MBB Game Notes: Bulldogs Prepare For Rematch With Auburn

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (10-6, 3-6 SEC) vs. Auburn (10-8, 4-5 SEC)
Tuesday, February 2, at 7:00 p.m. ET
Auburn Arena (9,121) in Auburn, Ala.
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; Jon Sunvold, analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: XM: 380; Internet: 970
History: AU leads, 97-95 (Full History)
Last Meeting: AU, 95-77, on 1/13/21

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
37-43 in 3rd season at UGA
393-274 in 21st season overall
2	Sahvir Wheeler	13.5	3.6
5-10; 180; Soph.; Houston, Texas
5	Justin Kier	9.9	3.6
6-6; 215; Soph.; Hopkins, S.C.
10	Toumani Camara	12.5	6.9
6-8; 220; Soph.; Brussels, Belgium
14	Tye Fagan	9.9	4.8
6-3; 195; Jr.; Logtown, Ga.
24	P.J. Horne	8.7	4.0
6-6; 230; Gr.; Tifton, Ga.

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Auburn Tigers
Coach: Bruce Pearl
135-86 in 7th season at AU
597-231 in 26th season overall
1	Jamal Johnson	8.7	2.3
6-5; 195; Jr.; Birmingham, Ala.
2	Sharife Cooper	21.3	5.3
6-1; 180; Fr.; Powder Springs, Ga.
10	JT Thor	9.3	4.4
6-10; 205; Fr.; Anchorage, Alaska
22	Allen Flanigan	14.1	5.4
6-6; 215; Soph.; Little Rock, Ark.
23	Jaylin Williams	10.4	4.7
6-8; 230; Soph.; Nahunta, Ga.

TEAM COMPARISON

2020-21 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	AUBURN
Points Per Game	77.1	78.4
Opp. Point Per Game	74.8	78.4
Scoring Margin	+2.4	+3.6
Field Goal Pct.	.461	.450
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.444	.428
3-Point Pct.	.318	.331
3-Pointers Per Game	6.3	9.1
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.317	.305
Free Throw Pct.	.672	.691
Free Throws Per Game	13.4	15.3
Rebounds Per Game	38.6	39.5
Opp. Rebound Per Game	36.7	35.6
Rebound Margin	+1.9	+3.9
Assists Per Game	15.5	15.4
Turnovers Per Game	17.4	16.5
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.89	0.93
Turnover Margin	-0.1	-2.1
Steals Per Game	8.4	6.5
Blocks Per Game	2.4	6.1

The Starting 5...

5-10 Sahvir Wheeler is one of 55 D-I players with five or more double-doubles this season. He is the shortest of those players and one of two under 6-0.
Andrew Garcia, who has scored in double figures in each of UGA's last four games, is 48 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point career scoring mark.
K.D. Johnson's 21 points vs. Auburn were the third-most ever by UGA a freshman in their debut behind only Dominique Wilkins (26) & Anthony Edwards (24).
Eight different Bulldogs have scored in double figures during the 2020-21 season, combining to produce 62 double-digit performances in UGA's 16 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

The Georgia Bulldogs, coming off completing a season sweep of Ole Miss last Saturday, return to action on Tuesday night when they make the roughly three-hour, 185-mile trek on I-85 from Athens to face the Auburn Tigers on The Plains.

Tye Fagan and Sahvir Wheeler scored 13 points apiece to lead the Bulldogs in a 71-61 victory over the Rebels on Saturday. Two weeks earlier, Fagan's 19-point performance paced Georgia en route to a 78-74 decision over Ole Miss in Oxford.

Georgia is now 10-6 overall and 3-6 in SEC play on the season.

Auburn also is a two-time foe for the Bulldogs. The Tigers defeated Georgia in Athens a day shy of three weeks ago at Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia remains one of the nation's most balanced offensive teams. Seven Bulldogs are scoring between 8.7-13.5 ppg.

