MBB Notes: Bulldogs To Battle Bulldogs At Stegeman

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (4-0) vs. Samford (2-1)
Saturday, December 12, at 7:00 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (1,638) in Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta. (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Tony Schiavone, producer) | Affiliates
TV: None
Video Stream: SEC Network + (Van Earl Wright, play-by-play; Mark Slonaker, analyst)
Satellite: XM: 389; Internet: 979
History: UGA leads, 1-0 (Full History)
Last Meeting: UGA, 61-55, on Nov. 26, 2001

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
31-37 in 3rd season at UGA
387-268 in 21st season overall
2	Sahvir Wheeler	14.8	4.3
5-10; 180; Soph.; Houston, Texas
5	Justin Kier	9.7	5.0
6-6; 215; Soph.; Hopkins, S.C.
10	Toumani Camara	14.3	8.0
6-8; 220; Fr.; Brussels, Belgium
14	Tye Fagan	9.3	5.5
6-3; 195; Jr.; Logtown, Ga.
24	P.J. Horne	10.0	3.3
6-6; 230; Gr.; Tifton, Ga.

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Samford Bulldogs
Coach: Bucky McMillan
2-1 in 1st season at Samford
2-1 in 1st season overall
5	A.J. Staton-McCray	11.7	3.3
6-5; 190; Fr.; Charlotte, N.C.
11	Marcellus Vail	0.0	0.5
6-2; 175; Fr.; Shelbyville, Ky.
14	Richardson Maitre	7.3	3.7
6-3; 180; R-Sr.; Montreal, Canada
23	Christian Guess	15.7	9.0
6-6; 190; Jr.; Cleveland, Ohio
35	Stanley Henderson	2.0	1.3
6-6; 210; R-Soph.; Jonesboro, Ga.

TEAM COMPARISON

2020-21 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	SAMFORD
Points Per Game	82.5	90.0
Opp. Point Per Game	63.0	78.0
Scoring Margin	+19.5	+12.0
Field Goal Pct.	.479	.495
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.409	.409
3-Point Pct.	.280	.372
3-Pointers Per Game	5.8	9.7
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.250	.297
Free Throw Pct.	.724	.750
Free Throws Per Game	13.8	15.0
Rebounds Per Game	45.3	43.3
Opp. Rebound Per	Game 29.8	33.0
Rebound Margin	+15.5	+10.3
Assists Per Game	18.0	18.0
Turnovers Per Game	18.5	15.7
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.97	1.15
Turnover Margin	+0.8	-1.0
Steals Per Game	9.8	5.0
Blocks Per Game	2.5	1.7

The Starting 5...

The last time UGA faced Samford was also the last time the Bulldogs started a season 5-0. Samford was the fourth game of the 2001-02 season on Nov. 26, 2001.
Sahvir Wheeler is the first SEC player with three-straight point-assist double-doubles in over 20 seasons... we're through 2000-01 and haven't found one.
Toumani Camara's 17 rebounds against Montana represented the most by a Bulldog since Trey Thompkins' 17 versus Alabama on Feb. 20, 2010.
Tye Fagan became the 28th UGA Bulldog to earn SEC Player of the Week honors (a combined 38 times) since the award's inception in 1985.
UGA's roster features eight newcomers with representative in every class - two freshmen, a sophomore, two juniors and a trio of graduate transfers.

The Opening Tip

Georgia hosts Samford on Saturday night looking to equal its best start in nearly two decades. The Bulldogs, who are 4-0, last won their first five games to open the 2001-02 season.

Saturday's contest will be Georgia's fifth in 14 days. That comes following a 263-day gap between March 11 - when Georgia played its final game of the 2019-20 season - and Nov. 29 - when the Bulldogs opened their 2020-21 campaign.

Keeping An Eye On... Entering Tonight's Game

Andrew Garcia is...

170 points from 1,000 for his career
73 rebounds for 500 for his career

Series History With Bulldogs

Georgia won the only previous meeting with Samford, a 61-55 decision on Nov. 26, 2001 at Stegeman Coliseum.

Jonas Hayes scored 14 points - connecting on 5-of-8 shots from the field and 4-of-4 trips to the line - in 24 minutes of action. He led a quartet of Bulldogs in double figures.

After the game was tied 52-52 with just over three minutes remaining, Georgia embarked on a decisive 9-0 surge which thwarted Samford's upset attempt.

