wes Clark (10.1 ppg) lead a balanced offensive attack with nine players averaging 4.7 ppg or more.
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. | 15.1 | 4.8 |
| 12 | Kenny Gaines | G | 6-3 | 205 | Sr. | Atlanta, Ga. | 14.4 | 3.2 |
| 4 | Charles Mann | G | 6-5 | 215 | Sr. | Alpharetta, Ga. | 9.7 | 3.9 |
| 24 | Houston Kessler | F | 6-8 | 225 | R-Jr. | Newnan, Ga. | 3.1 | 3.7 |
| 1 | Yante Maten | F | 6-8 | 240 | Soph. | Pontiac, Mich. | 16.6 | 7.5 |
Head Coach: Mark Fox
Record at Georgia / Years: 113-93 / 7th season
Overall Record/Years: 236-136 / 12th season
Assistant Coaches: Philip Pearson, Jonas Hayes, Yasir Rosemond
| MISSOURI TIGERS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown | PPG | RPG |
| 1 | Terrence Phillips | G | 5-11 | 175 | Fr. | Orange County, Cal. | 8.2 | 3.2 |
| 15 | Wes Clark | G | 6-0 | 180 | Jr. | Detroit, Mich. | 10.1 | 2.8 |
| 10 | K.J. Walton | G | 6-3 | 197 | Fr. | Brownsburg, Ind. | 6.4 | 1.5 |
| 24 | Kevin Puryear | F | 6-7 | 23 | Fr. | Blue Springs, Mo. | 11.8 | 4.5 |
| 25 | Russell Woods | F | 6-8 | 225 | Jr. | Chicago, Ill. | 5.1 | 3.8 |
Head Coach: Kim Anderson
Record at Winthrop / Years: 16-29 / 2nd season
Overall Record / Years: 290-124 / 14th season
Keeping An Eye On...Entering today's game:
Among UGA's career Leaders
Charles Mann is...- 21 points from No. 25 Jerry Waller
- 3 FTAs from No. 1 Litterial Green
- 32 FTs from No. 2 Litterial Green
- 33 FTs from No. 1 Alec Kessler
- 19 assists from No. 10 Donald Hartry
- 1 point from No. 37 Gerald Crosby
- 30 points from No. 36 Rashad Wright
- 14 points from No. 37 Gerald Crosby
- 19 3FGs from No. 8 Jody Patton
- 19 3FGAs from No. 9 Ray Harrison
- 6 3FGs from No. 18 Jarvis Hayes
- 1 3FGAs from No. No. 19 Jumaine Jones
Series History With Mizzou
Missouri owns a 4-3 edge in the all-time series between the Bulldogs and the Tigers; however, Georgia possesses a 2-1 lead in games contested at Stegeman Coliseum.
The Bulldogs have won the last three games, beginning with a 70-64 overtime decision on Jan. 8, 2014. That victory snapped No. 21 Missouri's 26-game home winning streak.
In the most recent matchup last Feb. 28 in Athens, Nemanja Djurisic scored a game-high 14 points to lead Georgia in a decisive 68-44 rout over the Tigers.
The win was by the largest margin of victory in an SEC contest under Mark Fox and also gave the Bulldogs their 10th SEC win of the season, reaching the plateau for the second consecutive season.
Georgia dominated from the opening tip, scoring 20 points in the first nine minutes and ending the first half on a 21-10 run to build a 41-23 lead at the intermission. The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 14-4 spurt and kept the lead above 20 points for the final 17:49 of the game as every player on the UGA roster saw playing time.
Last Time Out
Despite a game-high 20 points from Yante Maten, Georgia dropped its Southeastern Conference opener, 77-63, to rival Florida last Saturday night at the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida.
Senior Kenny Gaines and junior J.J. Frazier joined Maten in double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Gators entered the game as the league's worst 3-point shooting team at 27.4 percent but in the first half connected on more shots at a better percentage from outside the arc (six at 46.2 percent) than inside (five at 41.7 percent).
"They shot the 3-point shot a little bit better out of the gate than they had been shooting it," head coach Mark Fox said. "That was a factor. We had to play uphill all night. That probably was as big a factor as anything. They have a good team and they played better than we did."
The Gators built a 16-point lead in the first half and were up 38-31 at the intermission. Georgia trimmed the margin to 43-39 just over three minutes into the second stanza but couldn't get any closer.
