Bulldogs Face Spartans in Maui Invitational

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Maui Jim Maui Invitational Consolation Round
Georgia (4-0) vs. Dayton (3-0)
Tuesday, November 26, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. ET
Lahaina Civic Center in Lahaina, Maui (2,400)
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta | Affiliates | Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Tony Schiavone, producer
TV: ESPN2 (Dan Shulman, play-by-play; Jay Bilas, analyst)
Video: SEC Network+ (Jeff Dantzler, play-by-play; Dean Keener, analyst)
Satellite: XM & Internet: 374
Series Record: MSU leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: MSU, 70-63, on 3/20/15

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
15-22 in 2nd season at UGA
371-253 in 20th season overall
0	Donnell Gresham Jr.	8.2	5.4
6-3; 195; R-Sr.-Grad.; St. Paul, Minn.
4	Tyree Crump	9.8	2.2
6-1; 185; Sr.; Bainbridge, Ga.
5	Anthony Edwards	16.6	5.4
6-5; 225; Fr.; Atlanta, Ga.
20	Rayshaun Hammonds	14.8	9.6
6-9; 235; Jr.; Norcross, Ga.
25	Amanze Ngumezi	7.8	2.8
6-9; 235; Soph.; Savannah, Ga.

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Michigan State Spartans
Coach: Tom Izzo
609-234 in 25th season at MSU
609-234 in 25th season overall
2	Rocket Watts	6.0	3.2
6-2; 185; Fr.; Detroit, Mich
5	Cassius Winston	15.4	3.2
6-1; 185; Sr.; Detroit, Mich.
11	Aaron Henry	13.0	2.5
6-6; 210; Soph.; Indianapolis, Ind.
15	Thomas Kither	7.0	4.6
6-8; 230; Soph.; Clarkston, Mich.
23	Xavier Tillman	11.4	10.4
6-8; 245; Jr.; Grand Rapids, Mich.

TEAM COMPARISON

2019-20 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	MICHIGAN ST
Points Per Game	95.8	79.6
Opp. Point Per Game	76.4	61.2
Scoring Margin	+9.4	+18.4
Field Goal Pct.	.486	.462
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.445	.362
3-Point Pct.	.299	.305
3-Pointers Per Game	6.4	7.2
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.364	.314
Free Throw Pct.	.644	.723
Free Throws Per Game	17.4	13.6
Rebounds Per Game	40.0	43.0
Opp. Rebound Per Game	36.4	31.0
Rebound Margin	+3.6	+12.0
Assists Per Game	16.4	19.6
Turnovers Per Game	11.6	12.4
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	1.17	1.58
Turnover Margin	+2.6	+1.4
Steals Per Game	10.0	6.2
Blocks Per Game	3.0	4.4

The Starting 5...

UGA coach Tom Crean was a graduate assistant (1989-90) and assistant coach (1995-99) on the MSU staff for five seasons before becoming a head coach.
UGA opened the season with three 90-plus point scoring outings, the first time the Dogs scored 90 or more three consecutive games since Dec. of 2006.
Six Bulldogs scored in double-digit against The Citadel. The last time UGA did so was a 92-62 win over Appalachian State on Dec. 22, 2002.
The point tallies of Anthony Edwards (24) and Sahvir Wheeler (19) in the season opener were the second- and third-best ever by a freshman in their UGA debut.
Georgia's celebrated freshman class – ranked among the top-10 groups nationally by every recruiting service – features five of the nation's top-100 prospects.

The Opening Tip

Georgia returns to action for the second time in 24 hours when the Bulldogs face No. 3 Michigan State in the consolation round of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational on Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. HT (2:30 p.m. ET).

Georgia is 4-1 and looking to bounce back after suffering its first setback of the season to Dayton in the Invitational's opening round on Monday. Sophomore Tye Fagan led the Bulldogs with a career-high 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor including a 3-point attempt.

Preseason All-American Anthony Edwards leads Georgia on the season in both scoring at 16.6 ppg and steals at 2.6 spg, while Rayshaun Hammonds is contributing 14.8 ppg and a team-high 9.6 rpg.

