Bulldogs Host Sun Devils in Power-5 Matchup

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (5-3) vs. No. 20 Arizona State (7-1)
Saturday, December 15 at 6:00 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta; XM: 381; Internet: 972. (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Tony Schiavone, producer)
TV: SEC Network (Roy Philpott, play-by-play; Mark Wise, analyst)
Video: SEC Network +

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
5-3 in 1st season at UGA
361-234 in 19th season overall
G	0	Turtle Jackson	3.0	1.6
6-4; 185; Sr.; Athens, Ga.
G	1	Teshaun Hightower	7.3	2.6
6-5; 180; So.; Lithonia, Ga.
F	20	Rayshaun Hammonds	14.4	6.4
6-8; 235; So.; Norcross, Ga.
F	33	Nicolas Claxton	12.5	9.0
6-11; 220; So.; Greenville, S.C.
F	34	Derek Ogbeide	10.4	6.3
6-9; 250; Sr.; Atlanta, Ga

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Arizona State Sun Devils
Coach: Bobby Hurley
57-48 in 4th at ASU
99-68 in 6th season overall
G	0	Luguentz Dort	22.0	6.3
6-4; 215; Fr.; Montreal, Quebec
F	14	Kimani Lawrence	14.5	4.4
6-7; 210; Soph.; Providence, R.I.
F	35	Taeshon Cherry	8.6	3.6
6-8; 210; Fr.; El Cajon, Calif.
F	45	Zylan Cheatham	12.5	9.6
6-8; 220; R-Sr.; Phoenix, Ariz.
F	23	Romello White	7.0	5.9
6-8; 235; R-Soph.; Atlanta, Ga.

TEAM COMPARISON

STATISTIC	GEORGIA	ARIZONA STATE
Points Per Game	79.2	83.6
Opp. Point Per Game	71.2	70.9
Scoring Margin	+8.0	+12.8
Field Goal Pct.	.487	.467
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.381	.393
3-Point Pct.	.342	.348
3-Pointers Per Game	6.4	6.9
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.313	.300
Free Throw Pct.	.694	.667
Free Throws Per Game	15.9	19.3
Rebounds Per Game	44.1	45.2
Opp. Rebound Per Game	35.6	32.8
Rebound Margin	+8.5	+12.5
Assists Per Game	16.1	15.1
Turnovers Per Game	16.9	15.4
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.96	0.98
Turnover Margin	-4.7	-0.9
Steals Per Game	5.8	6.1
Blocks Per Game	6.1	4.0

The Starting 5...

The first 1,000 fans in attendance at Saturday's game vs, Arizona State will recieve a free Georgia "tacky Christmas sweater" t-shirt.
Nicolas Claxton is the only SEC player to lead his team in points, boards, assists, blocks & steals this season. He did so vs. Kennesaw State.
Derek Ogbeide enters the Arizona State game 10 rebounds shy of catching No. 13 Sundiata Gaines among UGA's career leaders.
The crowd of 9,018 against Savannah State was UGA's largest for a home opener since Dominique Wilkins' sopho-more year in Athens.
UGA's coaching staff sports a combined 80 seasons of D-I experience (Crean-28, Scott-27, Dollar-23, Abdur-Rahim-12) with 38 postseason bids

The Opening Tip

Georgia returns to action following a dozen-day break from games on Saturday night when the Bulldogs host No. 20 Arizona State at Stegeman Coliseum.

The first 1,000 fans through the doors on Saturday will receive a Georgia "tacky Christmas sweater" t-shirt.

The Bulldogs are 5-3 to date and looking to remain perfect at home. Georgia is 4-0 at Stegeman, most recently dispatching Texas Southern, an NCAA Tournament team four of the past five seasons, 92-75 on Dec. 3 behind a career-high 25 points from Tyree Crump.

Arizona State is 7-1 on the year and will be playing its true road game of the season. The Sun Devils' lone setback was a 72-66 decision to No. 6 Nevada last Saturday at the Staples Center as part of the Hall of Fame Classic. Arizona State led by 12 points at halftime before the Wolfpack rallied.

