Bulldogs Trek To Memphis To Face No. 9 Tigers

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (9-3) vs. No. 9/11 Memphis (12-1)
Saturday, January 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET
FedEx Forum (18,400) in Memphis Tenn.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta. (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Tony Schiavone, producer) | Affiliates
TV: CBS (Spero Dedes, play-by-play; Clark Kellogg, analyst)
Video Stream: CBSSports.com
Satellite: XM & Internet: 389, 979
Series Record: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: UGA, 70-68, on 12/29/96

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
20-24 in 2nd season at UGA
376-255 in 20th season overall
0	Donnell Gresham Jr.	6.8	5.2
6-3; 195; R-Sr.-Grad.; St. Paul, Minn.
4	Tyree Crump	9.2	2.7
6-1; 185; Sr.; Bainbridge, Ga.
5	Anthony Edwards	18.8	4.9
6-5; 225; Fr.; Atlanta, Ga.
10	Toumani Camara	5.8	4.3
6-8; 220; Fr.; Brussels, Belgium
20	Rayshaun Hammonds	14.0	8.8
6-9; 235; Jr.; Norcross, Ga.

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Memphis Tigers
Coach: Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway
34-15 in 2nd season at UM
34-15 in 2nd season overall
0	D.J. Jeffries	12.0	4.7
6-7; 225; Fr.; Olive Branch, Miss.
5	Boogie Ellis	7.6	2.5
6-3; 175; Fr.; San Diego, Calif.
10	Damion Baugh	6.2	3.6
6-3; 185; Fr.; Nashville, Tenn.
14	Isaiah Maurice	3.8	3.3
6-10; 224; Sr.; Durham, N.C.
55	Precious Achiuwa	14.2	9.8
6-9; 225; Fr.; Queens, N.Y.

TEAM COMPARISON

2019-20 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	MEMPHIS
Points Per Game	82.2	80.6
Opp. Point Per Game	73.9	62.1
Scoring Margin	+8.3	+18.5
Field Goal Pct.	.475	.477
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.429	.349
3-Point Pct.	.300	.351
3-Pointers Per Game	7.0	6.6
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.324	.270
Free Throw Pct.	.664	.684
Free Throws Per Game	13.5	16.3
Rebounds Per Game	42.3	42.2
Opp. Rebound Per Game	36.3	34.9
Rebound Margin	+6.1	+7.3
Assists Per Game	15.8	15.6
Turnovers Per Game	15.6	16.8
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	1.02	0.93
Turnover Margin	-0.3	+1.0
Steals Per Game	8.3	9.2
Blocks Per Game	4.1	6.9

The Starting 5...

Nationally, Anthony Edwards is No. 48 in scoring at 18.8 ppg (No. 2 among freshmen) and Sahvir Wheeler is No. 54 in assists at 5.2 apg (No. 5 among freshmen).
Toumani Camara is one of just four Power 5 players this season to post a perfect shooting performance from the field while attempting at least eight shots.
UGA had eight 90-point outputs in Tom Crean's first 40 games in Georgia. The Bulldogs had eight 90-point outings in the 249 games prior to Crean's arrival.
Six of nine SEC games at Stegeman Coliseum are now sellouts – Kentucky, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama, Arkansas and Florida.
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 will visit No. 9 Memphis on Saturday in a CBS nationally televised matchup of two of the nation's premier freshman classes. The Tigers inked the consensus No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, while the Bulldogs' freshmen were tabbed No. 5 by ESPN.com, No. 6 by rivals.com and No. 10 by 247Sports.com.

Georgia is 9-3 to date, including a perfect 8-0 mark at Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs easily bested Austin Peay in their last outing, 78-48. Georgia blew open a five-point game at the intermission with a 22-2 run to begin the second half.

The Bulldogs are averaging 82.2 points per game, which ranked No. 12 nationally through games of Wednesday (Jan. 1).

Anthony Edwards, a preseason All-American and leading candidate for National Freshman of the Year accolades, paces Georgia in scoring at 18.8 ppg. That was the second-highest average among all Division-I freshmen and No. 48 overall as of Thursday.

Keeping An Eye On…Entering Tonight's Game Among UGA's career Leaders

Tyree Crump is...
• 18 3FGs from No. 10 Jody Patton
• 30 3FGs from No. 9 Bernard Davis
• 39 3FGAs from No. 8 G.G. Smith

Series History

Georgia and Memphis split their previous two meetings, a pair of holiday tournament matchups in Honolulu and Atlanta.

In the most recent meeting on Dec. 29, 1996, in the semifinals of the Rainbow Classic, Michael Chadwick's 18-point performance led Georgia to a 70-68 win over the Tigers. Harry Allen paced a quartet of double-figure scorers for Memphis with 15 points.

