MBB Game Notes: Dogs Return To Road At Ole Miss

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (7-4, 0-4 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (6-4, 1-2 SEC)
Saturday, January 16, at 12:00 p.m. ET
The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) in Oxford, Miss.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta. (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer) | Affiliates
TV: SEC Network (Tom Hart play-by-play; Debbie Antonelli, analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: XM: 381; Internet: 971
History: UGA leads, 74-45 (Full History)
Last Meeting: UGA, 81-63, on March 11, 2020

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
34-41 in 3rd season at UGA
390-272 in 21st season overall
2	Sahvir Wheeler	14.2	3.5
5-10; 180; Soph.; Houston, Texas
5	Justin Kier	11.5	4.0
6-6; 215; Soph.; Hopkins, S.C.
10	Toumani Camara	14.1	7.5
6-8; 220; Soph.; Brussels, Belgium
24	P.J. Horne	10.0	4.2
6-6; 230; Gr.; Tifton, Ga.
25	Tyron McMillan	2.4	2.0
6-9; 220; Soph.; New Orleans, La.

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Ole MIss Rebels
Coach: Kermit Davis
41-35 in 3rd season at OM
510-298 in 26th season overall
1	Austin Crowley	4.5	2.5
6-5; 195; Soph.; West Point, Miss.
2	DeVonte Shuler	12.6	2.2
6-2; 185; Sr.; Irmo, S.C.
3	Khadim Sy	5.3	1.7
6-10; 238; Sr.; Dakar, Senegal
5	KJ Buffen	10.1	4.4
6-7; 230; Jr.; Gainesville, Ga.
15	Luis Rodriguez	9.0	7.4
6-6; 210; Soph.; Los Angeles, Califf.

TEAM COMPARISON

2020-21 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	OLE MISS
Points Per Game	79.9	72.4
Opp. Point Per Game	74.9	61.7
Scoring Margin	+5.0	+10.7
Field Goal Pct.	.461	.443
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.436	.394
3-Point Pct.	.309	.286
3-Pointers Per Game	6.2	15.9
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.321	.344
Free Throw Pct.	.674	.675
Free Throws Per Game	14.3	14.1
Rebounds Per Game	41.7	38.6
Opp. Rebound Per Game	35.2	34.1
Rebound Margin	+6.5	+4.5
Assists Per Game	15.2	14.1
Turnovers Per Game	18.1	14.4
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.84	0.98
Turnover Margin	0.0	+4.3
Steals Per Game	9.1	8.5
Blocks Per Game	2.5	4.0

The Starting 5...

Toumani Camara and Sahvir Wheeler enter the week tied for the SEC lead with four double-doubles. Camara's are point-board. Wheeler's are point-assist.
K.D. Johnson's 21 points against Auburn was the third-most ever by a UGA freshman in his debut...trailing only D. Wilkins (26) and A. Edwards (24).
Sahvir Wheeler's four point-assist double-doubles in the first nine games equaled the second-best single-season total by any SEC player in the 2000s.
Eight different Bulldogs have scored in double figures during the 2020-21 season, combining to produce 44 double-digit performances in just 11 games.
UGA's roster features eight newcomers with representative in every class – two freshmen, a sophomore, two juniors and a trio of senior graduate transfers.

The Opening Tip

Georgia travels to Oxford, Miss., this Saturday for the Bulldogs' third SEC road outing in a four-game span. Georgia and Ole Miss will meet for a matinee matchup at The Pavilion.

The Bulldogs are 7-4 overall. Georgia began the 2020-21 campaign with a 7-0 start that was the program's best beginning in 38 years...since Georgia's 1982-83 Final Four season.

The Bulldogs entered this week as the only D-I men's hoops program with six players sporting double-figure scoring averages. Through last Sunday, 345 men's basketball teams had played games during the 2020-21 season.

Five Georgia players are now averaging double digits, but there's a twist to that list. Freshman K.D. Johnson, who played his first game of the season, joined the fold with a 21-point outburst against Auburn on Wednesday. However, Andrew Garcia and Tye Fagan slipped under the 10.0 per game. Garcia is literally a single point shy (109 points in 11 games is 9.9 ppg), while Fagan has scored 104 points (9.5 ppg).

