Bulldogs Face UMass For First Time on Saturday

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (7-1) vs. Massachusetts (5-5)
Saturday, December 16, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. ET
Mullins Center (9,493) in Amherst, Mass.
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network. (Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta); (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Tony Schiavone, Producer)
TV: NBC Sports Network (Ryan Burr, play-by-play; Jordan Cornette, analyst)
Video: SECN+

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Mark Fox
152-119 in 9th season at UGA
275-162 in 14th season overall
G	0	William Jackson II	12.5	2.5
6-4; 185; Jr.; Athens, Ga.
G	3	Juwan Parker	7.0	2.9
6-4; 205; R-Sr.; Tulsa, Okla.
F	20	Rayshaun Hammonds	9.0	5.8
6-8; 227; Fr.; Norcross, Ga.
F	1	Yante Maten	18.5	9.4
6-8; 243; Sr.; Pontiac, Mich.
F	34	Derek Ogbeide	6.5	5.9
6-8; 245; Jr.; Atlanta, Ga.

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

UMass Minutemen
Coach: Matt McCall
5-5 in 1st season at UMass
5-5 in 1st season overall
G	2	Luwane Pipkins	18.9	3.3
5-11; 185; Soph.; Chicago, Ill.
G	42	Rayshawn Miller	5.9	1.5
6-1; 200; Jr.; Boston, Mass.
F	23	C.J. Anderson	9.4	5.0
6-6; 207; Sr.; Memphis, Tenn.
F	0	Malik Anderson	7.7	6.7
6-10; 255; Jr.; Jackson, Miss.
C	45	Rashaan Holloway	9.6	5.0
6-10; 310; Jr.; Elmer, N.J.

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA		UMASS
74.5	Points per game	71.6
+6.4	Scoring margin	+3.1
45.9	FG pct.	45.5
39.0	FG defense	41.6
33.8	3FG pct.	36.0
29.5	3FG defense	30.6
6.1	3FGs per game	7.6
70.4	FT pct.	76.4
18.1	FTs per game	12.0
+9.3	Rebound Margin	+2.8
14.1	Assists per game	14.7
0.96	Assists-to-TOs	0.99
5.0	Blocks per game	3.5
4.8	Steals per game	5.0

The Starting 5...

The Bulldogs have defeated a 2017 NCAA Tourney team in each of their last three outings.
Yante Maten was ranked as one of the nation's top-25 players by CBS (22), ESPN (23) and NBC (24).
UGA's 7-1 start is the Bulldogs' best since beginning the 2006-07 season at 8-1.
Turtle Jackson had four career-best scoring outputs in the first five games - 11, 13, 16 & 17 points.
Yante Maten is the first Bulldog to open the year with three double-doubles since 1987.

Bulldogs Back In Action At UMass

Georgia returns to action on Saturday following an 11-day break from competition during Final Exams on the UGA campus. The Bulldogs will trek to Amherst, Mass., to face the Massachusetts Minutemen at 3:00 p.m. in the Mullins Center.

Georgia is 7-1, its best start since beginning 2006-07 at 8-1. The Bulldogs' win tally includes victories over a trio of 2017 NCAA Tournament teams in their last three outings - No. 21 Saint Mary's on Nov. 26, Marquette on Dec. 2 and Winthrop on Dec. 4.

Yante Maten, a National Player of the Year candidate and preseason SEC Player of the Year honoree, leads Georgia with averages of 18.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Over his last 65 games (dating back to the beginning of his sophomore year), Maten has produced 58 double-digit scoring performances, with 25 20-point and four 30-point outings as well as 19 double-doubles.

Turtle Jackson provides a second a double-figure scoring average at 12.5 ppg. Jackson entered the season with two double-digit productions in 66 games but has scored 10-plus points in seven of Georgia's first eights outings. In the process, he has upped his career high four times, from 10 points beginning the year to 11 to 13 to 15 to 17 points against San Diego State.

UMass sports a 5-5 record to date and has defeated Holy Cross and Providence in its last two outings. Saturday's game represents the midway point of a five-game homestand for the Minutemen.

Luwane Pipkins paces UMass on the offensive end by averaging 18.9 points per game, while Malik Hines is collecting a team-high 6.7 rebounds per contest.

Entering Today's Game Among UGA's Career Leaders

Yante Maten is...

