Bulldogs Visit The Plains, Auburn

Saturday, January 12

Auburn, Ala.

4:00

University of Georgia

Auburn

January 11, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (9-5, 1-1 SEC) vs. No. 11/10 Auburn (11-3, 0-1)
Saturday, January 12 at 4:00 p.m. ET
Auburn Arena (9,121) in Auburn, Ala.
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: ESPN2 (Tom Hart, play-by-play; Sean Farnham, analyst)
Video: SECN+

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
9-5 in 1st season at UGA
365-236 in 19th season overall
G	0	William Jackson	4.1	1.4
6-4; 185; Sr.; Athens, Ga.
G	1	Teshaun Hightower	8.0	2.6
6-5; 180; So.; Lithonia, Ga.
F	20	Rayshaun Hammonds	14.2	6.4
6-8; 235; So.; Norcross, Ga.
F	33	Nicolas Claxton	12.4	9.9
6-11; 220; So.; Greenville, S.C.
F	34	Derek Ogbeide	10.3	6.6
6-9; 250; Sr.; Atlanta, Ga

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Auburn Tigers
Coach: Bruce Pearl
81-65 in 5th season at AU
543-210 in 24th season overall
G	1	Jared Harper	14.5	3.1
5-11; 175; Jr.; Mabelton, Ga.
G	2	Bryce Brown	15.9	2.2
6-3; 198; Sr.; Stone Mountain, Ga.
G	10	Samir Doughty	8.6	4.0
6-4; 195; Jr.; Philadelphia, Pa.
F	5	Chuma Okeke	10.3	6.2
6-8; 230; So.; Atlanta, Ga.
F	50	Austin Wiley	11.5	5.8
6-11; 260; Jr.; Hoover, Ala.

TEAM COMPARISON

STATISTIC	GEORGIA	AUBURN
Points Per Game	77.3	83.9
Opp. Point Per Game	71.8	65.7
Scoring Margin	+5.5	+18.1
Field Goal Pct.	.466	.453
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.387	.414
3-Point Pct.	.325	.350
3-Pointers Per Game	6.6	10.7
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.297	.351
Free Throw Pct.	.724	.667
Free Throws Per Game	17.6	13.4
Rebounds Per Game	42.1	39.0
Opp. Rebound Per Game	36.1	34.5
Rebound Margin	+6.1	+4.5
Assists Per Game	14.4	16.5
Turnovers Per Game	16.1	13.9
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.89	1.21
Turnover Margin	-4.4	+6.9
Steals Per Game	5.6	10.1
Blocks Per Game	6.4	6.2

The Starting 5...

Georgia has already sold out 7 games this season, the most sellouts for the Bulldogs since they had 8 during the 2002-03 season.
Nicolas Claxton is the only SEC player to lead his team in points, boards, assists, blocks & steals in a game this season...and he's done it twice.
Derek Ogbeide joined UGA's top-10 career rebounding leaders during the Vanderbilt game. He's now 33 from the No. 9 mark.
UGA's bench has outscored it counterparts in 11 games, with nine of those being by +10 or more. UGA's bench has a +172 scoring margin.
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

For the second consecutive Saturday, the Georgia Bulldogs get to face a defending SEC co-Champion...on the road. The Bulldogs will trek down I-85 to The Plains to take on No. 11/10 Auburn on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

Last Saturday, Georgia began conference play by facing the league's other 2018 co-champ, No. 3 Tennessee, in Knoxville.

In between, the Bulldogs secured the first SEC victory of Tom Crean's tenure in Athens, an 82-63 decision over Vanderbilt before a raucous crowd of 9,429 at Stegeman Coliseum.

Series History With The Tigers

Georgia sports a 94-93 edge in the all-time series with Auburn; however, the Tigers lead matchups contested on The Plains, 60-25.

Up Next: Back Home For the Cats

Georgia returns to the friendly – and increasingly crowded – confines of Stegeman Coliseum to host No. 18 Kentucky for a "Super Tuesday" matchup on ESPN.

The Bulldogs are 7-1 at Stegeman this season. Georgia averaged 8,004 fans for seven non-conference home dates, the Bulldogs' largest number since the 2002-03 season. Wednesday's game against Vanderbilt upped that average to 8,182 fans per game.

The Kentucky contest will be the first of six consecutive sellouts at Stegeman. The next Georgia home outing with tickets available is Feb. 20 against No. 14 Mississippi State.

Welcome To The League, Coach

Tom Crean's initiation into the SEC might be considered hazing by some.

Georgia begins league play with six consecutive outings against teams that entered SEC competition ranked in the top-50 of the new NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings.