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

Justin Kier is...
• 5 assists from 250 for his career
• 12 rebounds from 600 for his career

Andrew Garcia is...
• 107 points from 1,000 for his career
• 32 rebounds for 500 for his career

Series History With Ole Miss

Georgia is 74-45 all-time versus Ole Miss; however, the Rebels own a 28-25 advantage in games played in Oxford.

Georgia and Ole Miss met twice last season, with the Rebels winning a regular-season matchup in Athens but the Bulldogs exacting revenge in the opening round of the SEC Tournament...hours before the sports world came to a screeching halt for the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the March 11 matchup at Bridgestone Arena, Georgia never trailed and led for 39:10 of the contest en route to an 81-63 win.

Georgia built a 24-10 advantage at the 6:18 mark of the opening half. After the Rebels trimmed that margin to 35-30, a Rayshaun Hammonds jumper and a half-court, buzzer beater from Sahvir Wheeler put the Bulldogs back up by 11 (41-30) at the intermission.

Georgia scored the first five points of the second stanza and only allowed Ole Miss to pull within single digits once thereafter.

Earlier last season on Jan. 25, the Rebels defeated the Bulldogs, 70-60, before a sold-out Stegeman Coliseum.

Jordan Harris notched what were then season-high efforts of 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks to lead Georgia.

The Rebels quickly stretched a six-point halftime advantage to 11 before the Bulldogs countered with a 14-2 run to go up 43-42 on an Anthony Edwards 3-pointer with 12:31 left.

Ole Miss regained the lead just 27 seconds later and never trailed the rest of the evening.

Scouting The Rebels

Ole Miss is 6-4 overall and 1-2 in SEC play entering Saturday's game. Due to COVID-19 issues, the Rebels were the final Power 5 team to start their 2020-21 season. Ole Miss tipped off its campaign on Dec. 10 and wasted no time in getting games in, playing six games were over 13 days.

Devontae Shuler leads a trio of double-digit scorers for the Rebels at 12.6 ppg, while Romello White and KJ Buffen are chipping in 11.6 ppg and 10.1 ppg, respectively.

Last Time out

Despite a 21-point outing by K.D. Johnson in his collegiate debut, the Bulldogs dropped a 95-77 decision to Auburn at Stegeman Coliseum on Wednesday.

Georgia scored the first seven points of the second half to pull within 45-41 with 18:36 remaining the game; however, the Tigers responded with a 22-3 surge to gain control.

Johnson Wows In His UGA Debut

Freshman K.D. Johnson made quite a splash in his first collegiate outing against Auburn on Wednesday. The Atlanta native poured in 21 points – the third-most ever by a Bulldog in their first outing for UGA as outlined below.

Johnson missed the first 10 games of the season while the NCAA reviewed his academic certification. On Monday, Jan. 11, Johnson announced on social media that he was immediately eligible to play. Two days later, he took the court and produced an extremely impressive linescore. Not only did he score 21 points, Johnson had seven rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks.

Top Tally debuts by UGA Freshmen
Rk.	Player	Points	Season
1.	Dominique Wilkins	26	1979-80
2.	Anthony Edwards	24	2019-20
3.	K.D. Johnson	21	2020-21
4.	Sahvir Wheeler	19	2019-20
	Terry Fair	19	1979-80
6.	Jeremy Price	18	2007-08
	D.A. Layne	18	1998-99
8.	Sundiata Gaines	17	2004-05
9.	Rayshaun Hammonds	17	2017-18
10.	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	15	2011-12

Wrecking Announcers' Boards

TV and radio announcers working ahead on their game prep got a surprise on Monday (Jan. 11) when K.D. Johnson, a consensus top-100 prospect in the Class of 2020, became immediately eligible play.

Johnson announced on social media platforms: "Thank you to the NCAA for granting me immediate eligibility and allowing me to play basketball this season. I will not comment on the waiver, but look forward to a great rest of the season with my teammates."

Head coach Tom Crean stated: "We're extremely excited to have K.D. eligible. Probably the only people more excited than me are K.D. and his mother, Jada. K.D. has been with us every day in workouts and practices since last summer and has been incredibly patient and mature throughout this process. I would like to thank NCAA for their efforts as we worked to reach this resolution."

