MBB Game Notes: Dogs Back In Action After 11-Day Break

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (4-5) vs. George Mason (5-5)
Saturday, December 18, 2021 | 7:00 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Flagship: WSB AM 750); (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer) | Affiliates
TV: None
Video Stream: SEC Network+ (Jeff Dantzler, pbp; Mark Slonaker, analyst)
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: XM: 386; SXM App: 976
History: 0-0
Last Meeting: First Meeting

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
45-54 in 4th season at UGA
401-285 in 22nd season overall
0	Jailyn Ingram	10.7	6.0
(6-7; 225; Grad.; Madison, Ga.)
3	Kario Oquendo	10.4	3.2
(6-4; 215; Soph.; Titusville, Fla.)
5	Christian Wright	6.2	2.6
(6-3; 185; Fr.; Alpharetta, Ga.)
10	Aaron Cook	11.0	3.4
(6-2; 185; Grad.; St. Louis, Va.)
23	Braelen Bridges	12.7	5.4
(6-11; 240; Sr.; Atlanta, Ga.)

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

George Mason Patriots
Coach: Kim English
5-5 in 1st season at GMU
5-5 in 1st season overall
0	DeVon Cooper	13.0	1.9
(6-4; 201; Grad.; Louisville, Ky.)
3	Davonte Gaines	10.9	8.5
(6-7; 187; Jr.; Buffalo, N.Y.)
10	Jamal Hartwell II	5.3	1.2
(5-10; 155; Sr.; Inglewood, Calif.)
13	Josh Oduro	18.1	6.7
(6-9; 235; Jr.; Gainesville, Va.)
15	D'Shawn Schwartz	13.9	5.2
(6-7; 232; Grad.; Colorado Springs, Colo,)

TEAM COMPARISON

2020-21 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	GEORGE MASON
Points Per Game	68.1	72.6
Opp. Point Per Game	68.9	67.4
Scoring Margin	-0.8	+5.2
Field Goal Pct.	.449	.453
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.421	.427
3-Point Pct.	.300	.354
3-Pointers Per Game	5.7	9.6
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.311	.352
Free Throw Pct.	.688	.699
Free Throws Per Game	14.4	11.6
Rebounds Per Game	34.3	36.3
Opp. Rebound Per Game	34.7	30.4
Rebound Margin	-0.3	+5.9
Assists Per Game	13.9	13.3
Turnovers Per Game	14.4	13.4
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.96	0.99
Turnover Margin	-2.7	-0.3
Steals Per Game	5.9	6.1
Blocks Per Game	2.8	3.2

Promotional Giveaway

To commemorate "National Ugly Sweater Day," the first 1,000 fans in attendance at Saturday's game will receive a free ugly sweater t-shirt.

The Starting 5...

As of 12/16, Aaron Cook and Braelen Bridges ranked No. 8 nationally in assists and FG pct., respectively.
After scoring 32 points in his first 14 career outings, Jabri Abdur-Rahim has put up 45 in UGA's last three games.
George Mason associate head coach Dennis Felton was UGA's head coach from 2003-09.
Tom Crean earned his 400th career victory with UGA's 82-79 upset of No. 18 Memphis on Dec. 1.
UGA's seven first-year transfers combined to score 4,782 points at their previous schools.

The Opening Tip

Following an 11-day break from competition during Final Exams, the Georgia Bulldogs return to action on Saturday evening when they host the George Mason Patriots at Stegeman Coliseum.

The matchup is the first a trio of outings in roughly 98 hours for the Bulldogs. Georgia also will host Western Carolina on Monday and ETSU on Wednesday. All told, the Bulldogs are in the midst of an eight-game, 37-day homestand.

Georgia is looking to extend its two-game winning streak. The Bulldogs' bested No. 18 Memphis, 82-79, on Dec. 1 to give Tom Crean the 400th victory of his head coaching career and followed that with a double-digit decision over Jacksonville on Dec. 7.

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

Entering Tonight's Game:

Aaron Cook is...
• 37 assists from 400 for his career
• 9 outings from 150 games played in his career
• 24 steals from 200 for his career

Series History Against GMU

Georgia and George Mason will be meeting for the first time on the hardwood this weekend.

The Bulldogs have played 11 of 13 teams competing with the Patriots in the Atlantic 10 Conference, compiling a combined 13-11 record in those outings. All of those are one- or two-game series except for Georgia's 3-2 record against La Salle, a 1-4 mark versus Davidson and 2-1 effort with George Washington.