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

Justin Kier is...
• 32 points from 1,300 for his career

Andrew Garcia is...
• 12 rebounds from 500 for his career
• 48 points from 1,000 for his career

Sahvir Wheeler is...
• 4 points from 500 for his career
• 6 assists from No. 20 Rod Cole (1989-90) among UGA's single-season leaders
• 7 assists from co.- No. 19 Gino Gianfran-cesco (1972) and Barry Cohen (1971) among UGA's single-season leaders
• 18 assists from No. 18 Gino Gianfrancesco among UGA's career leaders

Series History With Auburn

Auburn owns a slim 97-95 edge in overall meetings between the Bulldogs and the Tigers, including a 62-25 advantage on The Plains.

Georgia hosted Auburn in Athens on Jan. 13, with the Tigers securing a 95-77 victory at Stegeman Coliseum.

K.D. Johnson poured in 21 points in his collegiate debut, the third-highest output ever by a freshman in their initial outing with the Bulldogs. Only Dominique Wilkins (26) and Anthony Edwards (24) scored more points than Johnson.

After trailing by 11 points at halftime, Georgia scored the first seven points following the intermission to pull within 45-41 with 18:36 remaining; however, the Tigers responded with a 22-3 surge to gain control.

In the most recent meeting in Auburn on Jan. 11 last season, No. 5 Auburn responded after a quick start by the Bulldogs to earn an 82-60 win.

Georgia built an early 14-6 lead before Auburn surged ahead 18-16 just over four minutes later. Following a Rayshaun Hammonds 3-pointer, the Tigers took the lead for good on a pair of free throws at the 5:33 mark of the first half.

Scouting The Tigers

Auburn is 10-8 overall and 4-5 in the SEC.

The Tigers started SEC play at 0-4 before winning four of their next five. Auburn suffered an 82-74 setback at No. 2 Baylor last Saturday as part of the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

Freshman Sharife Cooper leads a quartet of double-figure scorers for the Tigers, averaging 21.3 ppg in seven outings.

Last Time out

Tye Fagan and Sahvir Wheeler led a quartet of Bulldogs in double figures as Georgia defeated Ole Miss, 71-61, last Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum to complete a season sweep of the Rebels.

Andrew Garcia added 11 points, his fourth-straight double-figure outing, and Toumani Camara chipped in 10.

Though the game remained relatively close throughout, Georgia led for 35:24 of the contest's 40 minutes, including all of the second half. The Bulldogs led 37-34 at the break and never allowed Ole Miss any closer.

After the Rebels pulled within 56-53 at the 9:08 mark, a Justin Kier jumper ignited an 11-2 surge that put Georgia up 67-55 just over three minutes later.

A really, Really Close Rivalry

Tuesday's game will be the 193rd between the Bulldogs and the Tigers, with Auburn owning a 97-95 advantage.

The series has been tied five times in the 2000s. Auburn claimed an 81-80 lead entering this century by winning consecutive games in 1998 and 1999 and then won the first date in the 2000s as well.

The Bulldogs knotted the series at 84-84 in 2005 and again at 85-85 in 2007. After Georgia surged ahead, the Tigers' win in 2010 brought the record to 87-87.

Following consecutive wins by the Bulldogs, Auburn scratched the series mark to 90-90 in 2015. Georgia won three of the next four matchups to secure a 94-91 lead through the 2017 campaign.

The Tigers then put together five consecutive wins – their third-longest sting of success against Georgia – to go up 96-94 before the Bulldogs' 65-55 upset last Feb. 19.

While the overall series is close, the location of the game has had a dramatic difference in success. Georgia owns a 62-28 edge in Athens, while the Tigers are 62-25 against UGA on The Plains. The Bulldogs possess an 8-7 lead in neutral site affairs.

New Faces In New Places

There are no less than 14 first-year players in Tuesday's game. Georgia has eight new Bulldogs, while Auburn has six.

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.

The half-dozen Tiger newcomers for the 2020-21 season are all freshmen.

This One Is Hard To Believe

While we're talking about newcomers, let's go to the other end of the spectrum. Tuesday's game will be Georgia's 10th SEC outing. It will be the eighth game which will not include a senior who has spent their entire career at one school.