The Bulldogs' first half-dozen SEC opponents will be, in succession, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 45 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Auburn, No. 10 Kentucky, No. 33 Florida and No. 27 LSU.

The stretch ends with a matchup against Texas in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 26.

Dogs' Sellout Count Climbs To 7

The Tom Crean regime established some attendance records before the season even began by selling out three games.

In early December, Georgia sold out three more game. The Bulldogs then wrapped up 2018 with a capacity crowd against UMass.

On Oct. 24, Georgia announced sellouts for the Florida and Kentucky games, the earliest sellout(s) in UGA Basketball history.

Two days later, the Bulldogs' outing against Texas also sold out. Prior to this year, Georgia never had more than one sellout prior to the opener.

Dates with LSU, South Carolina and Ole Miss also sold out in December, and Georgia wrapped up the 2018 calender with a capacity crowd against the Minutemen. The last time the Bulldogs had seven sellouts was in 2002-03 when they hosted nine capacity crowds.

It should be noted that the 2,000 free seats reserved for UGA's student body must be filled at those games for capacity crowds of 10,523 to be in attendance at the Bulldogs' half-dozen "sellouts."

A Historic Opener

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

The Bulldogs secured a 110-76 victory over Savannah State on Nov. 9, Georgia's most points 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.

A crowd of 9,018 fans flocked to the game, the biggest turnout for a home opener since Stegeman's capacity became 10,523 in 1994.

You have to go back to Dominique Wilkins' sophomore year to find a larger crowd for the home opener. That season, a then-capacity crowd of 11,200 saw Georgia top 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, 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 scoring front, UGA's 59 first-half points against Savannah State were its most in a half since scoring 60 in the second period against Jacksonville State 11 years earlier to the day...on Nov. 9, 2007.

Dogs To Face Tigers On The Plains

Georgia travels to No. 11/10 Auburn on Saturday to take on a defending SEC co-Champion for the second consecutive week. Last Saturday, the Bulldogs ventured to No. 3 Tennessee to open league play.

The Bulldogs improved to 9-5 overall and 1-1 in the SEC with an 82-63 decision over Vanderbilt on Wednesday.

Sophomores Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton lead the Bulldogs.

Hammonds averages a team-high 14.2 ppg, which ranks No. 15 among league statistical leaders. He also is No. 3 in field goal percentage, No. 6 in free throw percentage and No. 12 in rebounds.

Claxton, last week's SEC Player of the Week, is contributing 12.4 ppg and paces the SEC in both rebounding (9.9 rpg) and blocks (3.1 bpg). In national stats through games of Jan. 9, he ranked No. 22 in boards and No. 6 in blocks.

Tyree Crump and Derek Ogbeide also are scoring at a double-digit pace for Georgia, adding 10.6 ppg and 10.3 ppg, respectively.

Auburn slipped to 11-3 overall and 0-1 in the SEC with a midweek setback at Ole Miss.

Bryce Brown's 15.9 ppg scoring average paces the Tigers on the offensive end, while Jared Harper adds 14.5 ppg, Austin Wiley chips in 11.5 ppg and Chuma Okeke puts up 10.3 ppg.

Series History With The Tigers

The Bulldogs own a slim 94-93 edge in their all-time series with Auburn; however, the Tigers lead matchups played on The Plains, 60-25.

In the most recent meeting last Feb. 10 in Athens, No. 8 Auburn topped Georgia 78-61 at Stegeman Coliseum.

The Tigers built a 40-31 halftime lead and handled every Georgia rally following the intermission. The Bulldogs pulled within 43-39 with 14:07 remaining and gained possession with a chance to pull closer but missed a 3-pointer and Auburn pushed its lead back to double figures just over two minutes later.

In the Bulldogs' last trip to Auburn, the No. 17-ranked Tigers rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat Georgia, 79-65.

The Bulldogs controlled the opening half, gradually building a 40-24 lead on a Juwan Parker 3-pointer with 1:41 left in the half.

Auburn cut two points off that margin prior to intermission and then exploded on a 21-4 run to open the second stanza.

After trailing 59-45, Georgia rallied to trim the margin to 64-59 at the 3:57 mark, but the Tigers answered with a three-point play.

Last Time Out...

Rayshaun Hammonds scored 19 points, all in the second half, to lead Georgia in an 82-63 victory over Vanderbilt before a crowd of 9,429 at Stegeman Coliseum on Wednesday.

On the first day of classes on the UGA campus, 2,720 students – 720 more than the student allotment – showed up for the game.