Michigan State is one of 14 games Georgia will play against teams included in the final preseason edition of Joe Lunardi's Bracketology released on Nov. 4, the day before the college basketball season tipped off.

Entering Tonight's Game . . . Among UGA's career Leaders

Tyree Crump is...

• 4 3FGs from co-No. 12s Ty Wilson and Ray Harrison
• 10 3FGs from No. 11 K. Caldwell-Pope
• 15 FGAs from No. 11 Ray Harrison
• 27 FGAs from No. 10 K. Caldwell-Pope

The Bulldogs in Hawaii

While Georgia is making its first trip to Maui, the Bulldogs are venturing to the 50th state for the fifth time. UGA previously played on Oahu in 1987, 1996, 2001 and 2007. Georgia won the 1996 Outrigger Hotels Classic, defeating No. 21 Maryland, 73-65, in overtime in the championship.

Tom Crean is competing in his fifth Maui Invitational, with previous trips as a head coach at Indiana (2008 and 2015) and Marquette (2007) as a Michigan State assistant (1995).

Series History

Michigan State won its only previous meeting between the Bulldogs, 70-63, in the opening round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. That game, in Charlotte, N.C., looked like a typical 7-10 seed matchup...until the Spartans went on to advance to the NCAA Final Four.

Branden Dawson scored all 14 of his points in the second half as State turned back two serious challenges by Georgia in the first win in what eventually became a Final Four run.

After trailing 35-22 at the half, a driving layup by Charles Mann with 14:07 left capped a 10-0 Georgia run and cut the margin to a single basket at 39-37. The Bulldogs were unable to get closer, and State expanded its advantage back to 13.

Kenny Gaines converted a 3-point play with just 21 seconds left, getting Georgia within 66-63; however, Denzel Valentine sealed the win by converting four free throws over the closing seconds, thwarting yet another Bulldog rally.

An Unofficial Matchup

Georgia and Michigan State also met in a preseason charity exhibition in Grand Rapids, Mich., prior to the 2017-18 season.

On Oct. 29, 2017, Pontiac, Mich., native and 2019 SEC Player of the Year Yante Maten scored 33 points for the Bulldogs; however, the No. 2-ranked Spartans secured an 80-68 victory in front of 10,699 at Van Andel Arena.

The first half of that contest featured no less than seven ties and 10 lead changes before State eventually grabbed a 40-31 edge at the intermission. Georgia opened the second half on a 6-2 run to make it 42-37, but that eventually ended up the closest the Bulldogs got down the stretch.

That contest raised $339,447 for the American Red Cross and its relief efforts surrounding Hurricane Irma.

Scouting The Spartans

Michigan State, which is ranked No. 3 in this week's polls, is 3-2 on the young season.

Cassius Winston paces State offensively at 15.4 ppg, and Aaron Henry chips in 13.0 ppg. Xavier Tillman adds a double-double average of 11.4 ppg and 10.4 rpg.

Last Time Out...

Tye Fagan scored a career-high 11 points on a perfect shooting performance from the floor (5-of-5 FGs and 1-of-1 3FGs); however, Georgia suffered its initial loss of the season to Dayton, 80-61, in the opening round of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational on Monday.

The Flyers opened the game with a 14-2 run over the game's first four minutes and led the rest of the way.

The Bulldogs settled in and eventually outrebounded the Flyers by one, 29-28, and shot a comparable percentage from the floor (.490 to UD's .491); however, Dayton connected on 10 3-pointers and 16-of-19 trips to the line.

Crean's Ties To Michigan

Georgia head coach Tom Crean is a native of Mount Pleasant, Mich., and had two stints on the staff at Michigan State before becoming a head coach.

Crean graduated from Central Michigan in 1989 and joined Jud Heathcoate's staff as a graduate assistant for the 1989-90 campaign. The Spartans finished 28-6, won the Big Ten regular-season title and reached the NCAA "Sweet 16" that season.