Devontae Shuler of Ole Miss is the only senior to play his entire career at one school in any of those contests.

Not only does Georgia not have such a senior, neither have any of the Bulldogs' seven other league foes to date – Mississippi State, LSU, Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina.

Bulldogs Who Give And Take

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

Wheeler not only tops the league, he is ranked No. 5 nationally as outlined below. He is averaging 7.4 apg, an eye-catching 2.1 apg more than any other SEC player.

In fact, Wheeler's career average of 5.47 apg is slightly better than the second-best season average in the SEC for 2020-21, Scotty Pippen of Vanderbilt's 5.46.

Kier's 2.3 spg average ranked 23rd nationally as of Monday. Kier's current pace would be be one of the best by any SEC over the past decade as outlined below.

NCAA Average Assist Leaders
Rk.	Player, School	Assists	Avg.
1.	Jalen Moore, Oakland	168	8.0
2.	Yuri Collins, St. Louis	69	7.7
3.	Jason Preston, Ohio	90	7.5
4.	Kendric Davis, SMU	96	7.4
5.	Sahvir Wheeler, Georgia	118	7.4
Best SEC Steals Averages (2011-21)
Rk.	Player, School	Steals	Avg.
1.	Anthony Hickey, LSU (2013)	85	2.93
2.	Tremont Waters, LSU (2019)	96	2.91
3.	Justin Kier, Georgia (2021)	34	2.26
4.	Trevor Releford, Alabama (2014)	69	2.23
5.	Sidarius Thornwell, S.C. (2017)	66	2.13

And It's Not Just Them

As a team, Georgia leads the SEC and entered the week No. 62 nationally in assists per game at 15.5.

The Bulldogs are third in the league and No. 30 in the nation in steals at 8.4 spg.

Garcia Contributing Efficiently

Graduate transfer Andrew Garcia has notched four-consecutive double-digit scoring outputs, averaging 13.5 ppg during that span. He was the Bulldogs' top scorer against both Kentucky and Florida.

When the former Stony Brook standout hits double figures, he usually does so in a highly efficient manner. Garcia, who a team-best 60.0 percent from the floor on the season, has connected on an even more impressive 65.8 percent (50-of-76) in his FG attempts nine total double-digit outings.

Camara's Production Increases

Toumani Camara's scoring efforts – and its consistency – have increased dramatically from last season.

The sophomore from Brussels' improved production 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 12 more double-digit tallies this season, Camara has now scored 10 or more points in 19 of his last 31 outings at Georgia.

Don't Sell Him Short

Through Sunday's games, 55 D-I players nationally had recorded five or more double-doubles this season. The average height of those players is 6-feet, 7.891-inches tall.

Georgia's Sahvir Wheeler, who is 5-10, is the shortest player on that list one of just two who is not 6-0 or taller along with 5-11 Jalen Moore from Oakland.

Each Wheeler's quintet is of the point-assist variety.

Sixteen games into the campaign, Wheeler has the second-most point-assist double-doubles of any SEC player in the 2000s as outlined below.

Wheeler opened the campaign with a trio of those 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. Wheeler posted a fourth double-double at LSU and a fifth versus Florida.

The sophomore flirted with his first scoring-rebounding double-double at South Carolina last Wednesday, wrapping up with nine points and a career-best nine boards.

SEC Pt.-Ast. Double-Doubles In 2000s
Rk.	No.	Player, School	Season	GP
1.	7	Tyler Ulis, Kentucky	2015-16	35
2.	5	Sahvir Wheeler, Georgia	2020-21	16
	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

Bulldogs Balanced On Offense

Georgia began the week of Jan. 11 as the only Division I basketball team in the nation with six players averaging double figures.

Through games of Jan. 10, 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.

While only four Bulldogs enter this week with double-figure averages, Fagan and Kier both are at 9.9 ppg and literally a single bucket shy of a double-digit average. In addition, Horne is contributing 8.7 ppg.