13 points from No. 14 Charles Mann
16 points from No. 13 Carlos Strong
32 points from No. 12 James Banks
53 points from No. 11 D.A. Layne
3 rebounds from No. 11 John Johnson
12 rebounds from No. 10 Trey Thompkins
24 rebounds from No. 9 Tim Bassett
6 FTs from No. 5 Vern Fleming
79 FTs from No. 4 J.J. Frazier
38 FTAs from co-No. 6 Vern Fleming and J.J. Frazier
10 blocks from No. 3 Terrell Bell
89 blocks from No. 2 Charles Claxton

First Meeting With UMass

Saturday's game will be the first ever between the Bulldogs and the Minutemen.

Georgia is 12-9 all time versus teams currently competing with UMass in the Atlantic 10 Conference - 1-4 vs. Davidson; 0-1 vs. Dayton; 0-1 vs. Duquesne; 1-0 vs. Fordham; 2-1 vs. George Washington; 3-2 vs. LaSalle; 1-0 vs. Rhode Island; 1-0 vs. Richmond; 2-0 vs. St. Louis; and 1-0 vs. VCU.

Last Time out

Georgia defeated Winthrop 87-82 on Dec. 5 in a high-scoring, back-and-forth contest featuring 12 ties and 10 lead changes.

Georgia scored a season high of 87 points, led by Yante Maten. He had his eighth consecutive double-digit scoring game and his fourth double-double of the season with 11 rebounds and a game-high 25 points, also his season-high. Derek Ogbeide, Rayshaun Hammonds, William "Turtle" Jackson and Mike Edwards all contributed double-digit points as well.

"Winthrop is a good offensive team," Mark Fox said. "We had a difficult time getting stops so it was important for us to find guys who could make plays."

The Eagles entered the evening ranked 13th nationally in scoring, averaging 90.4 points per game.

After Georgia raced to an early 17-5 lead, the Eagles gradually closed that gap to 40-38 at halftime.

The Eagles tied the contest three times early in the second half and eventually surged ahead. Winthrop's largest lead came 58-52 with 13:08 remaining. The Bulldogs rallied to tie the game at 62-62 just over four minutes later on a Maten 3-pointer, but did not take the lead for good until Hammonds knocked down a triple from the top of the key at the 3:20 mark that made it 77-74.

Dogs Are Solid After Finals Break

A break of double-digit days away from competition is nothing new for the Bulldogs.

This is the 12th-consecutive season UGA's schedule has featured a gap of 10-plus days during Finals. The longest break was 14 days for Georgia's 2015 NCAA Tournament team.

The Bulldogs are 9-2 in their first game following Finals dating back to 2006, including an 7-1 mark under Mark Fox. This is, however, the first time during that span that UGA has returned to action on the road.

The Bulldogs' string of post-Finals wins includes several significant victories over No. 16 Gonzaga in 2006, Illinois in 2009, Southern Cal in 2011, Seton Hall in 2014 and Georgia Tech in 2015.

Ratin' Maten A Popular Task

Preseason recognition was consistent and plentiful for Yante Maten.

Maten was ranked as one of the nation's top-25 players by three different online ledgers. CBSsports.com put him at No. 22, ESPN.com listed him at No. 23 (info to the left) and NBCsports.com tabbed him at No. 24.

Maten was tabbed preseason SEC Player of the Year by the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and a panel of SEC and national media. The media named Maten, Texas A&M's Robert Williams and Missouri's Michael Porter, Jr. as co-player of the year.

Maten was included on various watch lists. Most notably, he was featured on those for the Wooden Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy and the Naismith Trophy. In addition, Maten was on the list for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award and the Lute Olson Award, which is awarded to the top Division I player who has played at least two seasons.

He also received preseason All-America recognition. Jay Bilas, in an obvious plot to prove he's the wisest college hoops analyst in the nation, included Maten on his first-team All-America ledger. Among others, Maten also earned All-America props from the Blue Ribbon Yearbook (third team), www.collegesportsmadness.com (fourth team) and NBCsports.com (honorable mention).

Dogs Have Been Good On The Road

Georgia has been a relatively strong road team since the beginning of last season.

The Bulldogs are 2-0 in true road games this season, with wins over Cal State Fullerton and Marquette.