Crean then moved on to Western Kentucky and Pittsburgh for a combined five seasons before returning to East Lansing to join Tom Izzo's staff from 1995-99. Over the next four seasons, State compiled an 88-41 record, captured two Big Ten regular-season titles (1998 and 1999), won the 1999 Big Ten Tournament and advanced to back-to-back Final Fours in 1998 and 1999.

Crean became head coach at Marquette in 1999 and spent nine seasons in Milwaukee and nine at Indiana before arriving in Athens.

Dogs Open At A Torrid Pace

Georgia opened the season by scoring 91, 95 and 100 points in the Bulldogs' first three outings. That marked the first time UGA scored 90 or more points in three consecutive games since December 2006.

That season, the Bulldogs defeated Gardner-Webb, 96-67, on Dec. 2; topped No. 16 Gonzaga, 96-83, on Dec. 16; and bested Jacksonville, 93-77, on Dec. 19.

Fans Flocking To Stegeman

Georgia has drawn 35,152 fans for its first four games at Stegeman Coliseum this season – the second-best tally in school history.

Georgia's best four-game home attendance mark to begin a season was 38,741 in 1981-82, Dominique Wilkins' junior season. Then, the Coliseum's seating capacity was 11,200 (it's 10,523 today) and that quartet of outings included Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Vandy.

Last season, the Bulldogs broke their all-time total attendance record by more than 9,000 fans and had the fourth-best average attendance in program history.

Dogs' Freshmen Among UGA's Best

Georgia's recruiting class, which featured five top-100 prospects, was consistently ranked among the nation's top-10 groups – No. 5 by ESPN.com, No. 6 by rivals.com and No. 10 by 247Sports.com.

Headlining the groupr is Anthony Edwards. The Atlanta native, who tabbed the nation's best prospect by some, announced his commitment on national television on Feb. 11. He is the Bulldogs' highest rated recruit ever.

Dominique Wilkins was the most hyped recruit in Georgia history in 1979. Individual rankings for that class are believed to be unavailable. It also featured future stars such as Ralph Sampson, Isiah Thomas, James Worthy, Clark Kellogg and Sam Bowie.

In the internet age, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the highest ranked player in the 247Sports.com composite to enroll at UGA at No. 12 in 2011. Louis Williams signed with the Bulldogs as the No. 6 prospect in the 2005 composite but opted to enter the NBA Draft.

The Bulldogs' highest recruiting class ever was a quintet listed at No. 2 in 1992 when UGA inked four of the nation's top-100 prospects – Shandon Anderson, Terrell Bell, Pertha Robinson and McDonald's All-American Carlos Strong – in the fall. Georgia then added Cleveland Jackson, the national Junior College Player of the Year, in the spring.

Additional top classes at Georgia include those in 1979 and 1980 which featured four McDonald's All-Americans between them. The Bulldogs signed Wilkins and Terry Fair in 1979 and followed that with Vern Fleming and James Banks a year later.

UGA's Freshman Class Ranks Among Largest In The Nation The Bulldogs' class of nine freshmen ranks as the third-largest in D-I hoops this season.

Navy, TCU and Utah sport a nation-leading 11 freshmen on their rosters. Air Force has 10 freshmen. In addition to Georgia, Louisville and Memphis also have nine freshmen.

On this list, "freshman" is defined as a player who is a freshman eligibility wise who is competing at that school for the first time this season...so there are some redshirts.

A Historic String Of Success

The Bulldogs' five-game winning streak over Georgia Tech marks only the fifth time in 196 meetings that Georgia has captured five-consecutive victories over the Jackets.

The Bulldogs' longest streak in the series is seven consecutive wins twice in spans from 1908-21 and 1980-85. The second-longest is five games three times, covering 1929-31 and 1939-41 and the current 2015-19 stretch.

The first four wins over Tech in the current streak were by double figures. The only other time UGA posted four consecutive, double-figure Ws over GT was more than a century ago between 1908-09 and 1913-14.

The past two seasons have provided signature moments for Georgia's six four-year seniors. Prior to last December, only four four-year letterwinners for the Bulldogs finished their careers with a perfect record against Tech – James Banks, Vern Fleming, Richard Corhen and Gerald Crosby.