All told, eight different Bulldogs – add K.D. Johnson and Christian Brown to the ledger of Bulldogs listed above – have combined to notch 62 double-digit scoring outputs during Georgia's 16 games. In fact, four or more Bulldogs have reached double figures in 11 of UGA's outings, including a season-high six against Jacksonville.

Bulldogs Supplying The Digits

Georgia is averaging 77.1 points per game this season, continuing the Bulldogs' trend of big-time point production under Tom Crean.

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

Georgia scored 92 points in an overtime loss at LSU on Jan. 6 – the 13th time UGA reached the 90-point plateau in 73 games under Crean.

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.

Dogs Snap Losing Streak To Cats

Georgia outscored Kentucky 7-0 over the final 109 seconds to secure a 63-62 victory over the Wildcats on Jan. 20. The victory snapped a 14-game losing streak to Kentucky. The Bulldogs' last win over UK prior to this week was on March 7, 2013.

Graduate transfer P.J. Horne scored the winning layup with 1.3 seconds remaining.

While Horne hit the winning bucket, fellow graduate transfers Andrew Garcia and Justin Kier made plenty of winning plays against the Wildcats. Garcia finished with a team-high 16 points while connecting on 8-of-12 shots from the floor. Kier contributed his usually thorough linescore – seven points, five boards, a season-high five steals, three assists and a career-most two blocks.

Fagan Bounces Back

Tye Fagan paced Georgia with 19 points at Ole Miss, including 17 in the second half. The junior from Logtown responded well after coming off the bench for the first time this season against Auburn three days earlier and scoring a season-low two points.

"I had a good feeling about him today," Tom Crean said after the victory. "He wasn't real good on Wednesday night. None of us were. He's responded really well the past couple of days."

The first question asked of Fagan following the game involved his motivation.

"Not starting the other day wasn't necessarily motivation for me," Fagan stated. "It was the fact that we were 0-4 in conference play. That's the biggest motivation you need. If you claim to be a winner, losing games should motivate you more than anything. Starting or not starting, none of that matters except for winning. Losing games is what motivates me."

Fagan was a 9-of-9 from the field in Oxford, becoming just the 11th player in the nation to have a perfect shooting effort while attempting nine or more FGs this season.

Bulldogs Shot Hot In Oxford

Georgia posted season-best shooting efforts overall (58.7 percent), on 3-pointers (60.0 percent) and at the line (88.2 percent) in a Jan. 13 win at Ole Miss.

Georgia's field goal percentage effort against the Rebels – which included a 75.0 percent second half – was the Bulldogs' fifth-best in a road outing in the last 25 years as outlined below.

Also, Georgia's percentage from 3-point range was the best ever by an opponent in The Pavilion at Ole Miss, now in its sixth season as the home of the Rebels.

The previous mark was 56.3 percent by Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 30, 2016, ironically when the Blue Raiders' were coached by Kermit Davis.

Best Road FG Pct. In Last 25 years
Rk.	Pct.	Opponent	FG-FGA	Date
1.	.652	at Marshall	30x46	12/18/99
2.	.635	at Ole Miss	33x52	1/15/11
3.	.633	at Chattanooga	31x49	12/2/14
4.	.596	at Florida	28x47	1/27/10
5.	.587	at Ole Miss	27x46	1/16/21

Johnson Earns SEC Honors

K.D. Johnson was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 18 after averaging 17.5 points in his first two outings as a Bulldog.

Johnson poured in 21 points against Auburn on Jan. 13, the third-highest effort ever by a Bulldog in their UGA debut.

Three days later, Johnson scored 14 points at Ole Miss, including a pair of 3-pointers in a 33-second span that pushed Georgia's lead from six points to 12 with just over four left.

Johnson is Georgia's third SEC weekly award winner this season, following Players of the Week Tye Fagan (Nov. 30) and Toumani Camara (Dec. 21).

Johnson is the ninth Bulldog to earn FOTW honors since the award's inception in 1988.

Johnson Wows In His UGA Debut

K.D. Johnson made quite a splash in his first collegiate outing against Auburn on Jan. 13. The Atlanta native poured in 21 points – the third-most ever by a Bulldog in their first outing for UGA as outlined on the next page.