Johnson was ranked No. 73 by ESPN.com and No. 87 in the 247Sports composite. Last season, he averaged 26.2 points, 7.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game at Hargrave Military Academy. Prior to that, Johnson played three seasons at Southwest DeKalb High School from 2016-19 and was named Georgia's Class 5A Player of the Year as a junior.

Wheeler Supplies Season's Last ESPN No. 1 Play Against Ole Miss

Sahvir Wheeler's half-court, buzzer-beater to end the first half against Ole Miss in last season's first-round matchup in the SEC Tournament was the top play for March 11 on ESPN's SportsCenter.

With the sports world coming to an abrupt halt the following morning, that effort ended up being the final top play of the 2019-20 college basketball season.

The Final Bucket Meant Something

Anthony Edwards, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft, scored his final points as a Bulldog on an alley oop from Tye Fagan in the closing seconds of last season's SEC Tournament win over Ole Miss.

While seemingly insignificant at the time, those points took on added meaning historically when the rest of the 2020-21 season canceled the following morning. That basket gave Edwards 610 points on the season and pushed him past Tennessee's Allan Houston into the No. 10 spot among the SEC all-time freshman scoring leaders as outlined below.

Edwards, the consensus SEC Freshman of the Year, averaged 19.1 ppg last season, the top tally nationally among D-I freshmen.

Top Freshman SEC Scoring Totals
Rk.	Player, School	Season	Total
1.	Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (Chris Jackson), LSU	1989	965
2.	Malik Monk, Kentucky	2017	754
3.	Jamal Murray, Kentucky	2016	720
4.	Bernard King, Tennessee	1975	661
5.	Brandon Knight, Kentucky	2011	657
6.	Jacky Dorsey, Georgia	1975	646
7.	Collin Sexton, Alabama	2018	632
	Ben Simmons, LSU	2016	632
9.	John Wall, Kentucky	2010	616
10.	Anthony Edwards, Georgia	2020	610

Wheeler Sets UGA Freshman Mark

Sahvir Wheeler equaled his season high with eight assists against Ole Miss in the 2020 SEC Tournament opener and in the process also broke Georgia's freshman assists record.

Wheeler's effort versus the Rebels gave him 139 passes-to-points for the 2019-20 season, breaking the previous mark of 133 established by Litterial Green during the 1988-89 campaign.

Thank You Sir May I Have Another

Georgia has committed 189 turnovers.

UGA's opponents have committed 189 TOs.

That gives the Bulldogs a Senator John Blutarsky-esque turnover margin of "zero–point-zero."

Bulldogs Balanced On Offense

Georgia began this week as the only Division I basketball team in the nation with six players averaging double figures. Through Sunday, 345 D-I teams had begun their 2020-21 campaign.

Toumani Camara, Sahvir Wheeler, Justin Kier, Andrew Garcia, P.J. Horne and Tye Fagan represented the only sextet of teammates contributing 10 or more points of offense.

That number slipped to five following Wednesday's game...with a twist. Freshman K.D. Johnson is now a double-digit scorer, but Garcia and Fagan aren't.

All told, eight different Bulldogs – add Johnson Christian Brown to the ledger above – have combined to notch 44 double-digit scoring outputs during Georgia's first 11 games. Four or more Bulldogs have reached double figures in eight outings, including a season-high six against Jacksonville.

Following the Bulldogs, there were 24 teams with five double-digit scorers as of Monday, including Arkansas, Auburn and Kentucky from the SEC.

Kier, Wheeler Leading SEC

Georgia's Justin Kier and Sahvir Wheeler entered this weekend leading the SEC in steals and assists, respectively.

Kier is averaging of 2.1 spg, which also ranks No. 59 nationally.

Wheeler's production of 7.3 passes-to-points not only is atop SEC stats but No. 6 nationally. His average was 1.5 assists per game better than any other league player entering this week.

Dogs' Double-Double Tandem

Georgia's Toumani Camara and Sahvir Wheeler are the only SEC teammates with four double-doubles each this season.

Camara's double-double efforts are of the point-rebound variety and came versus Montana, Cincinnati, Mississippi State and LSU.

