MBB Game Notes: Bulldogs Face Florida

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (13-8, 6-8 SEC) vs. Florida (10-6, 6-5 SEC)
Saturday, February 20, at 3:30 p.m. ET
Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center (10,151) in Gainesville, Fla.
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 (Paul Sunderland, play-by-play; Joe Kleine, analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: XM: 382; Internet: 972
History: UF leads, 117-105 (Full History)
Last Meeting: UF, 92-84, on Jan. 23, 2021

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
40-45 in 3rd season at UGA
396-276 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	12.7	7.6
6-8; 220; Soph.; Brussels, Belgium
14	Tye Fagan	9.2	4.3
6-3; 195; Jr.; Logtown, Ga.
24	P.J. Horne	8.5	3.3
6-6; 230; Gr.; Tifton, Ga.

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Florida Gators
Coach: Mike White
118-71 in 6th season at UF
219-111 in 10th season overall
1	Tre Mann	14.1	5.4
6-5; 190; Soph.; Gainesville, Ga.
4	Anthony Duruji	5.9	3.8
6-7; 220; Jr.; Germantown, Md.
5	Omar Payne	4.3	3.7
6-10; 230; Soph.; Kissimmee, Fla.
10	Noah Locke	11.1	2.6
6-3; 203; Jr; Baltimore, Md.
22	Tyree Appleby	10.6	2.9
6-1; 170; Jr.; Jacksonville, Ark.

TEAM COMPARISON

2020-21 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	FLORIDA
Points Per Game	78.1	76.7
Opp. Point Per Game	77.4	71.3
Scoring Margin	+0.7	+5.4
Field Goal Pct.	.467	.468
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.456	.426
3-Point Pct.	.321	.362
3-Pointers Per Game	6.1	7.1
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.337	.328
Free Throw Pct.	.698	.750
Free Throws Per Game	14.8	14.6
Rebounds Per Game	37.3	35.9
Opp. Rebound Per Game	35.2	34.9
Rebound Margin	+2.1	+0.9
Assists Per Game	15.0	12.5
Turnovers Per Game	17.0	14.1
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.88	0.89
Turnover Margin	-0.3	+0.9
Steals Per Game	8.4	7.6
Blocks Per Game	2.5	6.3

The Starting 5...

Sahvir Wheeler's 148 assists is the 8th-best season total ever by a Bulldog. He's just six assists from No. 2 and 21 shy of Pertha Robinson's school record.
Of 347 Division I teams, Toumani Camara and Sahvir Wheeler are of only five sets of teammates with five or more double-doubles during 2020-21.
In his first 20 career games, Jaxon Etter averaged 0.4 ppg, 0.4 rpg and 3.0 mpg. In his last four outings, Etter is averaging 7.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg and 18.0 mpg.
Eight different Bulldogs have scored in double figures during the 2020-21 season, combining to produce 84 double-digit performances in UGA's 21 games.
P.J. Horne, who generally guards the opposing team's post player a significant amount, leads UGA with 35 3-pointers made this season.

The Opening Tip

Georgia continues its "February Frenzy" prelude to "March Madness" on Saturday when the Bulldogs face Florida at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The Gators represent the fourth foe in a stretch of five consecutive outings versus probable NCAA Tourney invitees.

Previously, the Bulldogs suffered setbacks at No. 16/15 Tennessee on Feb. 10 and No. 11/11 Alabama on Feb. 13 before rebounding to top No. 20/19 Missouri in Athens on Tuesday night. The Vols, Tide and Tigers are the three SEC teams included in the NCAA's initial reveal last Saturday of the projected top-16 seeds for next month's "Big Dance."

After facing Florida, Georgia returns home to host LSU next Tuesday evening at Stegeman Coliseum. The Gators and those Tigers were No. 7 and No. 8 seeds, respectively, ESPN's edition of Bracketology released on Friday morning. FYI, Arkansas is the SEC's other team included in Joe Lunardi's prognostications as a No. 6 seed.

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

Tom Crean is...
4 wins from 400 victories in his career

Andrew Garcia is...
• 10 points from 1,000 for his career

Sahvir Wheeler is...
• 1 assists from No. 7 Rashad Wright (2003) among UGA's best season tallies
• 2 assists from No. 6 Willie Anderson (1987) among UGA's best season tallies
• 3 assists from No. 5 J.J. Frazier (2016) among UGA's best season tallies
• 4 assists from No. 4 Donald Hartry (1986) among UGA's best season tallies
• 5 assists from No. 3 Rashad Wright (2008) among UGA's best season tallies
• 6 assists from No. 2 Sundiata Gaines (2007) among UGA's best season tallies
• 21 assists from No. 1 Pertha Robinson (1995) among UGA's best season tallies
• 6 assists from No. 17 Bernard Davis (1991-94) among UGA's best career tallies
• 12 assists from No. 16 Walter Daniels (1976-79)among UGA's best career tallies
• 37 assists from No 15 Shandon Anderson (1993-96)among UGA's best career tallies

Series History With Florida

Florida enters Saturday's game with a 117-105 advantage in the series between UGA and UF, including a 66-39 edge in Gainesville.