Derek Ogbeide added 15 points, Teshaun Hightower chipped in 11 and Nicolas Claxton grabbed a team-high 12 boards for Georgia.

A back-and-forth first half featured six ties and six lead changes before the Bulldogs garnered a 34-33 edge at the intermission.

Hammonds knocked down a 3-pointer 14 seconds into the second stanza and Georgia never trailed thereafter. Vanderbilt tied the game twice, lastly at 39-39 with 17:44 left.

The Bulldogs used a 14-2 surge to go up 53-41 at the 12:36 mark, but the Commodores rallied to trim the margin to 56-55 less than three minutes later.

A Turtle Jackson 3-pointer ignited a 26-8 Georgia run the rest of the way.

Hammonds Bounces Back

Rayshaun Hammonds rebounded from a scoreless outing at No. 3 Tennessee to put up a game-high 19 points in Wednesday's victory over Vanderbilt.

It took the sophomore from Norcross a while to get going, though. He was held scoreless in the first half, missing all four of his shots from the floor including three 3-point attempts. Hammonds got off the schneid just after intermission. He hit a 3-pointer 14 seconds in to the second half and eventually scored a dozen points in the first 7:24 of the period.

Tom Crean asked from more from Hammonds at the half.

"It was quick," Crean said. "It wasn't bad. It wasn't in my top-100 challenges. I've had a few. It was mild, but again, it's like, 'We need more. This isn't good enough.' He comes out in the second half and bangs that first shot, looks good doing it. It's important. He has another gear in him. It's our job to keep pulling it out of him."

Hammonds showed the ability to bounce back from rough outings last season. He went scoreless nine times as a freshman but then followed five of those games with a double-digit performance.

Ogbeide Enjoying Fruitful Stretch

Derek Ogbeide is the midst of the most productive three-game stretch of his career.

Ogbeide put up 12 points against UMass, a season-high 17 at No. 3 Tennessee and 15 versus Vanderbilt...an average of 14.7 ppg while shooting 62.4 percent from the floor.

This marks the second time Ogbeide has had three-straight double-digit outings. He averaged 11.3 ppg by hitting 58.3 percent of his FGs against LSU, Auburn and Arkansas in the final three regular-season games of 2016-17.

Claxton Named SEC POTW

Nicolas Claxton was tabbed the SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 31, a day after his game-high tallies of 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks against UMass.

Claxton was 8-of-13 from the field and 3-of-3 at the line versus the Minutemen. He grabbed 10 defensive rebounds, one less than the UMass roster grabbed as a whole on that end of the floor.

Bulldogs Are Shot Swatters

Georgia ranks among the nation's top shot-blocking teams.

Through games of Jan. 9, Georgia ranked No. 2 nationally in blocked shots, averaging 6.4 rejections per game. Nicolas Claxton leads the Bulldogs. Through SEC midweek games, he ranked No. 6 nationally at 3.1 bpg.

Dogs' Depth Paying Dividends

Georgia's bench has outscored its counterparts in 11 of 14 games...consistently doing so by a significant amount.

The Bulldogs' bench has been +10 or more in nine outings. UGA's overall scoring margin on bench points is +172 for the season.

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 30 3-pointers this season and 93 for his career, 3-pointers directly account for 279 of Crump's 449 (62.1 percent) points at UGA.

Now 67.9 percent (93-of-137) of his made shots from the floor at UGA are trifectas.

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	133
Rayshaun Hammonds	49
Teshaun Hightower	48
E'Torrion Wilridge	39
Jordan Harris	37
Turtle Jackson	34
Tye Fagan	33
Derek Ogbeide	33
Tyree Crump	32
Amanze Ngumezi	12
Ignas Sargiunas	12
JoJo Toppin	9
Christian Harrison	6
Connor O'Neill	2
Mike Edwards	1

Ogbeide Joins Top-10 Rebounders

Derek Ogbeide began his senior season with 614 rebounds and ranked No. 17 among the Georgia's career leaders. Ogbeide joined the Bulldogs' top-10 career leaders with nine boards during the Vanderbilt game. He is 33 rebounds away from the current No. 9 tally of Carlos Strong.

Maten Earns G League Honor

Yante Maten, the 2018 AP SEC Player of the Year for Georgia, enjoyed a very productive month of December.

Maten, a two-way player with the Miami Heat and the Sioux Falls Skyforce, was named NBA G League Player of the Month. In nine games, he averaged 29.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 59.0 percent from the field, 47.4 percent from 3-point range and 80.3 percent from the line. Maten's month was highlighted by a 42-point, 14-rebound performance against Stockton, one of his seven December double-doubles.