The Bulldogs rallied from a 37-26 halftime deficit to outscore the Tigers 44-31 in the second stanza. Georgia went on to defeat No. 21 Maryland, 73-65, in overtime in the tourney's title tilt.

The other meeting was in the championship game of the 1986 Cotton States Classic when Memphis topped the Bulldogs, 82-71.

Scouting The Tigers

Memphis is 12-1 overall and 1-0 in AAC action this season.

The Tigers' lone setback was to No. 14 Oregon on Nov. 12. Memphis is riding a 10-game winning streak, the Tigers' longest since an 18-game stretch of victories during the 2012-13 season.

Precious Achiuwa leads a trio of freshmen averaging double figures at 14.2 ppg. He also is grabbing a team-best 9.9 rpg. D.J. Jeffries is adding 12.0 ppg, while Lester Quinones is chipping in 11.4 ppg.

Last Time Out...

Rayshaun Hammonds scored 17 points and Donnell Gresham Jr. added 11 to lead Georgia to a 78-48 victory before 9,800 fans at Stegeman Coliseum on Dec. 30.

The Bulldogs never trailed in the contest and led by double figures for a large chunk of the first half before the Governors ended the period on a 7-0 surge to close the gap to 31-26 at the intermission.

Georgia regained control with a 22-2 run over the first 8:20 of the second stanza that made it 53-28. Gresham knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in that span, as many as he had made in the first 11 outings of the season combined. The Bulldogs led by 20 points or more for the rest of the outing.

"(Director of Player Development) Brian Fish told me we scored 75 points in 33 minutes. We'll take that," Tom Crean said. "We hit a real lull there in the first half, and it was us not attacking. It was us not pushing and defending as well as at the beginning of the game. And then certainly in the second half we did a much better job and the ball moved much better."

Edwards, Wheeler Included Among NCAA's Freshman Leaders

Through games of Jan. 1, Georgia's Anthony Edwards and Sahvir Wheeler were ranked among the nation's top freshmen in scoring and assists, respectively, as outlined below.

Edwards' average of 18.8 ppg was second among freshmen and made him one of just five first-year players featured in the top 100.

Wheeler's average of 5.2 assists per game was fifth-best among the nation's freshmen.

Top Freshman Scoring Averages
Rk.	Player, school	GP	Avg.
42.	Isaiah Stewart, Washington	13	19.2
48.	Anthony Edwards, Georgia	12	18.8
69.	Vernon Carey, Duke	13	17.9
79.	Onyeka Okongwu, USC	12	17.7
92.	Landers Nolley, Va. Tech	13	17.4
Top Freshman Assist Averages
Rk.	Player, school	GP	Avg.
18.	Nico Mannion, Arizona	13	6.2
31.	Yuri Collins, Saint Louis	13	5.8
33.	Ellis Magnuson, E. Wash.	13	5.7
40.	Ethan Anderson, USC	13	5.5
54.	Sahvir Wheeler, Georgia	14	5.2

Camara Perfect Against Eagles

Toumani Camara was 8-of-8 from the field against Georgia Southern on Dec. 23, making him the first Bulldog to be perfect on that many shots since Jonas Hayes was 8-of-8 versus Florida A&M on Dec. 5, 2003.

Camara also became just the fourth player from a Power 5 conference this season to shoot 100 percent while attempting eight or more shots as outlined below.

Power-5 Perfection On FGs
FGs	Player, School	Opp. (Date)
9-9	Olivier Sarr, Wake Forest	UNC Asheville (11/13)
8-8	Zeke Nnaji, Arizona	San Jose St. (11/14)
8-8	Kofi Cockburn, Illinois	Miami (12/2)
8-8	Toumani Camara, Georgia	Ga. Southern (12/23)

Hey...I know that Dude!

Georgia's Rayshaun Hammonds and Memphis' Lance Thomas were classmates at Norcross High School.

Hammonds and Thomas helped the Blue Devils compile a 79-17 record together in their last three seasons, including a runner-up finish in the 2017 Class 7A state tournament as seniors.

Hammonds was listed as the nation's No. 57 overall prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings, while Thomas was tabbed at No. 85.

The Blue Devils' senior class that season also featured Duke's Jordan Goldwire.

Edwards, Wheeler Named SEC FOTW

Anthony Edwards and Sahvir Wheeler were named SEC Freshman of the Week on Dec. 1 and Dec. 23, respectively.

Edwards was selected by the league – and also was tabbed National Freshman of the Week by CBSsports.com – following the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Most notably, he poured in 37 points against No. 3 Michigan State on Nov. 26, including a 33-point explosion in the second half.