Wheeler opened the campaign with a trio of point-assist efforts against Florida A&M, North Georgia and Jacksonville. He is believed to be the first SEC player with three straight point-assist double-doubles Mississippi State's Chuck Evans in 1993.

Following a scoring review, he picked up a 10th assist – and a fourth double-double – in a Jan. 6 overtime loss at LSU. Wheeler now has the second-most point-assist double-doubles in a season by any SEC player in the 2000s as outlined below.

SEC Pt.-Ast. Double-Doubles In 2000s
Rk.	No.	Player, School	Season	GP
1.	7	Tyler Ulis, Kentucky	2015-16	35
2.	4	Sahvir Wheeler, Georgia	2020-21	10
	4	Tremont Waters, LSU	2018-19	33
	4	Tremont Waters, LSU	2017-18	33
	4	Phil Pressey, Missouri	2012-13	34
6.	3	Jabril Durham, Arkansas	2015-16	32
	3	Dee Bost, Mississippi St.	2011-12	33
	3	John Wall, Kentucky	2009-10	37
	3	Nick Calathes, Florida	2008-09	36
	3	Torris Bright, LSU	2002-03	32

Camara's Production Increases

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

Camara's scoring average is up 114 percent from a year ago – from 6.6 to 14.1 ppg – while his rebounding count is up 74 percent – from 4.3 to 7.5 rpg.

In turn, Camara has produced an SEC-high four double-doubles this season.

Camara's increased offense can be traced to 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 nine more double-digit tallies this season, Camara has now scored 10 or more points in 16 of his last 26 outings at Georgia.

Bulldogs Supplying The Digits

Georgia is averaging 79.9 points per game this season, continuing the Bulldogs' trend of big-time point production under Tom Crean.

Georgia scored 92 points against LSU on Jan. 6 – the 13th time UGA reached the 90-point plateau in Crean's 73 games at UGA. By comparison, Georgia scored 90 or more points just 13 times in the 403 games before Crean's arrival, a span of 10-plus seasons dating back to 2008.

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. Georgia's current average would represent the Bulldogs' best tally since putting up 81.7 ppg in 1990-91.

Lots of New Faces

Georgia's 2020-21 roster features five returnees and eight newcomers.

The octet of first-year Bulldogs 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.

This One Is Hard To Believe

Saturday's game will be Georgia's fifth Southeastern Conference outing of the 2020-21 season. Devontae Shuler is the first true, fourth-year senior the Bulldogs will see in conference action.

Not only does Georgia not have a true senior, neither did any of the Bulldogs' first four league foes – Mississippi State, LSU, Arkansas or Auburn.

Latest Road Opener In 77 Seasons

Georgia's trip to Baton Rouge to face LSU on Jan. 6 represented the Bulldogs' latest initial road game in a season calendar wise since 1945.

The Bulldogs opened the "1944-45" campaign by hosting Clemson on Jan. 8 and then traveled to take on Jacksonville NAS (that's Naval Air Station) on Jan. 12.

The last time Georgia played December games and its first road game this late was the 1940. The Bulldogs played five home dates between Dec. 20, 1939-Jan. 5, 1040 before trekking to Clemson on Jan. 6, 1940.

Bulldogs Collect SEC Honors

Georgia's Tye Fagan and Toumani Camara earned Southeastern Player of the Week accolades for the first and fourth weeks of the season, respectively.

Fagan won the honor on Nov. 30, a day after posting career-high tallies of 21 points and 10 rebounds en route to his first career double-double versus Florida A&M.

Fagan 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).

Camara was tabbed on Dec. 21 after his 19-point, 10-rebound performance against Cincinnati two days earlier. He equaled his career-best scoring output (19 points) for the third time this season en route to his second double-double.

The sophomore from Brussels, Belgium, had 14 points and eight rebounds in the first half and keyed a 15-0 run that broke the game wide open and extended an eight-point lead to a 23-point cushion. Camara scored eight points and collected four boards in that surge.

Fagan and Camara are the 28th and 29th different Bulldogs who have combined to win SEC Player of the Week recognition 39 times since the award's inception in 1985.

UGA Among Last Unbeatens

With a men's/women's doubleheader sweep on Dec. 22, Georgia became one of only two D-I schools with both hoops programs undefeated on Christmas.