Last season, Georgia notched road victories at Georgia Tech, Auburn, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Alabama. In addition, the Bulldogs led in the last 10 seconds of regulation at both No. 23 Florida and No. 8 Kentucky before eventually falling in overtime.

UGA Getting Some National Love

The Bulldogs' 7-1 start drew some national attention Georgia's way.

Two weeks ago, Jay Bilas had the Bulldogs at No. 28 in his "Bilas Index" of the top 68 teams in the nation, writing "After being sick throughout the Wooden Legacy, Georgia has made its opponents sick. Yante Maten commands double-teams and Turtle Jackson, Tyree Crump and Juwan Parker are really good perimeter players. Georgia can be a good team in the SEC."

Andy Katz produces a weekly "Power 36" for ncaa.com to project the teams most likely to recieve the 36 at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. Georgia was No. 35 in the Dec. 4 edition following the Bulldogs' wins over Saint Mary's and Marquette and inched up to No. 32 this week after topping Winthrop.

Katz said of Georgia: "Mark Fox has a squad that can handle adversity (road/neutral) and now take care of teams it should beat at home (Winthrop). The schedule will pick up with a road game at UMass (which beat Providence over the weekend) before Georgia Tech, Temple and the SEC opener at Kentucky are on tap."

Dogs Go Viral...In A Bad Way

Georgia played through a stomach ailment that plagued 11 of 15 players on the Bulldogs' roster during the Wooden Legacy.

The illness originally hit around 2:00 a.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 24 following the win over Cal State Fullerton. About half the team, including multiple starters, were among the original group. Even more became ill after the San Diego State game.

Georgia entered its matchup with Saint Mary's with five unaffected players; however, Turtle Jackson, one of those, became ill in the first half and was forced to the locker room.

Still, the Bulldogs battled to force overtime against the Gaels and eventually win.

"It was a team win," Mark Fox said. "We've had a tough couple of days. We had 10 guys get the stomach flu up until tip time today, and we turn around in the first half and our point guard, who hadn't had it, gets sick. To battle through that the last couple of days and to compete tonight like a unit like we did and beat a very good Saint Mary's team, I'm extremely proud of our players."

This Turtle Starting Quickly

William "Turtle" Jackson entered the season with two double-digit scoring performances in 66 games played at Georgia.

He has done so in seven of the Bulldogs' first eight outings of 2017-18, producing a quartet of career-high scoring outputs in the process (from 11 to 13 to 16 to 17 points).

In fact, Jackson reached double figures in the scoring column in the first half alone of the first two games.

Jackson scored 11 points - all in the first half - against Bryant. That bettered his previous best performances of 10 points versus both Oakland and Belmont last year. Against USC Upstate, Jackson scored first-half 10 points and added three more after the break.

That mark lasted two games until Jackson knocked down 16 points versus Cal State Fullerton in the Wooden Legacy...and then topped that with 17 points less than 24 hours later against San Diego State.

While his scoring has increased from 2.8 ppg entering the season to 12.5 ppg, Jackson continues to do much of his damage from behind the 3-point arc. This season, 17 of his 32 makes from the floor have been 3-pointers. For his career, 57.0 percent (53-of-93) of Jackson's made FGs have been 3s.

Crump's Career Night Lifts Dogs

Tyree Crump's career-high 17 points against No. 21 Saint Mary's all came during the second half and overtime.

Crump had struggled mightily up until that point, connecting on just 8-of-32 (.250) shots from the floor and 5-of-24 (.208) from 3-point range through the first five and a half games.

The sophomore from Bainbridge knocked down back-to-back 3s in a 37-second span early in the second half and went on to connect on 6-of-10 shots overall and 4-of-6 3-pointers the rest of the way.

"Tyree had been struggling," Mark Fox said following the win over the Gaels. "He struggled at the start last season. But when it starts going in, it goes in often."

Parker Heats Up In Cali

Redshirt senior Juwan Parker put together three solid outings at the Wooden Legacy.

In Georgia's first three games of the season, Parker averaged just 2.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 12.0 minutes while shooting 20.0 percent from the floor.

In California, Parker averaged 12.0 points, 3.3 boards and 20.3 minutes and connected on 52.6 percent of his field goal attempts.

Parker, who started 31 of 32 games played last season, moved back into Georgia's starting five against No. 21 Saint Mary's. He got the nod at the '2' after E'Torrion Wilridge was hindered by a stomach ailment.