Florida is Georgia's most frequent foe on the hardwood, with today's matchup being the 223rd all time. Trailing the Gators on the list of most meetings for Georgia are two more of the Bulldogs' biggest rivals – Georgia Tech with 196 contests and Auburn with 193.

Last month in Athens, five Bulldogs scored in double figures and Sahvir Wheeler notched his fifth double-double of the season, but Georgia still dropped a 92-84 decision to Florida.

Andrew Garcia led Georgia offensively for the second straight game with 17 points.

Florida led 42-39 at halftime following an opening 20 minutes that saw five ties and nine lead changes. The Gators seized control by opening the second stanza with a 16-3 run.

Florida won both ends of the home-and-home series during the 2019-20 campaign. The Bulldogs and Gators were scheduled to play a third time in the second round of last season's SEC Tourney before that event was canceled on March 12 approximately three hours before tipoff due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the most recent meeting in Gainesville on Feb. 5 last season, freshmen Anthony Edwards and Sahvir Wheeler scored 32 and 16 points, respectively, in an 81-75 loss at Exactech Arena.

Scouting The Gators

Florida is 10-6 overall and 6-5 in league play entering Saturday's game. The Gators dropped a 75-64 decision to No. 24 Arkansas on Tuesday, Florida's first action following a 13-day hiatus due to Covid-19.

Florida climbed into both top-25 polls on Feb. 1 after knocking off No. 11/11 West Virginia in Morgantown on Jan. 30 as part of the SEC-Big 12 Challenge. The Gators then lost to South Carolina, 72-66, on Feb. 3 before having their next three games postponed.

Tre Mann leads a quartet of active players averaging double figures for the Gators at 14.1 ppg, while Colin Castleton chips in 13.2 ppg, Noah Locke adds 11.1 ppg and Tyree Appleby contributes 10.6 ppg.

Last Time Out

Georgia upset No. 20/19 Missouri, 80-70, on Tuesday night in Athens as a hot-shooting Justin Kier led five Bulldogs in double figures.

Kier connected on 6-of-7 shots from the field, including 2-of-2 3-pointers, and 2-of-2 trips to the line to pace Georgia with 16 points. In addition, Sahvir Wheeler added 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists and in the process ascended from No. 13 to No. 8 among the Bulldogs' all-time single-season leaders in assists.

Kier started hot, scoring 10 points in the opening 8:31. Georgia led for 12:11 of the first half before the Tigers surged to a 37-33 lead at the break.

Missouri scored the first nine points of the second stanza as the Tigers' advantage quickly bulged to 13 points. Following a timeout, Georgia chipped away at that margin. The Bulldogs went up 57-55 on a 3-pointer from P.J. Horne with 7:44 remaining and never trailed again.

Wheeler Climbing UGA Assist List

Sahvir Wheeler enters Saturday's game with 148 assists in 21 outings. That tally already ranks the No. 8 among the Bulldogs' best single-season efforts ever.

Wheeler entered the Missouri game at No. 13 on that list but ascended five spots with ¢60 – as in six dimes – against the Tigers.

Wheeler is currently tied with G.G. Smith twice at the No. 8 position. Smith had 148 assists in both 1996-97 and in 1997-98.

Wheeler is only six assists from making his way to the No. 2 spot and 21 passes-to-points from Pertha Robinson's single-season Georgia record of 169 dishes in 1994-95 as outlined below. At his current pace of 7.0 apg, Wheeler would catch Robinson total in the 24th game of the season.