Scouting The Patriots

George Mason arrives in Athens with a 5-5 record under first-year head coach Kim English.

The Patriots began the season on a tear, winning their first four games headlined by a 71-66 victory at No. 20 Maryland. George Mason then endured a five-game losing skid, with three of those setbacks coming in the Crossover Classic, before bouncing back to top Navy in their most recent outing. Like Georgia, GMU will be playing its first game since Dec. 7.

Josh Oduro leads a quarter of double-figure scorers in the Patriots' starting lineup, averaging 18.1 ppg. D'Shawn Schwartz chips in 13.9 ppg, DeVon Cooper adds 13.0 and Davonte Gaines contributes 10.9 ppg and a team-high 8.5 rpg.

Last Time Out

Braelen Bridges' efficient 14-point outing lead a trio of Bulldogs in double figures in a 69-58 win over Jacksonville on Dec. 7.

Bridges connected on all four of his field goal attempts and converted on 6-of-8 trips to the line, while Jailyn Ingram added a dozen points and Jabri Abdur-Rahim chipped in 10.

After leading by eight points at the half, Georgia extended that advantage to 14 points less than three minutes into the second period and maintained a double-figure edge most of the rest of the game. The margin topped out at 16 points, 67-51, with 1:24 remaining.

The Dolphins' Mike Marsh notched the first double-double against Georgia this season with 15 points and 10 boards.

The contest was marred by a season-ending knee injury suffered by Ingram at the 14:21 mark of the second half.

Dogs Look To Regroup Again

Saturday's game will be Georgia first since losing Jailyn Ingram to a knee injury during the Jacksonville game on Dec. 7.

The "super senior" from Madison, Ga., and Morgan County High School went down with 14:21 remaining in the contest and did not return.

Following an MRI on Dec. 8, head coach Tom Crean confirmed the prognosis on Dec. 9 with a Twitter post stating: "Unfortunately, Jailyn Ingram will have to have surgery to repair his ACL in his right knee. It's heartbreaking because Jailyn has been emerging in so many areas and has been a model of consistency day in and day out. He's an incredible young man. We will help him in every way.

"Jailyn has brought a spirit and seriousness to us. He is a guy that is in the gym most mornings before we would lift weights at 8:45 and was a stabilizing for a young team. We plan to appeal for the waiver to get another year since he's under the 30% games played. Pray for him."

Ingram's setback is the second season-ending injury for Georgia. On Oct. 20, Crean announced that P.J. Horne, one of just two Bulldogs to start every game last season, would miss the 2021-22 campaign. Tweeted Crean: "It's with genuine sadness that I let you know that P.J. Horne will miss this season after undergoing surgery on his right knee this past weekend. In practice, he bumped knees in a scrimmage, lost footing and went down awkwardly.

"This is such a major blow to us because P.J. was playing so well and showing great leadership as our leading returning player, but more so because he is such a great person and one of the finest people I've ever coached. He cares about his teammates deeply.

"The future is definitely in grasp. The goal is to finish his master's, rehab consistently and be the leader we need him to be. A full recovery is expected and anticipated. He will continue to be a DIFFERENCE MAKER in all that he does. We love P.J."

On the Patriots' Bench

George Mason coach Kim English spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Tennessee.

English's associate head coach is a familiar face to Georgia Basketball fans. Dennis Felton was the Bulldogs' head coach for six seasons from 2003-09. He led Georgia to a trio of postseason bids, most notably the 2008 NCAA Tournament after the Bulldogs won three games in two days to capture the SEC Tournament title.

English and Felton worked together at Tulsa for two seasons from 2015-17 prior to reuniting at George Mason.

Jabri's Stats Are Soaring

It's probably glossed over too much that this fall is the first time Jabri Abdur-Rahim has played extended minutes in nearly two years. He suffered a foot injury during his senior season at Blair Academy and only played in two games.

It appears the Jabri who was ranked as one of the nation's top-40 prospects in the Class of 2020 has re-emerged in Georgia's last three outings. Abdur-Rahim exploded for a career-high 20 points against Wofford and followed that with a 15 and 10-point showings versus No. 18 Memphis and Jacksonville, respectively. Equally impressive as the totals was the efficiency in which he scored.