Bulldogs' Bench Producing

Last season, Georgia's bench outscored its opponents' reserves nine times in 34 games. This season, the Bulldogs' non-starters have produced more points than their counterparts in six of eight outings.

Georgia's bench finished the 2016-17 season with a -95 scoring margin. This year, the Bulldogs are at +36.

Hammonds Gets Nod For Opener

Rayshaun Hammonds became the first Bulldog freshman to start a season opener since Kentavious Caldwell-Pope did so in 2011-12.

Hammonds was expected to do so after he got the nod for both of the Bulldogs' exhibitions, including a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds versus Valdosta State.

Hammonds also enjoyed an impressive "official" debut versus Bryant, scoring 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor and grabbing seven rebounds.

That was the highest output by a UGA freshman in an opener in a decade and a day - since Jeremy Price scored 18 points against Jacksonville State on Nov. 9, 2007.

FYI, Caldwell-Pope, who signed an $18-million contract to play for the Lakers this season, put up a game-high 15 points to lead Georgia in a 62-49 win over Wofford on Nov. 11, 2011, in his debut.

While Hammonds became the first freshman to start an opener in six years, freshman starters is nothing new for Georgia during Mark Fox's tenure.

Six members of the Bulldogs' 10 returning letterwinners this season also started as freshmen - seniors Yante Maten and Juwan Parker; juniors Mike Edwards and Derek Ogbeide; and sophomores Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris.

Foxes Donate From Nov. Games

Head coach Mark Fox and his wife Cindy donated $1 to charity for every fan who attended the Bulldogs' three November home games. The amount was split equally between the Boys and Girls Club of Athens and the Clarke County Mentor Program.

Georgia drew 7,387 fans for the opener against Bryant - UGA's biggest crowd for a season opener in a decade - as well as 5,369 for the Upstate date and 6,220 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

The Foxes contributed $18,976 to the aforementioned groups ($9,488 to each).

Fox announced their effort in an Oct. 12 tweet and was later asked about his decision to make the donations.

"I just think that no matter where you turn somebody's complaining about something," he said. "I meant what I said. People in positions like I have, we have an obligation to try and make things better. We're fortunate to have great opportunities to impact the world and we should do that, we should try to do that. I think we have too many people complaining and not enough people trying to make a difference."

Cindy Fox is on the board for Clarke Mentors, which recruits community volunteers to mentor children who attend the Clarke County School District. Derrick Floyd, director of operations for the Athens Boys and Girls Club, was a letterwinner for the Bulldogs from 1980-83 and today serves as the official scorer for Georgia basketball games and the SEC Tourney.

"Those groups are working to try and make the next generation better and to make society better," Mark Fox said. "If we can give them a little help, that's great."

Dogs Flip Script With Starting 5

Four-guard lineups are a relatively common fixture in college basketball. Georgia has utilized a four-forward starting quintet for the first five games of the season.

Point guard William "Turtle" Jackson was the only starter during that span with a "G" featured by his name on the Bulldogs' roster.

In addition, Georgia started 6-6 E'Torrion Wilridge at the '2,' 6-8 Rayshaun Hammonds at the '3,' 6-8 Yante Maten at the '4' and 6-8 Derek Ogbeide at the '5.'

The athleticism of Wilridge and Hammonds allows them to handle the defensive challenges of guarding guards - not to mention their shooting range and passing abilities.

Juwan Parker supplanted Wilridge in the starting lineup against No. 21 Saint Mary's.

Freshman Birthday Bonanza

Three-fourths of Georgia's freshman class will celebrate birthdays during the first dozen days of the season. On Nov. 10, Rayshaun Hammonds not only played in his collegiate debut, he also celebrated his birthday. Isaac Kante's birthday was Nov. 15, while Teshaun Hightower's was Nov. 21.

Hopefully, all four of Georgia's freshmen will enjoy in-season birthdays. Nicolas Claxton, the fourth member of Georgia's freshman quartet, has a March 17 birthday.

Maten Big-Time Vs. Top-10 Foes

Yante Maten poured in 33 points in an Oct. 29 exhibition game against No. 2 Michigan State. While those numbers won't count, that would have equaled his career-high scoring output established against Belmont in the opening round of the 2016 NIT.