UGA Single-Season Assist Leaders
Rk.	No.	Player, Season	GP	Avg.
1.	169	Pertha Robinson, 1994-95	27	6.26
2.	154	Sundiata Gaines, 2006-07	32	4.81
3.	153	Rashad Wright, 2001-02	32	4.78
4.	152	Donald Hartry, 1985-86	30	5.07
5.	151	J.J. Frazier, 2015-16	34	4.44
6.	150	Willie Anderson, 1986-87	30	5.00
7.	149	Rashad Wright, 2002-03	27	5.52
8.	148	G.G. Smith, 1996-97	33	4.48
	148	G.G. Smith, 1997-98	35	4.23
	148	Sahvir Wheeler, 2020-21	21	7.05
11.	145	Pertha Robinson, 1995-96	30	4.83
12.	144	Gerald Crosby, 1984-85	31	4.65
13.	143	Sundiata Gaines, 2007-08	34	4.21
14.	140	J.J. Frazier, 2016-17	34	4.12
15.	139	Willie Anderson, 1987-88	35	3.97
	139	Sahvir Wheeler, 2019-20	31	4.48
17.	133	Litterial Green, 1988-89	31	4.29
	133	Gerald Robinson, 2010-11	33	4.03
19.	125	Gino Gianfrancesco, 1971-72	24	5.21
	125	Barry Cohen, 1970-71	25	5.00

Dogs Reverse Fortunes In G'ville

Georgia has won two of the last three meetings between the Bulldogs and Gators in Gainesville...and led by 22 points in the contest they lost last season.

That comes after Georgia endured a 14-game losing streak at the O'Connell Center from 2003-17. The average margin of defeat in that span was -15.5 ppg, with all but three of those contests decided by double figures.

The Bulldogs snapped that skid three seasons ago with a 72-69 overtime victory behind 23 points from SEC Player of the Year Yante Maten. That victory also gave Georgia its first season sweep over the Gators since the 1996-97 campaign.

Georgia also defeated Florida, 61-55, in Tom Crean's first season in Athens. Nicolas Claxton did much of the damage in that contest, pouring in a career-high 25 points while shooting 9-of-12 from the field.

Bulldogs Supplying The Digits

Georgia is averaging 78.1 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 91 points in the Bulldogs' win at Auburn on Feb. 2 – the 14th time UGA reached the 90-point plateau in just 81 games under Crean. For you math geeks out there, that's a pretty healthy 17.3 percent of Crean's total games with the Bulldogs.

By comparison, Georgia scored 90 or more points just 14 times in the 432 games before Crean's arrival, or .032 percent of the time in a span that dates back to the 2007-08 season.

Bulldogs Balanced On Offense

Georgia is among the nation's most balanced basketball teams offensively, with seven Bulldogs averaging 8.5-13.7 ppg.

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

All told, eight different Bulldogs have combined to notch 84 double-digit scoring outputs and four or more have scored in double figures in 15 of UGA's 21 outings, including a season-high six against Auburn and Jacksonville.

Etter Betters Contributions

To say walk-on Jaxon Etter's production has increased significantly of late would be a gross understatement.

Entering a Feb. 6 outing against Vanderbilt, Etter sported career averages of 3.0 minutes per game, 0.4 points and 0.4 rebounds in 20 outings as a Bulldog. Since then he's contributing 7.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg and 18.0 mpg in the last four contests.

Etter's efforts don't all show up in the box score. In addition, he has drawn seven charges in the last six games, including a combined five versus Alabama and Missouri.

Etter's increased production didn't magically blossom on Feb. 6. The walk-on from Woodstock has played a part in several victories this season.

Etter logged meaningful minutes in multiple non-conference outings, most prominently against Samford when his layup at the 1:17 mark of the second half gave Georgia its first lead of the night.

After playing eight minutes (with five DNPs) in Georgia's first eight SEC outings, Etter saw first-half action in wins over Ole Miss and Auburn prior to the recent upswing.

Etter's Better Contributions
Game(s)	Pts.	Rebs.	MP
First 20 Career Games	8	7K	60
Vanderbilt	7	1	15
Tennessee	5	3	19
Alabama	9	2	20
Missouri	9	2	18
Last 4 Games	30	8	72

Johnson Soars Vs. Ranked Foes

K.D. Johnson stepped up his scoring efforts in Georgia's three-game stretch against ranked opponents, averaging 18.7 ppg.

The freshman from Atlanta scored a career-high 22 points at No. 16/15 Tennessee, exploding for 20 second-half points in 14 minutes of action in Knoxville.

That tally was short lived, as Johnson topped it three days later with 24 points at No. 11/11 Alabama last Saturday.

Johnson cooled off to score 10 points against No. 20/19 Missouri.

Johnson's contributions have been on both ends of the floor as he has collected 11 steals versus the Vols, Tide and Tigers.

Dogs Finally Face Ranked Foe, Then Take on Three top-25ers In A Row

Georgia's game against No. 16/15 Tennessee was Bulldogs' latest initial outing against a ranked opponent ever...in seasons when UGA has faced a ranked team. The contest with the Vols was Georgia's first against a ranked foe this season, coming in the Bulldogs' 19th game on Feb. 10.