In the last three contests, Abdur-Rahim has scored more points, connected on more field goals and 3-pointers and upped his shooting percentages by massive amounts than in his 14 career outings.

Abdur-Rahim's Increases
Total Points	32	45	+13
Scoring Average	2.3	15.0	12.7
FGs Made	9	13	+4
FG Percentage	.214	.650	+.436
3FGs Made	3	9	+6
3FG Percentage	.125	.600	+.475

Bridges, Cook Among Leaders

Braelen Bridges and Aaron Cook continue to be ranked among SEC and NCAA leaders in field goal percentage and assists, respectively.

Through games played on Dec. 15, Bridges was No. 2 in the league and No. 8 nationally in shooting efficiency, converting on 65.9 percent (45-of-69) of his shots from the floor.

Cook also ranked No. 2 in the league and No. 8 nationally with his average of 6.8 assists per game. He was No. 29 with 54 total assists but should climb as the Bulldogs have three outings in five days.

Crean Captures Win No. 400

Tom Crean secured his 400th career victory with Georgia's upset of No. 18 Memphis on December 1.

Prior to arriving in Athens, Crean compiled 366 W's in his first 18 campaigns as a collegiate head coach. He earned his first 190 victories in nine seasons at Marquette from 1998-2008 and added 166 more in nine campaigns at Indiana between 2008-17 before arriving in Athens and securing the final 44 of his 400.

Tom Crean's Milestone Wins
No. 1 – Nov. 20, 1999 – Marquette defeats Chicago State, 62-43, in Tom Crean's first game as a collegiate head coach.
No. 100 – March 6, 2004 – Freshman Dameon Mason's three-point play with eight-tenths of a second left lifts Marquette over No. 25 Louisville, 81-80.
No. 200 – Dec. 8, 2009 – Indiana knocks off Pittsburgh, 74-64, in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
No. 250 – Nov. 20, 2012 – A day after beating Georgia, 66-53, in the first round, IU tops Georgetown, 82-72, to win the Progressive Legends Classic.
No. 300 – Dec. 20, 2014 – Indiana tops No. 23 Butler, 82-73, as Yogi Ferrell became IU's 48th 1,000-point scorer.
No. 400 – Dec. 1, 2021 – Kario Oquendo's 24-point outburst paces UGA in an 82-79 upset of No. 18 Memphis at a raucous Stegeman Coliseum.

Wright Stellar Against Tigers

Freshman Christian Wright started at point guard against No. 18 Memphis for Aaron Cook, who was out of action due to an illness. That assignment would be tall task for anyone considering the Tigers entered the game forcing an average of 18.0 turnovers per game.

While Wright's scoring, rebounding and playing time tallies drew significant attention – and why wouldn't career-high totals of 17 points, six boards and 38 minutes do so – it was his TO tally that was probably the most significant digit in his linescore. Wright committed just one turnover while logging the most PT of any Bulldog in any game this season to date.

Also of note, Wright drew seven fouls, including two on the offensive end, and converted on 6-of-7 free throw attempts.

We Should've Known...

...when Georgia tipped off against No. 18 Memphis, Kario Oquendo was ready for a breakout performance. There were pretty good indicators on record.

Last season, the Titusville, Fla., native averaged 13.5 points while shooting 55.4 percent from the field for the Florida SouthWestern College.

In Buccaneers' four contests against ranked opponents, those stats jumped to 22.0 points and 63.6 percent.

The trend of big nights against ranked foes continued against Memphis, with Oquendo pouring in 24 points while shooting 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the floor.

Take II: We Should've Known...

...the Bulldogs' upset of No. 18 Memphis was a likely occurrence. Georgia's quartet of victories over ranked teams under Tom Crean all came against Tigers.

Georgia has now one four consecutive matchups against ranked Tigers, with the Bulldogs besting No. 9 Memphis on Jan. 4, 2020, No. 13 Auburn on Feb. 19, 2020 and No. 20 Missouri on Feb. 16, 2021 prior to defeating Memphis.

Tip of the cap to stats guru Dave McMahon (@dave_mc_stats) for being the first to notice the coincidence.

The SportsCenter "top-Quen"

If it's a Tuesday and the Bulldogs are playing, go ahead and set your DVR for SportsCenter if you want to see a Kario Oquendo highlight.