Maten has displayed a knack for playing extremely well against top-ranked opponents throughout his career in Athens.

Maten has averaged 17.8 ppg and 7.2 rpg in five "games" versus top-10 opponents while making 61.2 percent of his shots from the floor and 76.5 percent from the line.

A year ago, he poured in 30 points and grabbed 13 boards against No. 5 Kansas in the championship game of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.

In three outings against top-10 foes as a freshman - one versus No. 10 Gonzaga and two against No. 1 Kentucky - Maten was a combined 10-of-17 (58.8) from the field and 6-of-9 (66.7) at the charity stripe.

Bulldogs Are HomeGrown

More than half of Georgia's roster - eight of 15 to be exact - played high school hoops in the Peach State. That list features Tyree Crump (Bainbridge HS), Rayshaun Hammonds (Norcross HS), Jordan Harriss (Seminole County HS), Christian Harrison (Woodward Academy), Teshaun Hightower (Collins Hills HS), "Turtle" Jackson (Athens Christian), Connor O'Neill (Blessed Trinity School) and Derek Ogbeide (Pebblebrook HS).

SEC Hoops Moving Forward

SEC Basketball enters the season looking to continue its upwardly trending reputation.

The SEC received five bids to the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the fifth-most of any conference. The league then proceeded to tie the ACC (which received nine bids) for the most wins during "March Madness" with 11.

Three league schools reached the "Elite Eight," including an All-SEC East Regional final between South Carolina and Florida.

Dogs Sign In-State Duo

Amanze Ngumezi and JoJo Toppin, a pair of premier in-state prospects, signed letters-of-intent to play for Georgia, Mark Fox announced on Thursday, Nov. 16.

Ngumezi (whose name is pronounced "Uh-mahn-zay In-goo-meh-zay), a 6-9, 235-pound power forward from Savannah, averaged a double-double of 12.8 points and 11.6 rebounds last season. He led Johnson High School to a 19-10 finish and the second round of the Georgia 3A State Tournament. The Atom Smashers, who finished the season ranked No. 9 in the state, lost to eventual state champion Pace Academy, 49-41, in the tourney's round of 16.

Toppin, a 6-6, 180-pound small forward from Norcross, posted averages of 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game as a junior at Norcross High School. Toppin - and current Bulldog freshman Rayshaun Hammonds - helped lead the Blue Devils to a runner-up showing in the 7A State Tournament and a final record of 26-6.

Dogs Debut Renewed Stegeman

Stegeman has undergone thorough renovations in the last few years, receiving a 21st Century face lift of at a cost of more than $20-million.

This summer, the arena received a massive center-hung scoreboard, new black seats, an improved LED lighting system, a state-of-the-art sound system and graphics above the horseshoe end celebrating past teams and retired jerseys. All told, the Coliseum went from having roughly 1,000-square feet of HD/LED signage to more than 4,000-square feet as broken out below.

The renovations in 2017 followed work in the summer of 2016 which provided a dramatic mural covering the Coliseum's distinctive end wall.

"Obviously, we're extremely excited about Stegeman not only for our fans, but also for our players," head coach Mark Fox said. "This is going to have a tremendous impact on our program and our university. It's beautiful inside. It's very well done. I have to compliment the architects and the construction companies. They did a terrific job. I think it will change the energy in the building because we have more tools to create atmosphere. I was in there with Dominique Wilkins and his statement was pretty good. This is now an arena, and it feels like an arena."

In 2010, Stegeman's concourses received a similar makeover, upgrading the graphics, enhancing spectator access to concessions and restrooms and adding 5,000-square feet of concourse space on each side of the arena. That work won awards from the American Institute of Architects and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.

Center-hung scoreboard

1008 square feet of HD video
1054 square feet of LED sections

Additional LED features

800 square feet on 3 ribbon boards
500 square feet over the 12 entry portals
50 square feet over 2 tunnels
375 square feet on 1 auxiliary board

Additional HD video

275 square feet on pre-existing board

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nicolas Claxton

Tyree Crump

Mike Edwards

J.J. Frazier

Rayshaun Hammonds

Jordan Harris

Teshaun Hightower

William Jackson II

Isaac Kante

Yante Maten

Connor O'Neill

Derek Ogbeide

Juwan Parker

E'Torrion Wilridge