In the afternoon, the Lady Bulldogs improved to 8-0 by dispatching Appalachian State, 107-44, their highest scoring output since Dec. 28, 2000.

Later that evening, the Bulldogs defeated Northeastern, 76-58, to improve to 7-0, their best start in 38 years.

Michigan, with a 7-0 men's team and a 5-0 women's record, was the only other school with unblemished records when Santa Claus circled the globe. And a tip of the cap to the Wolverines, who are still undefeated and a combined 21-0 entering this weekend.

Wheeler Produces Historic Start

Sahvir Wheeler opened the season with a streak three consecutive point-assist double-doubles.

Wheeler has 12 points and 12 assists against Florida A&M, equaling the fourth-best single-game assist tally in 116 seasons of Georgia Basketball. It also was the most assists by a Bulldog in more than two decades...since G.G. Smith also had a dozen against Vanderbilt on Jan. 3, 1999.

The sophomore from Houston followed the FAMU contests with 17 points and 10 assists versus North Georgia and 21 points and 10 assists against Jacksonville.

Wheeler became the first SEC player to record three-straight point-assist double-doubles since at least the 2000-01 season. In fact, only two league players – Florida's Chris Chiozza and Kentucky's Tyler Ulis – recorded back-to-back point-assist double-doubles in the last five seasons. The last instance of three-consecutive point-assist double-doubles found was a stretch by Mississippi State's Chuck Evans during the 1992-93 season.

Wheeler also is believed to be the first Georgia player with back-to-back double-figure assist tallies ever. Box scores dating back through 1969-70 did not find anyone who had done so. There were a couple of close calls, most notably Gino Gianfrancesco – who owns three of the top-four single-game assist efforts in school history – in a three-game span covering the 1971-72 and 1972-73 seasons.

Crean Familiar With Bearcats

Tom Crean improved to 7-7 all-time against Cincinnati with a Dec. 19 win over the Bearcats. All of the previous matchups coming during his tenure at Marquette from 1999-08.

"This game brings back tremendous intensity for me," Crean said prior to the game. "When I was growing up as a coach, every day it started with 'What's going on at Cincinnati?' and 'What's going on at Louisville?' My coaching career began with those two programs as a measuring stick. Every day was about how do we compete with Cincinnati."

Marquette and Cincinnati were conference rivals throughout Crean's time in Milwaukee, competing in Conference USA from 1999-05 before both moved to the Big East. They also were relatively regular NCAA participants, combining for 11 bids to "March Madness."

Of Big Plays And "+/-" Numbers

Georgia's Dec. 12 win over Samford wasn't decided until the game's final seconds.

The Bulldogs took their first lead of the evening when Jaxon Etter scored with 1:17 remaining. Georgia was up 76-73 with 13 ticks on the clock when P.J. Horne's putback of a missed free throw pushed the margin to five points and two possessions.

While those plays drew attention, examining the box score revealed that Etter and Horne also were two of Georgia's most efficient players on the evening.

Etter played just shy of four minutes but the Bulldogs were "+8" with him on the floor. The sophomore from Woodstock helped Georgia thwart Samford's first-half momentum. In just 2:30 of action, Etter recorded a +/- of "+6", the best effort of any Bulldog in the period.

Horne's 34 minutes of PT – his most of the season to date – provided the Bulldogs with a "+13" margin with him in the court.

A Busy Bunch Of Bulldogs

Georgia opened the 2020-21 season by playing five games in 14 days.

That came following a 263-day gap between March 11 – when Georgia played its final game of the 2019-20 season at the SEC Tournament – and Nov. 29 – when the Bulldogs opened this season versus Florida A&M.

Dunks On Dolphins Eyed By ESPN

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.

The Nomination Wasn't Automatic

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

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 playing time. Garcia connected on 6-of-8 shots from the field and converted on 10-of-11 trips to the free-throw line in his debut as a Bulldog.

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."

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.

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 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.

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Players Mentioned

Christian Brown

Toumani Camara

Anthony Edwards

Jaxon Etter

Tye Fagan

Andrew Garcia

Rayshaun Hammonds

Jordan Harris

P.J. Horne

K.D. Johnson

Justin Kier

Tyron McMillan

Jonathan Ned

Mikal Starks

Josh Taylor

Sahvir Wheeler