Series History

Saturday's game will be the second ever between the Bulldogs and the Sun Devils...and the first in nearly three decades.

On Dec. 29, 1989, Arizona State defeated Georgia, 62-61, in the championship game of the Tribune Classic in Tempe.

Up Next: Some Grizzlies & Jackets

After a 12-day break from game action, the Bulldogs will be a relatively busy bunch over the next week.

Georgia will host Oakland on Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. before completing their pre-Christmas slate with a trip to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech next Saturday at noon.

Dogs' Sellout Count Climbs To 5

The Tom Crean regime established an attendance record before the season began, selling out three regular-season games at Stegeman Coliseum. This week, the Bulldogs added two more sellouts to that ledger, lining up Georgia to have its most capacity crowds since the 2002-03 campaign.

On Oct. 24, Georgia announced sellouts for both the Florida and Kentucky games. That represented the earliest sellout in UGA Basketball history. Two days later, the Bulldogs' matchup with Texas also became a sellout.

Prior to this year, Georgia had never sold out more than one home game prior to the season opener.

In the past seven days, games against LSU and South Carolina also sold out. The last time the Bulldogs had five sellouts was during 2002-02 when they hosted eight capacity crowds.

It should be noted that the 2,000 seats reserved for UGA students must be filled for those games for capacity crowds of 10,523 to be in attendance at the "sellouts."

Top-25 Non-Con Foes Rare In Athens

Arizona State is the first ranked non-conference opponent to venture to Stegeman Coliseum since 2010.

The Sun Devils are ranked No. 20 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls this week.

The last ranked non-conference team to visit Stegeman also was ranked No. 20. On Jan. 5, 2010, the Bulldogs upset No. 20 Georgia Tech, 73-66, behind 20 points from Trey Thompkins.

Devils Are Dogs' Second Top-25 Foe

Arizona State is the second ranked opponent for Georgia this season. The Bulldogs also faced No. 16 Clemson in the semifinals of the Cayman Islands Classic.

The last time Georgia played two ranked teams prior to the start of SEC play was during 2011-12. That season, the Bulldogs faced No. 1 Indiana (coached by guess who?) and No. 11 UCLA in back-to-back contests of the Progressive Legends Classic in Brooklyn on Nov. 19-20.

The Dogs Are Drawing

A combined 28,961 members of the Bulldog Nation have attended Georgia's first four home dates of the 2018-19 campaign.

That is the third-largest three-game tally for the initial quartet of outings at Stegeman Coliseum during the 2000s.

In 2002-03, Georgia welcomed a total of 33,439 spectators for their first four home dates. The following year, the Bulldogs entertained 31,185 fans for their initial four outings of the 2003-04 campaign at Stegeman.

A Historic Opener

Georgia christened both the 2018-19 campaign and the Tom Crean era on Nov. 9 with an impressive evening on and off the court.

The Bulldogs secured a 110-76 victory over Savannah State, Georgia's most points in a game in the 2000s.

The last time the Bulldogs scored more than 110 points was in a 113-74 victory over Grambling on Nov. 27, 1999, at the Great Alaska Shootout.

A crowd of 9,018 fans turned out at Stegeman Coliseum for the opener. That represented the most fans for a home opener since the Stegeman Coliseum's capacity became 10,523 in 1994.

The last time the Bulldogs drew a larger crowd for their initial home outing was in 37 years ago in 1981, which was Dominique Wilkins' sophomore year. A then-capacity crowd of 11,200 saw Georgia defeat Georgia Tech, 62-61, on Dec. 5, 1981.

"First things first, I want to say 'thank you' to everybody who was here," Crean said. "This is largest crowd on an opening night since they redid Stegeman Coliseum, and it was fun. It was fun to see the enthusiasm that people have had turn into bodies and live energy and loud fans. That was tremendous."

Also on the scoreboard front, Georgia's 59 first-half points were the Bulldogs' most in a half since putting up 60 in the second period against Jacksonville State 11 years earlier to the day...on Nov. 9, 2007.