Scouting Samford

Samford was the buzz of the college basketball world on Nov. 25 when the Bulldogs scored 174 points in an exhibition victory over Greenville. It doesn't take too long to do the division and realize that 174 points equates to more than four points per minute. It's actually 4.35 points per minute once you get assistance from a calculator.

The Bulldogs' scoring pace has slowed since beginning regular-season play. Samford arrives in Athens averaging a paltry 90.0 ppg.

First-year head coach Bucky McMillan is employing the same up-tempo concept he used during a highly successful run at Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham to win five Class 7A state titles in 12 seasons.

Five Bulldogs are averaging double digits in the scoring column. Myron Gordon comes off the bench to contribute a team-high 19.5 ppg, while Christian Guess chips in 15.7 ppg, Logan Dye adds 15.3 ppg, A.J. Staton McCray averages 11.7 ppg and Jacob Tryon is at 11.0 ppg.

New Faces In New Places

Georgia's roster features eight first-year Bulldogs, while Samford brings 10 total newcomers to Athens.

Georgia's octet newcomers features a representative of every class - freshmen K.D. Johnson and Josh Taylor, sophomore Tyron McMillan, juniors Jonathan Ned and Mikal Starks; and graduate transfer seniors Andrew Garcia, P.J. Horne and Justin Kier.

Samford's ledger of new Bulldogs includes six freshmen and four transfers - a sophomore, a junior and two seniors.

Bulldogs Doing Work On Boards

Georgia enters the Samford game ranked No. 11 nationally in rebound margin at a whopping +15.5. Oddly, the Bulldogs are averaging exactly 15.5 offensive rebounds per game, a tally that is No. 9 in D-I.

Wheeler Off To Historic Start

Quick...when was the last time a 5-10 player led the SEC in double-doubles? The answer: That would be today.

Sahvir Wheeler leads the SEC with three point-assist efforts. Texas A&M's Emmanuel Miller and Arkansas' Tulo Smith were the only other SEC players with multiple double-doubles entering Saturday.

Quick...when was the last time an SEC player had three straight point-assist double-doubles? The answer: not in 20 seasons.

With some assistance from Craig Pinkerton last Saturday, it was determined that no SEC player has recorded a trio of consecutive point-assist double-doubles through the 2000-01 season. In fact, only two league players - Florida's Chris Chiozza and Kentucky's Tyler Ulis - have recorded back-to-back point-assist double-doubles in the last five seasons.

Quick...when was the last time a Bulldog recorded double-figure assist tallies in consecutive games? The answer: probably never.

Box scores dating back through the 1969-70 did not find anyone who had done so. There were a couple of close calls - Gino Gianfrancesco twice in a three-game span at the end of the 1971-72 and start of the 1972-73 seasons; Donald Hartry covering a four-game period in 1986-87; Rashad Wright over a five-game stretch over the end of 2001-02 and opening of 2002-03; and G.G. Smith over a six-game time frame during the 1998-99 campaign.

We think it would be unlikely any Bulldog before Gianfrancesco did so since he holds three of the top-four single-game efforts in school history.

Wheeler's 12 assists against FAMU equaled the fourth-best single-game assist tally in 116 seasons of Georgia Basketball. It also was the most by a Bulldog in more than two decades...since G.G. Smith also had a dozen assists against Vanderbilt on Jan. 3, 1999.

Camara's Production Increases

Toumani Camara's efforts in the scoring and rebounding columns are up dramatically from last season.

The sophomore from Brussels is averaging 14.3 ppg and 8.0 rpg. Last season, he averaged 6.6 ppg and 4.3 rpg.

Camara's scoring average is up 117 percent from a year ago, while his rebounding count is up 86 percent.

Camara's increased offensive production can be traced to the second half of last season. After scoring in double figures once in the Bulldogs' first 16 games, he did so seven times in the final 16 outings. With three more double-digit tallies this season, Camara has now scored 10 or more points in 10 of Georgia's last 20 contests.

The Graduates Score

All three of the Bulldogs' graduate transfers - P.J. Horne, Andrew Garcia and Justin Kier - recorded double-digit scoring performances against Montana.

Garcia posted 13 points, Kier chipped in 12 and Horne added 10.

Horne now has three double-figure outputs this season and 17 for his career. Garcia and Kier both have two outputs of 10 points or more for the Bulldogs, upping their career totals to 42 and 53, respectively.

Bulldogs Supplying The Digits

Georgia is averaging 82.5 points per game over its first four outings, continuing the Bulldogs' trend of increased point production under Tom Crean.