On Tuesday, Nov. 16, Oquendo came in at No. 3 on SportsCenter's top-10 plays after his third highlight reel effort against S.C. State. He stole the ball at midcourt and windmilled home an uncontested dunk. Oquendo came in at No. 6 on Tuesday, Nov. 23 with a posterized effort. The Titusville, Fla., native, who's 6-4, gathered a steal in the Northwestern lane and drove the length of the floor before delivering a thunderous dunk over 6-9 Robbie Beran.

If you want to rate Oquendo's SportsCenter dunks, you can find the S.C. State slam at gado.gs/kariosctop1116 and the Northwestern effort at gado.gs/kariosc1123.

Experience Has Traveled

The phrase "defense travels" is a well-known in the sports world.

The slogan "experience has traveled" may become a more appropriate for the 2021-22 Georgia Bulldogs.

Georgia's lineup is anchored by five D-I transfers, sixth-year "super seniors" Aaron Cook and Jailyn Ingram, graduate transfer seniors Noah Baumann and Braelen Bridges and sophomore Jabri Abdur-Rahim.

That quintet has accounted for 32 of 45 (71.1 percent) of Georgia's starting nods and the majority of its production in virtually every stat.

D-I transfer contributions
Minutes	1800	1019	56.6
Scoring	613	397	64.8
Rebounds	276	170	61.6
Assists	125	88	70.4
Blocks	25	10	40.0
Steals	53	26	49.1

Shooting His Shot

Noah Baumann had an eventual Sunday, November 14. The graduate transfer from Southern Cal proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Mackenzie Moore, beside Lake Herrick at the intramural fields on the UGA campus.

Baumann and Moore have known each other since they were 7th graders at Akimel (pronounced ah-kee-mull) Middle School and started dating during their senior year at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix.

They have endured a long-distance relationship for the past four years.

Moore was a four-year starter on the Miami (Ohio) softball team, batting .279 with seven homers and 66 RBI. She was named second-team All-MAC as a senior, leading the RedHawks to a 46-10 finish, the MAC Championship and an NCAA Tournament bid.

A Homecoming For Jabri

Jabri Abdur-Rahim is from South Orange, N.J., where he attended Blair Academy about an hour from the Prudential Center where the Roman Legends Classic was played.

Abdur-Rahim was named the 2019 Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year after leading Blair's Buccaneers to the Prep A state title. A two-time high school All-American, he missed all but two games of his senior season due to a foot injury. Abdur-Rahim was a consensus top-50 prospect in the Class of 2020, including being listed at No. 38 by ESPN.com.

Jabri's uncle, Amir, was an assistant coach on the Georgia staff during Tom Crean's first season in Athens before being named head coach at Kennesaw State.

Cook Tops Millennium Mark

Aaron Cook blew past the 1,000-point career scoring mark on Nov. 16 against South Carolina State.

The "super senior" was eight points shy of that plateau entering the game. He inched past the milestone on a jumper with 2:21 left in the first half. Cook finished the night with 22 points, three of his career high versus Indiana State on Jan. 24, 2018.

Cook scored 845 points at Southern Illinois from 2016-20. He competed for four seasons at SIU, including a redshirt campaign in 2019-20 due to a broken hand.

Cook transferred to Gonzaga and added 127 points for the Bulldogs en route to their NCAA runner-up finish last season.

Cook scored 10 points in each of his first two outings at UGA, pushing him to 992 prior to the S.C. State matchup.

Dalen, Kario Draw Attention

Kario Oquendo and Dalen Ridgnal have been ranked among the top junior college transfers expected to make the biggest marks at the Division-I level this season.

On August 25, bustingbrackets.com ranked the top-25 junior college players moving to the "high-major" level. Ridgnal was tabbed No. 2 on that ledger, while Oquendo was ranked No. 23.

On Nov. 1, college basketball guru Jon Rothstein tabbed his top-10 "JUCOs to watch" that also included Ridgnal.

Cook Among Most Experienced

Aaron Cook arrived in Athens having already participated in 133 games. Cook logged action in 103 contests in four seasons at Southern Illinois, including six in a 2019-20 redshirt campaign. He then played in 30 contests last season at Gonzaga.

Cook's was the third-most experienced player – game wise – in Division I entering this season as outlined in the next column.

As a point of reference for Georgia's record for career games played is 133 contests by Marcus Thornton from 2011-15. Thornton's tally covers five seasons, including a redshirt season with nine GPs.