Bulldogs Begin With Busy Stretch

Georgia played six games in the first 13 days of the 2018-19 campaign.

The season began with the Nov. 9 opener against Savannah State, a trip to Temple on Nov. 13 and a matchup with Sam Houston State on Nov. 16. The Bulldogs then played three games in three days on Nov. 19-21 in the Cayman Islands Classic.

The Bulldogs Who Are Back

Georgia returns three starters – seniors William "Turtle" Jackson and Derek Ogbeide and sophomore Rayshaun Hammonds – and 11 total letterwinners from last season's team.

Of those 11 returnees, nine have starting experience within SEC play.

Georgia's Four Puppies

The Bulldogs' 15-player roster features a quartet of freshmen.

Three of those are Peach State prep products – Tye Fagan from Thomaston, Amanze Ngumezi from Savannah and JoJo Toppin from Norcross. The fourth, Ignas Sargiunas, hails from Kaunas, Lithuania.

Bulldogs Host Sun Devils In Power-5 Conference Matchup Georgia faces No. 20 Arizona State on Saturday evening in a show down of SEC and Pac-12 programs.

The Bulldogs are 14-14 all-time against current Pac-12 schools, most recently defeating Colorado, 64-57, in Athens on Dec. 7, 2014.

Georgia is 5-3 on the year, including a 4-0 mark at Stegeman Coliseum, and is playing for the first time in 12 days. The Bulldogs' extended break was while UGA administered Final Exams for the Fall semester.

Rayshaun Hammonds leads a quartet of Bulldogs putting up points at a double-digit pace. Hammonds is averaging 14.4 ppg, while Nicolas Claxton is adding 12.5 ppg and a team-high 9.0 rpg, Tyree Crump is chipping in 10.6 ppg and Derek Ogbiede is contributing 10.4 ppg.

Arizona State is 7-1 to date, with the lone setback coming to No. 6 Nevada last Saturday in the Devils' most recent outing.

Freshman Luguentz Dort is averaging a team-high 22.0 ppg for the Sun Devils, the fourth-highest average by a D-I freshman. In addition, Kimani Lawrence (14.5 ppg), Taeshon Cherry (12.5 ppg) and Remy Martin (10.5 ppg) are double-figure scorers for ASU.

Series History With the Devils

Arizona State won the only previous meeting between UGA and ASU on the hardwood.

The Sun Devils defeated the eventual 1990 SEC Champions, 62-61, on Dec. 29, 1989 in the championship game of the Tribune Classic in Tempe.

Alex Austin's double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds led four Sun Devils in double figures.

Litterial Green and Alec Kessler scored 12 points apiece for Georgia, while Marshall Wilson chipped in 11 and Jody Patton added 10.

Georgia raced to a 39-23 halftime lead before Arizona State rallied. Ironically, the Sun Devils' second-half output, 39 points, matched the Bulldogs' first-half production.

The trip to the desert provided a pair of one-point outings for Georgia. The previous day, the Bulldogs topped Wisconsin, 65-64, in the tournament's opening round.

Last Time Out...

Tyree Crump scored a career-high 25 points, Nicolas Claxton added 15 points and nine rebounds, and Georgia had little trouble beating Texas Southern 92-75 on Dec. 3.

Derek Ogbeide added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Rayshaun Hammonds finished with 14 points for the Bulldogs.

The Tigers arrived in Athens with road wins over Baylor and No. 16 Oregon.

Crump's straightaway 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs their first 20-point lead midway through the second half and his career-best fifth trey that made it 81-66 at the 4:56 mark.

Bulldogs Are Shot Swatters

Through games of Dec. 12, Georgia ranked No. 9 nationally in blocked shots, averaging 6.1 rejections per game. Nicolas Claxton ranked No. 20 nationally at 2.6 bpg.

Georgia Among Tops In FG Pct. & 'D'

The Bulldogs currently rank No. 3 in the SEC in both field goal percentage at .487 and in FG defense at .381.