Georgia scored 98 points against Jacksonville on Dec. 4 - the 12th time in Crean's 67 games with the Bulldogs that they reached or exceeded the 90-point plateau.

By comparison, Georgia scored 90 or more points just 12 times in the 393 games before Crean's arrival, a span of 11-plus seasons.

Last year, the Bulldogs averaged 75.9 ppg, their highest effort in more than 15 years. The last time Georgia produced a higher points per game clip than that mark was in 2002-03 when the Bulldogs averaged 79.2.

Camara, Brown Dunks On Dolphins Catch ESPN's Eye

Toumani Camara and Christian Brown delivered two ESPN attention-getting dunks against Jacksonville on Dec. 4.

During the first half, Justin Kier dove for a deflected ball near midcourt and pitched it ahead to Camara who, with space, put down a windmill effort that immediately drew the attention of the network. @SportsCenter tweeted "We score that a 10 for Toumani Camara!" followed by a "head blown" emoji.

In the second half, Brown prevented a deflected ball from going out of bounds and passed to Tyron McMillan, who quickly moved the ball to Sahvir Wheeler. Wheeler drove toward the basket before floating a pass that Brown handled with his left hand and slammed through the basket. @ESPN tweeted "The save ... and the finish!" and added a "hammer" emoji for good measure.

Camara's effort ended up at No. 4 on SportsCenter's top-10 plays for Friday.

Fagan Named SEC POTW

Tye Fagan was named the SEC Player of the Week on Nov. 30 by the league office in Birmingham, Ala., a day after the best outing of his collegiate career against Florida A&M.

Fagan posted career-high tallies of 21 points and 10 rebounds en route to his first career double-double. He connected on 9-of-10 shots from the field against the Rattlers and played a major role in creating distance on the scoreboard. Fagan scored eight points in a span of 76 seconds as Georgia expanded a two-point lead (49-47) to 10 (59-49).

"I don't take credit for that," Fagan said when asked about his performance after the game. "A lot of that has to do with Sahvir (Wheeler). He is a great ball-handler, and he finds guys. I'm pretty sure he had 12 assists, so that is what I mean how he found guys. I give a lot of credit to my teammates and coaches to put me in the right places."

Fagan's previous highs were 15 points and six rebounds. For his career, Fagan has now recorded four double-digit scoring outputs. In those games, he has connected on an almost unfathomable 83.9 percent (26-of-31) of his field goal attempts.

Fagan is the 28th different Bulldog to be named SEC Player of the Week since the award's inception in 1985. Those players have combined to earn 38 POTW certificates.

The Nomination Wasn't Automatic

The decision to nominate Fagan for SEC Player of the Week required some thought.

Graduate transfer Andrew Garcia also had an outstanding - and efficient - game against the Rattlers. The Bergenfield, N.J., native scored a game-high 22 points in just 23 minutes of action in his Bulldog debut.

Garcia connected on 6-of-8 shots from the field and converted on 10-of-11 trips to the free-throw line in his first outing for UGA.

Hoops Scheduling 2020 Style

It took four opponents for Georgia to play its first two games of the season.

As of Monday, Nov. 23, UGA was scheduled to play Gardner-Webb on Nov. 29. The decision was made to cancel that contest that day after consultation with UGA Athletic Association medical personnel due to COVID-19 issues within the GWU roster.

About 24 hours later, Georgia announced it would play Florida A&M on the 29th. On Tuesday, Tom Crean said: "Well in a nut shell, this came up yesterday morning and we already had some ideas of potential replacements for the first couple of weeks so we really started with that. That becomes the most important thing...some were available, most weren't available to be honest with you, but Florida A&M was the one that had the most opportunity to say yes and the best opportunity to say yes, in the shortest amount of time, and the shortest distance involved."

Less than 24 hours after that, Crean's comments seemed prophetic when Wednesday's season opener against Columbus State was canceled just hours before tip off. That outing was scrapped when COVID-19 tests returned positive within the Cougars' traveling party.

On Nov. 30 - about 54-and-a-half hours before tipoff - the Columbus State game was replaced by the Dec. 2 North Georgia contest. The addition of that contest lined up games against Nighthawks, Dolphins and Grizzlies in a span of just less than a week.

"It's not optimal, but for this year, it's very probable," Tom Crean said following the North Georgia contest. "I told the guys, we may get to a situation where we don't have three games in three weeks, let alone three games in one week. Who knows what way this season is going to go. Anything you do is getting you ready for what's coming. It just so happens that this is the way it's going to be."