"I'm definitely enjoying my time in Sioux Falls," Maten said. "I'm being used a lot. I'm trying to make the best out of every opportunity and every game. I'm just exited to come out and prove a point every night."

Perfect Against "The Enemy"

With its 70-59 win over Georgia Tech on Dec. 22 at McCamish Pavilion, Georgia's Class of 2019 secured a unique spot in the Bulldogs' history.

In the first 113 seasons of Georgia Basketball, only four, four-year Bulldogs finished their careers undefeated against the Yellow Jackets. That number more than doubled with this year's victory.

Prior to this season, James Banks and Vern Fleming, who played for Georgia from 1980-84, and Richard Corhen and Gerald Crosby, who were in Athens from 1981-85, were the only Bulldogs who never lost to Tech.

Mike Edwards, Turtle Jackson, Connor O'Neill, Derek Ogbeide and E'Torrion Wilridge joined that quartet. Senior Christian Harrison also is undefeated against Tech, but only played two seasons in Athens after transferring from Troy.

It should be noted that Georgia and Georgia Tech played two or three times each season from the beginning of the series through the 1981-82 campaigns.

There are some impressive statistical nuggets from within the streak.

The Bulldogs have won each game by double figures. The last time Georgia posted four-consecutive double-digit wins over the Jackets came during a stretch covering the 1908-09 through 1913-14 seasons.
The Bulldogs' 60-43 win in Atlanta on Dec. 20, 2016, was Georgia's most decisive win over the Jackets on the Tech campus since a 55-38 decision on Dec. 6, 1980. As a matter of fact, to find a larger margin of victory, you have to go back to a 69-13 win on 1/19/09...that being 1909.

Hammonds Puts Up Rare Stat Line

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

Hammonds is the only 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

Career-High Outings Against ISU

Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton exploded for career-high outputs of 31 and 22 points, respectively, against Illinois State.

Hammonds scored 31 points in 31 minutes. He scored 18 first-half points, almost topped his previous best effort of 21 points before intermission. Claxton did much of his damage after the break with 14 second-half points.

Excitement Surrounds Bulldogs

Tom Crean was hired as the Bulldogs' head coach on March 15 and created an off-season buzz surrounding Georgia Basketball that it hasn't been seen since Dominique Wilkins' days in Athens during the early-80s.

Before this season, Georgia had never sold out more than one game before its opener.

This fall, the Bulldogs had three sellouts – Florida, Kentucky and Texas – in October.

In addition, the number of contributors and the amount donated to UGA's Basketball Enhancement Fund (BEF) set records by considerable margins. The BEF tally topped $1 million for the first time ever and as of Nov. 7 had bettered the previous watermark by just shy of 25 percent.

UGA Loaded With Peach Products

Nearly three-fourths of Georgia's roster played high school hoops in the Peach State. Eleven of 15 Bulldogs – that's 73.3 percent to be exact – did so.

The list includes: seniors Christian Harrison (Woodward Academy), William "Turtle" Jackson (Athens Christian School), Connor O'Neill (Blessed Trinity Catholic High) and Derek Ogbeide (Pebblebrook High); juniors Tyree Crump (Bainbridge High) and Jordan Harris (Seminole County High); sophomores Rayshaun Hammonds (Norcross High) and Teshaun Hightower (Collins Hills High); and freshmen Tye Fagan (Upson-Lee High); Amanze Ngumezi (Johnson High) and JoJo Toppin (Norcross High).

Fagan Owns Unique Record

The first recruit to commit to Tom Crean at Georgia certainly brought a winning résumé.

Spring signee Tye Fagan helped Upson-Lee High School to back-to-back state titles and 63 consecutive victories as a junior and senior. The Knights' effort represents the third-longest winning streak in Georgia boys' high school hoops history.

"Any time you add a championship-winning player and person to your program, it's great," Crean said. "But I can't recall ever signing anyone that was 63-0. That's unique."

Georgia's loss at Temple on Nov. 13 represented Fagan's first setback representing his school since an Upson-Lee setback to New Hampstead on Feb. 17, 2016 in the first round of the 2016 state tournament...providing a span of exactly 1000 days between those losses.

Inaugural StegMania A Success

Tom Crean arrived in Athens with a distinct vision. One thing he wanted to create was an preseason event to display the new energy and enthusiasm around 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 intros, a high-flying dunk contest, a dance battle with the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, an impromptu performance of the hit song "Rolex" by hip-hop artists Ayo & Teo and a scrimmage with Crean "mic'd up."

"When you're brand new coming into something like this, you really don't have an expectation," said Crean after the event. "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.