Dogs' "D" Has Been Consistent In Non-Conf
Georgia held each of its 10 non-conference opponents under their field goal percentage for the season.
The Bulldogs held four foes to a shooting performance more than 10 percent lower than their season effort. Most notably, High Point, which ranks No. 22 in field goal percentage at .491, shot .297 versus UGA.
During the 2015 calendar portion of the schedule, Georgia's opponents connected on just 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.
Gaines, Mann Rewriting Records
Seniors Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann are making their mark on Georgia Basketball's career scoring ledger.Mann entered the season at No. 36 among the Bulldogs' all-time points leaders and has already ascended to No. 26 with 1,149 points.
Gaines became Georgia's 46th 1,000-point career scorer against Clemson on Dec. 22 and climbed past three former Bulldogs to the No. 42 position during the victory over the Tigers. He is now up to the No. 38 slot.
UGA In Midst Of Most SEC Success
Georgia enters Southeastern Conference play riding the momentum of the Bulldogs' 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 in 2012-13.
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.
Bulldogs Solid In Computer Polls
The two most noted computer rankings hold Georgia and its schedule in high regard.
The Bulldogs were No. 51 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI) and No. 48 in the NCAA's Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) through games of Jan. 3.
Georgia's strength of schedule was ranked as the nation's toughest in both the BPI and the RPI for a good bit of December. The Bulldogs' slate is currently rated No. 6 in the RPI and No. 7 in the BPI.
Maten A 20-Point Regular
Yante Maten has notched 20-point performances in six of the Bulldogs last eight games, including a streak of four straight.
Maten opened the stretch with 21 points at Seton Hall and matched that against Oakland. He then scored 20 points versus Kansas State before pouring in 24 against Winthrop. That represented UGA's first four-game 20-point string since
Trey Thompkins recorded five straight 20-point outings in February of 2010.
The streak was snapped when Maten only scored 17 points (on 8-of-11 FGs) against Georgia Tech. He followed that with eight points versus Clemson before posting 20 points against both Robert Morris and Florida.
Maten's efficiency over the past eight games has been spectacular, connecting on 60.4 percent (55-of-91) of his shots from the floor and 84.3 percent (43-of-51) of his free throws during that span.
Gaines, Frazier Earn SEC Honors
Kenny Gaines and J.J. Frazier were tabbed SEC Player of the Week on Nov. 23 and Dec. 21, respectively.Gaines, who shared the honor with Kentucky's Tyler Ulis, was selected after his career-high 35-point outburst against Murray State. Gaines accounted for a school-record 55.6 percent of UGA's points in the 63-52 win, including 64.7 percent in the second half (22 of 34). He also equaled the No. 15 single-game scoring output by a Bulldog, as well as tying marks for No. 6 in 3-pointers made (7) and No. 5 in 3-pointers attempted (14).
Frazier was chosen after he scored 35 points against Georgia Tech, the highest output ever by a Bulldog against the Yellow Jackets. Frazier also dished out four assists, meaning he had a hand in 43 (57.3 percent) of the Bulldogs' 75 points in the contest. He scored 22 second-half points and converted on 8-of-8 attempts at the line in the final 1:29 to ice the game's outcome.
The last Georgia teammates to be honored as SEC Player of the Week in the same season were Travis Leslie and Trey Thompkins back in the 2009-10 campaign.
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 about themselves.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 (16.3 ppg) and also has upped both his rebounding (7.5 rpg) and playing time (29.3 mpg) by massive chunks.
Actually, Maten's increased production can be traced to late last season. Over Georgia's last 13 contests, Maten has produced all three of his career double-doubles, all four of his double-figure rebounding efforts and eight of his 12 double-digit scoring productions.
Maten posted four career-high scoring outputs in UGA's first seven games, improving from 13 points entering the season to 17 points versus Chattanooga to 21 points in back-to-back outings against Seton Hall and Oakland and 24 versus Winthrop.
Putting the "PG" In "KPG"
Don't expect Kenny Paul Geno to bring the ball up the court but his efforts distributing the basketball of late have been stellar.Geno matched his career high with two assists against Oakland, upped that to three versus Kansas State, doubled that with six against Winthrop and inched that mark to seven versus Robert Morris.
All told, Geno has dished out 24 assists over the past six contests (3.4 apg) while committing only two turnovers -- an almost unfathomable 12.0-to-1.0 assist-to-TO ratio.
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 has proven that isn't idle hyperbole when discussing his game.