Bulldogs In Season Openers

Georgia has compiled an 83-33 record in opening contests, including a 3-0 mark under Tom Crean. That includes an even more impressive 37-6 mark at Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia's most significant win in an opener at the Coliseum also was its first. In the initial opener in the current arena on Dec. 3 1964, UGA bested No. 13 North Carolina, 64-61.

Latest Opener In A While

Last season, the Bulldogs christened their season on Nov. 5, the earliest opening contest ever in Georgia's 115 seasons. The previous date for an initial outing was when UGA began the 2013-14 campaign on Nov. 8.

With the 2020-21 campaign delayed due to COVID-19, the Bulldogs' Nov. 29 date against Florida A&M was their latest opener in nearly three decades.

Georgia began the 1992-93 season on Dec. 1, with a 76-65 loss to No. 3 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. That contest was the first of a "home-and-home." The quote marks are to emphasize that Kansas' return was not to Athens. The Bulldogs ventured to Lawrence, but the Jayhawks return game in Atlanta for the first-ever basketball event at Georgia Dome, the 1993 Kuppenheimer Classic.

Bulldogs Better In Tight Games

Georgia was 5-3 in contests decided by four points or less last season, with tight wins over Georgia Tech (72-68), Chaminade (80-77), SMU (87-85), No. 9 Memphis (65-62) and Vanderbilt (80-78) and close setbacks against Missouri (72-69), Alabama (105-102) and South Carolina (94-90 in OT).

That was a huge difference from Tom Crean's first season in Athens when UGA was 0-6 in such outings, with all six setbacks to NCAA Tournament teams.

Top-Ranked JUCOs Join Dogs

Each of Georgia's junior college recruits was ranked among the top-15 prospects nationally by 247Sports.com. Mikal Starks was listed at No. 9, Tyron McMillan was No. 11 and Jonathan Ned was No. 15.

Ned and Starks come from dramatically different hometowns but the same junior college - Eastern Florida State. Ned is from Northern California, while Starks hails from South Florida. They helped EFSC's Titans win 55 games over two seasons and reach the "Elite Eight" round of the 2019 NJCAA Tournament.

McMillan, who played AAU basketball with Sahvir Wheeler, earned All-Region honors in his one season at Kilgore College in Texas.

Edwards Drafted No. 1 Overall

Anthony Edwards was chosen by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft on Nov. 18. Edwards became the Bulldogs' highest draft pick ever, topping Dominique Wilkins, who was selected No. 3 overall in 1982.

"This is an incredibly special night for an incredibly special young man," Tom Crean said. "I know the time and the effort he's put into getting to this point. He's earned it. He works extremely hard. He's dedicated to getting better."

Edwards is the Bulldogs' 39th NBA Draft pick and the eighth first-rounder. He was the first lottery pick since Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (No. 8 overall) in 2013.

"This is a big-time moment for this program," Crean said. "When you're trying to build on what others have done here before, you've got to have moments that help establish what you want your program to be. I think this is something that everyone who has ever been a part of Georgia Basketball can be proud of. It also shows that you can come to Georgia, and in Anthony's case come to Georgia and stay close to home, and you can achieve all of your dreams. That's really, really important for us."

Edwards was the nation's top-scoring freshman last season, averaging 19.1 ppg. He scored 610 points, the 10th-most ever by an SEC freshman in a single season.

Edwards was named SEC Freshman of the Year by both league coaches and the Associated Press and was tabbed SEC Freshman of the Week a school-record four times.

Edwards became the SEC's sixth all-time overall No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft - and the fifth since 2010. The league's other top picks include Shaquille O'Neal to Orlando in 1992, John Wall to Washington in 2010, Anthony Davis to New Orleans in 2012, Karl Anthony-Towns to Minnesota in 2015 and Ben Simmons to Philadelphia in 2016.

A Good Year for Drafted Dogs

Anthony Edwards' selection in the NBA Draft continued a strong year for Georgia Bulldogs in professional drafts.

Offensive tackle Andrew Thomas was the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL Draft by the New York Giants. Pitcher Emerson Hancock was the No. 6 selection in the first round of the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners.

With that, Georgia became just the fifth school ever to have top-10 picks in the three major sports drafts in the same year.

And While We're Talking Pros...

The 2020 year hasn't had very many highlights overall, but three former Georgia Bulldogs certainly have.

Mecole Hardman capped a Pro Bowl rookie season by helping the Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV (that's 54 for the commoners).