Georgia is the only team ranked among the SEC's top-3 teams in both of those stats.

Nationally, the Bulldogs are No. 26 in FG defense and No. 39 in FG efficiency.

Feel Free To Call Him "Ty-3" Crump

Tyree Crump has scored nearly two-thirds of his career points at UGA on shots from 20-feet, 9-inches from the basket...and beyond.

With a 18 3-pointers this season, Crump has now knocked down 81 3s for the Bulldogs, directly accounting for 243 of his 386 (63.0 percent) points at UGA.

Those 81 trifectas also account for 67.5 percent (81-of-120) of Crump's made shots from the floor at Georgia.

The Deflection Objective

The deflection is an extremely key statistic for Georgia. Head coach Tom Crean regularly discusses the deflection and its significance.

"I was told a long time ago – and I don't think you can say it any better – deflections are barometer of active defense. It's any type of activity on the ball. It's a finger tip, a hand, blocked shots, chargers, a steal. That's what we're aiming for. I want our team at a deflection-to-turnover ratio of 3.5-to-1. To me, that is an optimal number."

"You will hear me talk a lot about it," Crean said in his press session following the Sam Houston State game. "Some of you will get tired of it, and some of you will buy into it."

The quote above gives a definition of the stat. The Bulldogs' season totals to date are below. Nicolas Claxton leads the team, including 18 deflections against Sam Houston State.

"I have only coached four other guys, and all four of them played in the NBA, that ever had more than 18 in a game," Crean said.

UGA Deflections
Player	Number
Nicolas Claxton	76
Rayshaun Hammonds	29
Tye Fagan	28
Tyree Crump	25
Derek Ogbeide	22
E'Torrion Wilridge	22
Jordan Harris	21
Turtle Jackson	21
Teshaun Hightower	19
Amanze Ngumezi	7
Ignas Sargiūnas	5
JoJo Toppin	5
Mike Edwards	1

Giving Some Credit Where It's Due

A couple of "specialty statistics" common to box scores track points off turnovers and second-chance points. In those instances, the player putting the digits on the scoreboard is awarded credit.

In an effort to better indicate "hustle stats," the lists in the next column credit the Bulldog who created the opportunity for those points to be scored instead of the player who capitalized on that chance.

For "points off turnovers," the points are awarded to the player whose steal created the subsequent points instead of the person who put the ball in the basket. A large number of those are credited to the team if a steal did not create the TO.

For "second-chance points," the points are awarded to the player who grabbed the offensive rebound that resulted in those points, not the player who ultimately scored them.

Points Off TOs (who stole it)
Player	No.
Nicolas Claxton	18
Tyree Crump	9
Turtle Jackson	6
Teshaun Hightower	5
E'Torrion Wilridge	5
Tye Fagan	4
Jordan Harris	4
Rayshaun Hammonds	3
Mike Edwards	2
Ignas Sargiūnas	2
Team	64

2ND-CHANCE POINTS (who boarded it)
Player	No.
Nicolas Claxton	22
Rayshaun Hammonds	17
Derek Ogbeide	17
Team Rebounds	11
Tye Fagan	9
Amanze Ngumezi	8
Jordan Harris	4
Teshaun Hightower	4
Turtle Jackson	4
Ignas Sargiūnas	4
JoJo Toppin	4
Tyree Crump	3
Connor O'Neill	2

Ogbeide Already Ranks Among Bulldogs' Best Boarders Ever

Derek Ogbeide began his senior season with 614 rebounds and ranked No. 17 among the Georgia's career leaders.

Ogbeide ascended to the No. 15 position during the Kennesaw State victory and to No. 14 versus Texas Southern.

Ogbeide is now 10 boards shy of the current No. 13 tally of Sundiata Gaines.

Harris Producing Off the Bench

Jordan Harris equaled his career high with 12 points against Georgia State and followed that with 10 points versus Kennesaw State...the first time the junior has produced back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts at UGA.