On Monday, Jan. 11, Johnson announced on social media that he was immediately eligible to play (more on that in the next game note). Two days later, he took the court and produced an extremely impressive linescore that included 21 points, seven rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks.

Top 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

Announcers prepping for the Auburn game got a surprise on Jan. 11 when K.D. Johnson, a consensus top-100 prospect in the Class of 2020, became immediately eligible to play.

Johnson announced on social that evening: "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."

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; fourth-year senior P.J. Horne; and fifth-year seniors Andrew Garcia and Justin Kier.

Latest Road Opener In 77 Seasons

Georgia's trip 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

Tye Fagan and Toumani Camara earned SEC Player of the Week accolades for the first and fourth weeks of the season, respectively.

Fagan won the honor on Nov. 30 after posting career-high tallies of 21 points and 10 rebounds in the opener versus Florida A&M.

Fagan connected on 9-of-10 shots from the field 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.

Camara equaled his career-best scoring output (19 points) en route to his second double-double. He 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.

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.

Wheeler Produces Historic Start

Sahvir Wheeler opened the season with a streak three 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.

Wheeler's dozen dishes were the most assists by a Bulldog in more than two decades...since G.G. Smith also had 12 against Vanderbilt on Jan. 3, 1999.

He followed that 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.

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 its hoops programs undefeated on Christmas.

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 8-0 by dispatching Appalachian State, 107-44, in the afternoon. Later, the Bulldogs defeated Northeastern, 76-58, to move to 7-0 on the season.

Michigan was the only other school with a pair of unblemished men's and women's records when Santa Claus circled the globe. And a tip of the cap to the Wolverines, who remained undefeated and reached a combined 21-0 before the Wolverines' loss at Minnesota on Jan. 16.

Of Big Plays and "+/-" numbers

Georgia's victory over Samford was of the come-from-behind variety. The Bulldogs didn't take their first lead of the evening until there was just 1:17 remaining in the game when Jaxon Etter scored on a layup.

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.

While those plays drew attention, the box score showed Etter and Horne were two of Georgia's most efficient players in the game.

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.

During Horne's 34 minutes of PT, the Bulldogs compiled a "+13" margin.

A Busy Bunch Of Bulldogs

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

That came after 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.

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. That game was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Runnin' Bulldogs' roster.

About 24 hours later, Georgia announced it would play Florida A&M on the 29th.

On Nov. 24, 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 due to COVID-19 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," Crean said. "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."

Edwards Drafted No. 1 Overall Anthony Edwards was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft on Nov. 18 when he was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Edwards became the UGA's 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 everyone who has ever been a part of Georgia Basketball can be proud of this. It also shows that you can come to Georgia, and in Anthony's case come to Georgia and stay close to home, and achieve all of your dreams. That's really, really important for us."

Edwards was the nation's top-scoring freshman at 19.1 ppg. His 610 points were the 10th-most ever by an SEC freshman.

Edwards became the SEC's sixth No. 1 overall NBA pick – and the fifth since 2010, joining Shaquille O'Neal (1992), John Wall (2010), Anthony Davis (2012), Karl Anthony-Towns (2015) and Ben Simmons (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.

MBB Game Notes: Bulldogs Prepare For Rematch With Auburn

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Christian Brown

Toumani Camara

Anthony Edwards

Jaxon Etter

Tye Fagan

Andrew Garcia

Rayshaun Hammonds

P.J. Horne

K.D. Johnson

Justin Kier

Tyron McMillan

Jonathan Ned

Mikal Starks

Josh Taylor

Sahvir Wheeler

MBB Game Notes: Bulldogs Prepare For Rematch With Auburn

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Christian Brown

Toumani Camara

Anthony Edwards

Jaxon Etter

Tye Fagan

Andrew Garcia

Rayshaun Hammonds

P.J. Horne

K.D. Johnson

Justin Kier

Tyron McMillan

Jonathan Ned

Mikal Starks

Josh Taylor

Sahvir Wheeler

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