That fraternity more than doubled when Mike Edwards, Turtle Jackson, Derek Ogbeide, Connor O'Neill and E'Torrion Wilridge joined the fold at McCamish Pavilion last year and added two more pledges in 2019 in Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris.

It should be noted that UGA and GT played two or more times every season from 1924-82. Since then, they have met once per year, making an undefeated run a little less taxing.

The Collegiate Canine Strikes

All of graduate transfer Donnell Gresham Jr.'s career-high statistics came from his 90 games played during four seasons at Northeastern...until the Georgia Tech game.

Gresham connected on 11-of-13 trips to the free throw line against the Jackets, topping his previous marks.

Gresham scored 13 points versus Tech, his second double-digit output as a Bulldog and his 31st as a collegiate canine.

Gresham notched 29 double-digit scoring performances in his four seasons as a Northeastern Husky.

Feel Free To Call Him "Ty-3"

Tyree Crump continued a familiar theme during the first four games of the season, with 11 of his 16 made field goals coming from behind the 3-point arc.

More than two-thirds of Crump's made shots from the floor as a Bulldog have come on shots from 3-point range.

Crump has knocked down 138 3-pointers in his three-plus seasons in Athens. That accounts for 68.7 percent of his 201 made field goals at Georgia.

Among Georgia's career leaders, Crump currently ranks No. 13 in 3-point makes and No. 12 in 3-point takes.

Dogs Dish The Ball Against DSU

Georgia recorded 30 assists on the Bulldogs' 40 made baskets in their 100-66 win over Delaware State on Nov. 15.

That was the most assists by Georgia since the Bulldogs had 32 against South Carolina State on Nov. 21, 2006.

Six Double-Digit Bulldogs

A half-dozen Georgia players posted double-figure scoring outputs against The Citadel on Nov. 12 – the first time six Bulldogs scored 10 or more points in just under 17 years. Anthony Edwards had 29 points; Tyree Crump and Donnell Gresham Jr. added 13 apiece; and Rayshaun Hammonds, Amanze Ngumezi and Sahvir Wheeler each chipped in 10.

Prior to that, you had to go back to a 92-62 win over Appalachian State on Dec. 22, 2002 to find a contest with six Bulldogs in double figures. In that game, Steve Thomas scored 18 points, followed by Ezra Williams (13), Chris Daniels (12), Jarvis Hayes (11), Rashad Wright (11) and Jonas Hayes (10).

Earliest. Opener. Ever.

The Bulldogs' Nov. 5 contest against Western Carolina was the earliest opening contest in Georgia's 115 seasons of basketball. The previous mark for an initial outing was against Wofford on Nov. 8, 2013.

Edwards, Wheeler Star In Debut

Anthony Edwards and Sahvir Wheeler poured in 24 and 19 points, respectively, in the season opener against Western Carolina. Those tallies represent the second- and third-most points ever by a freshman in their first game in a Bulldog uniform as outlined in the next column.

Edwards came within a bucket of Dominique Wilkins' school record against Troy on Nov. 30, 1979.

Since NCAA rules change to allow freshmen to compete in basketball beginning with the 1972-73 season, 23 Bulldogs have scored in double figures during their first collegiate contest at UGA.

Top Tallies In First Game At UGA

Year	Player	Points
1979	Dominique Wilkins	26
2019	Anthony Edwards	24
1979	Terry Fair	19
2019	Sahvir Wheeler	19
1998	D.A. Layne	18
2007	Jeremy Price	18
2004	Sundiata Gaines	17
2017	Rayshaun Hammonds	17
2011	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	15

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tyree Crump

Anthony Edwards

Mike Edwards

Tye Fagan

Donnell Gresham Jr.

Rayshaun Hammonds

Jordan Harris

Yante Maten

Amanze Ngumezi

Connor O'Neill

Derek Ogbeide

Sahvir Wheeler

E'Torrion Wilridge

University of Georgia Athletics