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 started 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.
Frazier, Gaines Pop For 35 Each
Junior J.J. Frazier and senior Kenny Gaines became the first pair of Georgia teammates to score 35 points or more in a game during the same season.Gaines poured in 35 points against Murray State on Nov. 20, and Frazier then matched that output against arch-rival Georgia Tech on Dec. 19.
Only four times have the Bulldogs had two 35-point performances in a single season, and the other three instances involved a single player doing so.
In 1952-53, Zippy Morocco scored 38 points vs. Tennessee and 37 vs. Alabama. In 1974-75, Jacky Dorsey posted 43 vs. Southern Miss and 41 vs. LSU. In 1990-91, Litterial Green notched 38 vs. UCLA and 35 vs. Florida.
Frazier, who scored a career-high 37 at Mississippi State on Jan. 24, 2015, joins the three aforementioned Bulldogs and Willie Anderson as the only five players ever to score 35 points or more two times for Georgia.
UGA's All-SEC Tandem...
Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann were both named preseason first-team All-SEC in balloting 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 also first-team selections prior to 2010-11.
Mann became Georgia's first-ever two-time first-team preseason All-SEC selection.
...Has Very Strong Ties
The duo of Georgia natives Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann has played a significant role since they arrived on campus in 2012.Between them, Gaines and Mann have a combined 210 games played, 152 starts and 5,339 minutes played.
Much of that has been compiled together.
Gaines and Mann have started together for 67 of Georgia's 77 contests since the beginning of the their sophomore year of 2013-14. All told, they have played 1,633 minutes and 46 seconds together at Georgia.
Small In Stature, Big On Boards
J.J. Frazier grabbed 10 rebounds against Winthrop on Dec. 8. In the process, the junior from Glennville became the most prominent name on a list of Division I players under 6-feet tall.A year ago, Frazier was among seven players under 6-feet who recorded a double-figure rebounding effort. He hauled in 11 boards against Seton Hall.
With his performance against Winthrop, Frazier joined five other under-6-foot players with 10 or more rebounds this season.
Frazier is the only player in the nation under 6-feet to have a double-figure rebounding performance in each of the past two seasons.
And A Well-Rounded Effort
Along with his 10 boards, J.J. Frazier also scored 15 points -- for his first career double-double -- and handed out five assists versus Winthrop.Frazier became just the third Georgia player to post 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists during Mark Fox's six-plus seasons as the Bulldogs' head coach.
Travis Leslie did so twice, both against Vanderbilt. Leslie had 21 points, 13 rebounds and five assists against the Commodores on Jan. 12, 2011, and also notched 22 points, 10 boards and five assists versus Vandy on Feb. 25, 2010. In addition, Trey Thompkins had 23 points, 14 rebounds and six assists against Arkansas in the first round of the SEC Tournament on March 11, 2010.
Thanks to stats guru Dave McMahon for compiling the data in the previous two notes on Frazier's feats.
Ogbeide Back, Making Strides
Freshman Derek Ogbeide (pronounced "Ohwg-Bay-Day") enjoyed a very impressive unofficial debut for Georgia.In a Nov. 6 exhibition win over Armstrong State, Ogbeide grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, scored four points and recorded one assist, block and steal in 19 minutes of action.
Ogbeide suffered a right shoulder injury in practice thereafter and missed Georgia's first five games of the season.
Ogbeide finally made his official premiere when he checked at the 17:27 mark of the first half against Kansas State. He played 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.
Ogbeide is gradually working his way into the Bulldogs' rotation and has shown plenty of signs of being a physical presence in the paint. He played without a minutes limitation for the first time against Georgia Tech. In the last three games, Ogbeide is averaging 4.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 11.7 minutes.
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 23.9 minutes of action per game. The Booneville, Miss., native has matched or bettered his previous career-most MP in seven games, including a new career-best of 35 versus Chattanooga.
Geno averaged 3.8 minutes as a freshman in 2013-14 but had earned increased playing time during last season's non-conference schedule. He suffered a broken left wrist in the SEC opener against Arkansas and missed 10 games following surgery.
Geno returned to log double-digit minutes in eight of the Bulldogs' final nine outings of 2014-15 and earned a starting nod for six of the last eight games.
Geno started the first seven games this season, compiling a stretch of 13 starts in 15 outings dating back to last season. He has been coming off the bench for the Bulldogs beginning with the Georgia Tech game.
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.