Edwards' effort equaled the No. 11 single-game scoring tally in Georgia's history and represented the most points by a Bulldog freshman since Jacky Dorsey scored 41 versus LSU on Jan. 20, 1975.

Wheeler was honored after he scored layups in the final five seconds of both overtime periods of UGA's 87-85 double-OT win over SMU. He scored with four seconds remaining in the first overtime period to tie the score and extend the contest. In the second extra session, Wheeler's layup with 1.9 seconds left supplied Georgia with the victory.

Wheeler flirted with a double-double against the Mustangs, finishing the contest with nine points and eight assists. He equaled his career-high marks for assists (eight) and steals (two) in a career-most 35 minutes of PT.

Bulldogs Reversing Fortunes

Georgia improved to 3-0 in games decided by four points or less this season with its Dec. 20 double-OT victory over SMU.

That's a dramatic difference from a year ago when the Bulldogs were 0-6 in outings decided by four points or less. All six of those contests were to NCAA Tournament teams.

Georgia's non-conference effort in 2018-19 featured four- and two-point setbacks to Temple and Arizona State, respectively.

In SEC play, the Bulldogs dropped four consecutive extremely excruciating losses to LSU (83-79), Mississippi State (68-67), Ole Miss (72-71) and Auburn (78-75) between Feb 16-27. Some pretty quick math will reveal that those four league losses were by a combined nine points.

Bulldogs Scoring at Rapid Pace

Georgia is averaging 82.2 points per game, which ranked No. 12 nationally as of Thursday (through games of Jan. 1). Some additional nuggets contained within the Bulldogs' offensive production over the first nine outings of the season include:

• UGA had eight 90-point performances in Tom Crean's first 40 games in Athens. The Bulldogs reached the 90-point plateau just eight times in 249 games prior to Crean's arrival.

• UGA has three of the top-10 scoring outputs in the SEC this season – the No. 5 mark (100 points vs. Delaware St.) and the co-No. 10 standard (95 points vs. both The Citadel and N.C. Central).

• Georgia already has four 90-point games...as many as the Bulldogs had in 32 games last season. FYI, the last time UGA had five 90-point outputs was the aforementioned 2005-06 campaign (when the Bulldogs had six), and the school record for 90-plus outings is eight during Georgia's run to the 1990 SEC Championship.

• UGA scored 91, 95 and 100 points in its first three games – the first time the Bulldogs scored 90 or more three times in a row since 2006. That season, the Bulldogs defeated Gardner-Webb, 96-67, on Dec. 2; No. 16 Gonzaga, 96-83, on Dec. 16; and Jacksonville, 93-77, on Dec. 19.

Some Individual Scoring Info

In addition to Georgia's point production as a team, Bulldogs have posted some significant individual scoring efforts to date.

• Anthony Edwards' 37 points against No. 3 Michigan State – the most by a UGA freshman in 45 seasons – included a 33-point second-half explosion against the Spartans.

• Six UGA players posted double-figure scoring outputs against The Citadel on Nov. 12 – a first since a Dec. 22, 2002, matchup against Appalachian State. 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.

• Edwards' 24 points and Wheeler's 19 points in the season opener against Western Carolina represented the second- and third-best tallies ever by a UGA freshman in their collegiate debut.

Crump Joins, Approaches UGA Top 10s For 3-Point Takes, Makes

Tyree Crump ascended into Georgia's all-time top-10 career leaders in 3-point field goal attempts at Arizona State on Dec. 14 and is closing in on the Bulldogs' top 10 for successful shots from behind the arc as outlined below.

The senior from Bainbridge inched past Kentavious Caldwell-Pope into the No. 10 slot for 3-point attempts during the contest against the Sun Devils.

Crump has 154 3-pointers, 18 away from the current No. 10 tally of Jody Patton.

UGA Career 3FGA Leaders
Rk.	No.	Player	Seasons	3FGAs
1.	683	Levi Stukes	2004-07	261
5.	569	Kenny Gaines	2013-16	213
8.	500	G.G. Smith	1996-99	193
9.	461	Tyree Crump	2016-19	154
UGA Career 3FG Leaders
Rk.	No.	Player	Seasons	3FGs
1.	261	Levi Stukes	2003-07	683
4.	213	Ezra Williams	2000-03	582
	213	Kenny Gaines	2012-16	569
7.	194	Dustin Ware	2008-12	536
8.	193	G.G. Smith	1995-99	500
9.	184	Bernard Davis	1990-94	453
10.	172	Jody Patton	1987-91	387
11.	154	Tyree Crump	2016-19	461

Wheeler Logging PT Off Bench

Freshman Sahvir Wheeler is averaging 26.4 minutes per game, the second-highest average of any Bulldog despite coming off the bench in every game to date.