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had an outstanding run to help Los Angeles capture the NBA Championship. KCP started all 21 games of the Lakers' run through the Playoffs. He averaged 10.7 points per game in the postseason, largely due to connecting on 45 3-pointers. That tally is the second-most ever by a Laker during the Playoffs, trailing only Kobe Bryant's 49 in 2009-10.

Pitcher Alex Wood pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts for the Dodgers in their decisive win over Tampa Bay in game 6 of the World Series. With that, Georgia became the only school in the nation with former players who won NFL, NBA and MLB championship rings during 2020.

A Summer Unlike Any Other

COVID-19 forced the Bulldogs' season to end prematurely on March 12 and began a period where Tom Crean was away from on-court coaching for more than four months. Georgia returned to workouts on July 20 with and eight newcomers.

"The only guy will a full year of college basketball with us in the program is Tye Fagan," Crean said. "That's really tough because the sophomores didn't get the full spring. And when the three grad transfers and Tyron McMillan got to campus, that was the first time we'd personally met them and talked to them not on phone, FaceTime or zoom. There was nothing normal about this summer. There was nothing even remotely close to normal as to how you would build your team."

Crean Impressed With Teamwork

Tom Crean was impressed his current roster's ability to form a bond. Eight Bulldogs are newcomers - two freshmen, three junior college transfers and three graduate transfers.

"I like their camaraderie," Crean said this summer. "I like their spirit. We've worked very hard. There's guys who are in the gym at different times, whether it's later at night or early in the morning. There are guys who are very, very hungry.

"In addition to all that, they've done a good job in the weight room. They've done a good job when we worked out outside. They've pushed each other. They've competed. There is a spirit about them, and they're improving."

Bulldogs Speak Out On Issues

In addition to the pandemic, social issues dominated the landscape for much of the summer. Several Georgia basketball players, led by Tye Fagan and Sahvir Wheeler, chose to utilize their platform and voice to speak toward needed changes to create a better and more respectful society in general.

Fagan took part in a march in Thomaston, Ga., where he led Upson-Lee High School to back-to-back state titles in 2017 and 2018.

"It's bigger than basketball, it's bigger than me," Fagan said. "A lot of people have lost their lives, a lot of people are upset. A lot of my people are upset and they feel a lot of different ways. I can't blame them because I feel the same way, seeing guys suffer from police brutality or racism or bigotry or whatever you want to call it. Black people have been suffering a lot over the past few months. It's been going on forever but especially over the past few months."

In an interview with DawgNation.com Wheeler stated: "One of the most important things is this is a time when the country has to pivot, and it has put a magnifying glass on our actions, our deeds and our approach with others in relationships in general," Wheeler said. "It has come to question ourselves: What are we willing to tolerate? What is the catalyst of change? How are we looking upon other people from different walks of life, and how we can take a step forward in progression so everyone can be equal?"

Ronnie Hogue To Be Honored

Ronnie Hogue, the first Black men's basketball scholarship student-athlete at the University of Georgia, will be honored with a commemorative sticker on the Stegeman Coliseum basket supports during the 2020-21 season. Hogue passed away in Setpember at the age of 69.

A native of Washington, D.C., Hogue arrived in Athens in the fall of 1969 and became one of the best players of his time, or any other era of Bulldog basketball.

Two years before freshmen became eligible under NCAA rules, Hogue averaged 19.1 points per game on UGA's freshman squad. He burst upon the scene the following year when, playing largely out of position as a forward, he averaged 16.2 points per game and was named to the SEC's All-Sophomore team.

The following year, 1972, was a breakout season for Hogue as he upped his scoring average to 20.5 points per game. In the season's fifth game, on December 20, 1971, he exploded for a career-high 46 points against LSU, the most ever by a Bulldog in Stegeman Coliseum and second-highest single-game tally in school history. Perhaps more impressive than the scoring total was the fact that Hogue connected on 20-of-23 shots from the floor en route to that output. Hogue was named first-team All-SEC by league coaches that season while also garnering second-team honors from the AP and UPI. As a senior, Hogue averaged 16.5 points per game.

Hogue finished his Georgia career with 1,367 points in just three seasons. At the time, that ranked second among UGA's all-time scoring leaders.

Hogue was drafted by the Washington Bullets in the seventh round of the 1973 NBA Draft.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Christian Brown

Toumani Camara

Anthony Edwards

Tye Fagan

Andrew Garcia

P.J. Horne

K.D. Johnson

Justin Kier

Tyron McMillan

Jonathan Ned

Mikal Starks

Josh Taylor

Sahvir Wheeler