Fagan Gets First Nod

Freshman Tye Fagan secured his first career start against Illinois State and went on to play 36 minutes – the most PT any Bulldog has seen this season. The Thomaston, Ga., native scored eight points and also grabbed a season-most five boards versus the Redbirds.

Hammonds Accomplishes Rare Stat Line against Illinois State

Rayshaun Hammonds poured in a career-high 31 points while not turning the ball over once versus Illinois State.

Hammonds became the first SEC player this season to put up 30 points with no turnovers. Only two SEC players did so last season – Vanderbilt's Jeff Roberson and Terence Davis from Ole Miss.

Hammonds, Yante Maten and Jumaine Jones are the only Bulldogs to do so in the last 20 seasons as outlined below.

30 Points, 0 Turnovers
Player	Pts.	Opponent (date)
R. Hammonds	31	Illinois State (11/19/18)
Y. Maten	30	Charleston Southern (12/17/16)
Y. Maten	30	Kansas (11/22/16)
J. Jones	34	Kentucky (1/26/99)

Inaugural StegMania A Success

Tom Crean arrived in Athens with a distinct vision. One of the first things he wanted to create was an preseason event to display the new energy and enthusiasm surrounding Georgia Basketball.

On Friday, Oct. 5, the first-ever StegMania drew a crowd of more than 5,000. It was, by all measures, a significant success.

UGA students lined up around the Coliseum to receive commemorative "StegMania" t-shirts. A lengthy autograph session with a distinct family feel wrapped up the festivities.

StegMania itself was packed with pyrotechnic player introductions, a high-flying dunk contest, a dance battle with the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, a impromptu performance of the hit song "Rolex" by hip-hop artists Ayo & Teo and a scrimmage with Crean "mic'd up" for the crowd.

"When you're brand new coming into something like this, you really don't have an expectation," said Crean, who donned a "Georgia vs. All Y'all" t-shirt for the evening. "But if I would've had one, it would have exceeded it. When I saw people in line to get into the Coliseum, I got a lump in my throat. It was awesome because you never take it for granted. Hopefully, everyone walks out of here knowing that they matter."

The Leftiest Lads In The Land

The Bulldogs' roster features six – count 'em on two hands – left-handed players. Georgia's southpaws include Nicolas Claxton, Tye Fagan, Rayshaun Hammonds, Jordan Harris, Derek Ogbeide and JoJo Toppin.

We're relatively confident that tally is the most any NCAA Division I basketball team will suit up during 2018-19.

During the summer months, J.D. Hamilton of the NCAA sends out a laundry list of questions to the nation's Division I men's basketball SIDs. The inquiries can range from statistical – what school has the most 2,000-point scorers – to staff – who has the nation's most experienced coaching staff – to roster related – who has the most newcomers.

Round 1 of the email on September 5 including the following offering from Athens: "Georgia has six left-handed players. Does any other team in the country have as many or more players who are left-handed?"

Not that SIDs are bound to answer every request, but that question received no replies. So, the ask was modified for a second email correspondence sent out by Hamilton on September 26 to read: "Georgia has six left-handed players. Does any other team in the country have as four or more players who are left-handed?"

That led to Tennessee (D.J. Burns, John Fulkerson, Jalen Johnson and Yves Pons), Washington (David Crisp, Elijah Hardy, Bryan Penn-Johnson and Nate Roberts) and Winthrop (Adam Pickett, Jermaine Ukaegbu, Kyle Zunic and Raivis Scerbinskis) supplying lists of four.

While nothing is official, Georgia will claim the unofficial title of the leftiest team in America until proven otherwise.

And for full effect, the above headline should be read in a voice immitating Dan Magill, the greatest Bulldog of all time. If you're not familiar with Coach Magill, ask.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nicolas Claxton

Tyree Crump

Mike Edwards

Tye Fagan

Rayshaun Hammonds

Jordan Harris

Teshaun Hightower

William Jackson II

Yante Maten

Amanze Ngumezi

Connor O'Neill

Derek Ogbeide

Ignas Sargiunas

JoJo Toppin

E'Torrion Wilridge