Wheeler has logged 20-plus minutes in every game but a blowout win over Delaware State, when he played 18 minutes. His season highs are 35 MP in the double-OT outing against SMU...and 32 against Georgia Southern for a regulation contest.

The Collegiate Canine Strikes

All of graduate transfer Donnell Gresham Jr.'s career-high statistical performances came from his 90 games played during four seasons at Northeastern...until the Georgia Tech game on Nov. 20.

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 – of now three – double-digit output as a Bulldog and his 31st – of now 32 – as a collegiate canine. The Saint Paul, Minn., native notched 29 double-digit scoring performances in his four seasons as a different breed of dog – a Northeastern Husky.

Camara's Contributions Climbing

Freshman Toumani Camara has made a dramatic up-tick in his PT and stats over the last six outings as outlined below.

Those contests also career highs efforts of 16 points vs. Georgia Southern, nine boards vs. Austin Peay and 34 minutes vs. SMU.

Camara's Increased Efforts
Stat	First 6	Last 6
Points per game	4.0	7.5
Rebounds per game	2.5	6.2
Minutes per game	13.2	25.9

Feel Free To Call Him "Ty-3"

Tyree Crump continued a familiar theme to his scoring this season, with 27 of his 38 made field goals (71.1 percent) coming from behind the 3-point arc.

More than two-thirds of Crump's made shots from the floor at UGA have come on 3-pointers. Crump has 154 3s in his three-plus seasons in Athens, 69.1 percent of his 223 made field goals as a Bulldog.

Fagan Posts Career highs

Tye Fagan has notched career-high scoring outputs twice this season.

The sophomore from Logtown paced Georgia with a career-most 15 minutes at Arizona State. Fagan did most of his damage in the second half. After posting four points in nine first-half minutes, he put up 11 points in 10 minutes of action following the intermission.

Fagan recorded his first double-digit scoring output as a Bulldog with 11 points against Dayton in the opening round of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. He did so in an extremely efficient fashion, connecting on 5-of-5 shots from the field against the Flyers, including his only 3-point attempt on the day.

Before that, Fagan's top offensive performances as a Bulldog were early last season. He notched eight points in three of the first four games of his freshman year – against Temple, Sam Houston State and Illinois State.

Hammonds Hot Early, Often Against Hornets & Jackets

Rayshaun Hammonds poured in 26 points in back-to-back games against Delaware State on Nov. 15 and Georgia Tech on Nov. 20.

Hammonds was hot from the get-go in both outings. He scored 17 first-half points versus the Hornets and followed that with 19 before intermission against the Jackets. Hammonds was a combined 15-of-20 (75.0 percent) from the field on those first halves.

Dogs' Freshmen Among UGA's Best

Georgia's recruiting class 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 class 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, but 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 No. 2 in 1992 when UGA inked four top-100 prospects – Shandon Anderson, Terrell Bell, Pertha Robinson and McDonald's All-American Carlos Strong – in the fall and added National Junior College Player of the Year Cleveland Jackson in the spring.

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

UGA's Freshman Class Also Among the nation's Largest

The Bulldogs' class of nine freshmen ranks as the third-largest in Division-I hoops for the 2019-20 season.

Navy, TCU and Utah sport a nation-leading 11 freshmen on their rosters. Air Force has 10 freshmen. In addition to Georgia, Louisville also has 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 Yellow Jackets on the hardwood.

In the first 113 seasons of Georgia Basketball history, only four four-year letterwinners for the Bulldogs finished their careers with a perfect record against Georgia Tech.

That fraternity more than doubled when Mike Edwards, Turtle Jackson, Derek Ogbeide, Connor O'Neill and E'Torrion Wilridge joined the fold last year and added two more 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.

Dogs Dish Against Delaware State

Georgia recorded 30 assists on the Bulldogs' 40 made baskets in their 100-66 win over Delaware State on Nov. 15. That was UGA's most assists since the Bulldogs had 32 against S.C. State on Nov. 21, 2006.

Edwards, Wheeler Star In Debut

Anthony Edwards and Sahvir Wheeler poured in 24 and 19 points, respectively, in the season opener against Western Carolina on Nov. 5. Those tallies represent the second- and third-most points ever by a freshman in their first game in a Bulldog uniform as outlined below.

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 Tally Debuts By UGA Freshmen
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

Toumani Camara

Tyree Crump

Anthony Edwards

Mike Edwards

Tye Fagan

Donnell Gresham Jr.

Rayshaun Hammonds

Jordan Harris

Rodney Howard

Amanze Ngumezi

Connor O'Neill

Derek Ogbeide

Sahvir Wheeler

E'Torrion Wilridge