In addition, Jailyn Cook ranked among D-I's top-50 players in career outings entering 2021-22, having played in 122 contests at FAU prior to joining the Bulldogs.

D-I's career GPs Leaders
Rk.	Player, School	Games
1.	Jordan Bohannon, Iowa	142
2.	Chevez Goodwin, USC	138
3.	Aaron Cook, Georgia	133
	Garrison Brooks, Miss. St.	133
	Jalen Coleman-Lands, Kansas	133
	Justin Kier, Arizona	133

Welcoming A Slew Of Scoring

Of the 10 newcomers on the Bulldogs' roster seven are transfers – five from the Division I level (Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Noah Baumann, Braelen Bridges, Aaron Cook and Jailyn Ingram) and a pair from the junior college ranks (Kario Oquendo and Dalen Ridgnal).

Those players arrived in Athens having already scored 4,782 points at their previous schools. That represents the largest addition of scoring by any Division I program for the 2021-22 season as outlined below.

In their previous stops, the D-I quintet of the group also logged 8813 minutes in 404 games played, while grabbing 1283 rebounds, dishing 643 assists, swatting 116 blocks and collecting 304 steals.

Top Scoring Influx's In D-I hoops
Rk.	School	Players	Points
1.	Georgia	7	4782
2.	Duquesne	5	4695
3.	Florida	5	4144
4.	Arkansas	6	4125
5.	Penn State	7	5183
6.	Washington St.	4	3785
7.	SMU	4	3733
8.	Kentucky	4	3538
9.	Utah	6	3175
10.	Arizona St.	3	3132

On The Flip Side...

While Georgia welcomed a huge influx of college scoring from its newcomers, the Bulldogs returned a minuscule portion of their scoring from last season.

P.J. Horne was Georgia's only returning starter but was lost for the season after suffering a knee injury during preseason practices. The Tifton, Ga., native put up 222 points – 8.5 ppg – last season, largely due to connecting on a team-high 46 3-pointers.

"This is such a major blow to us because P.J. was playing so well and showing great leadership as our leading returning player, but more so because he is such a great person and one of the finest people I've ever coached," Tom Crean tweeted on Oct. 20. "He cares about his teammates deeply."

With that, the four returning Bulldogs accounted for only 1110 of Georgia's 2014 points a year ago, or 5.5 percent. Walk-on Jaxon Etter is the top returning point producer with 47 points.

Putting Up Points Under Crean

Georgia has certainly been keeping scoreboard operators busy since Tom Crean arrived in Athens in 2018.

The Bulldogs reached the 90-point plateau 15 times in 90 games during Crean's first three seasons. That's a relatively healthy 16.7 percent of the team's total contests.

By comparison, Georgia scored 90 or more points just 15 times in 387 games before Crean's arrival, or .038 percent of the outings in a span that dates back a dozen seasons to the 2006-07 campaign.

The big numbers by the Bulldogs aren't just a single-game thing.

In three seasons under Crean, the Bulldogs have averaged two of their top-5 scoring outputs of the 2000s

Top Scoring Averages In 2000s
Rk.	Season	Points	Games	Avg.
1.	2002-03	2138	27	79.2
2.	2020-21	1944	25	77.8
3.	2001-02	2444	32	76.4
4.	2019-20	2428	32	75.9
5.	2006-07	2477	33	75.1

"B" Is For Basketball Player

You may notice on Georgia's roster that the Bulldogs have gone away from listing traditional positions – guard, forward and center. All 15 players are now simply listed as "B" for "Basketball Player."

Tom Crean is a proponent for "position-less basketball."

"That's what they are," Crean said. "It's not valid to call them centers and power forwards and things like that as much with the way that we're trying to play. They're being trained as basketball players, every day... in the sense of how we train with the ball handling, the driving, the shooting – all those type of things. That's big to me."

MBB Game Notes: Dogs Back In Action After 11-Day Break

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jabri Abdur-Rahim

Noah Baumann

Braelen Bridges

Aaron Cook

Jaxon Etter

P.J. Horne

Jailyn Ingram

Justin Kier

Kario Oquendo

Dalen Ridgnal

Christian Wright

MBB Game Notes: Dogs Back In Action After 11-Day Break

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jabri Abdur-Rahim

Noah Baumann

Braelen Bridges

Aaron Cook

Jaxon Etter

P.J. Horne

Jailyn Ingram

Justin Kier

Kario Oquendo

Dalen Ridgnal

Christian Wright

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