Previously, the latest the Bulldogs advanced into a season before facing a ranked opponent was the 17th outing of the 2007-08 and 1963-64 campaigns. Those contests were versus No. 3 Tennessee on Jan. 26, 2008 and against No. 4 Kentucky on Feb. 6, 1964.

There are numerous seasons prior to that when the Bulldogs did not faced a ranked opponent at all, the most recent of those being 60 years ago in 1960-61.

The matchup with Tennessee was the first of a trio of consecutive top-25 foes which also included additional dates against No. 11/11 Alabama and No. 20/19 Missouri.

Camara Tops in Double-Doubles

Toumani Camara recorded his sixth double-double at Alabama, moving into a tie with Missouri's Jeremiah Tilmon and Mississippi State's Tolu Smith atop the SEC's leaders for the 2020-21 campaign.

Camara has recorded four double-doubles in league play, doing so against Mississippi State, at LSU, at Auburn and at Alabama.

Bulldogs Who Give And Take

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

Wheeler not only tops the league but is ranked No. 6 nationally as outlined on the next page. In fact, Wheeler's career average of 5.52 apg is better than the second-best season average in the SEC for 2020-21, Scotty Pippen of Vanderbilt's 5.24.

While Wheeler is seventh nationally in average assists, he is currently No. 2 in total assists with 142.

Kier's 1.9 spg average puts him on pace to be the first Bulldog to lead the SEC in steals since Sundiata Gaines in 2007.

NCAA Average Assist Leaders
Rk.	Player, School	Assists	Avg.
1.	Jalen Moore, Oakland	203	8.1
2.	Colbey Ross, Pepperdine	138	7.7
3.	Kendric Davis, SMU	114	7.6
4.	Jason Preston, Ohio	96	7.4
5.	Kameron Langley, N.C. A&T	107	7.1
6.	Sahvir Wheeler, Georgia	148	7.0

Fagan, Garcia Get To 10+ efficiently

Tye Fagan and Andrew Garcia are Georgia's two most efficient scorers. Garcia leads the team with a 58.2 percent conversion rate, followed closely by Fagan's 57.7 percent.

When those two Bulldogs hit double figures, those percentages jump considerably.

In Fagan's nine double-figure outings, he has connected on 67.9 percent (57-of-84) of his shots from the floor. That includes a 9-of-9 effort at Ole Miss when he became the 11th D-I player this season to have a perfect performance when attempting at least nine shots.

In Garcia's 10 double-digit games, he has made 65.1 percent (56-of-86) of his field goals.

Camara's Production Increases

Toumani Camara's scoring efforts – and its consistency – have been solid this season. The sophomore's improved production actually traces back to last season.

After scoring in double figures once in his first 16 games, he did so seven times in the final 16 outings of 2019-20.

With 17 more double-digit tallies this season, Camara has scored 10 or more points in 24 of his last 36 outings.

Don't Sell Him Short

Entering this weekend, 91 D-I players had recorded five or more double-doubles this season. The average height of those players is 6-feet, 7.64-inches tall.

Sahvir Wheeler, who is 5-10, is the shortest player on that list and – along with 5-11 Jalen Moore from Oakland – is one of just two players listed at under 6-0.

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

He also flirted with his first point-rebound double-double at South Carolina, scoring nine points and a grabbing career-best nine boards against the Gamecocks.

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	21
3.	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

Georgia's Double-Double Tandem

There are 347 Division-I basketball teams that have played this season.

Sahvir Wheeler and Toumani Camara are among five sets of teammates with five or more double-doubles. The others are David McCormack and Jalen Wilson of Kansas; Theo Akwuba and Dou Gueye of Louisiana; Jalen Moore and Daniel Oladapo of Oakland; and brothers Evan and Isaiah Mobley of USC.

The Numbers Within 3-Game Streak

Georgia defeated Ole Miss, Auburn and Vanderbilt to secure its first trio of consecutive SEC victories since the latter portion of the 2016-17 campaign. That season, the Bulldogs topped Alabama, LSU and Auburn between Feb. 23-March 1.

More impressive than the wins over the Rebels, Tigers and Commodores were the numbers within those outings.

In Georgia's first eight SEC outings, Georgia shot 43.8 from the field, including 32.0 percent from 3-point range.

In the Bulldogs' trio of victories, they connected on a considerably improved 53.8 percent (86-of-160) of their shots from the field, including 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from behind the 3-point arc.

Georgia did not trail in the second halves versus the OM, AU and VU. In fact, of the 120 minutes played, the Bulldogs were behind for only 15:02 – 3:16 to Ole Miss and 11:46 to Vandy. Continuing with that theme...although Georgia lost at Tennessee, the Bulldogs did outscored the Vols 55-45 in the second half.

Bulldogs Better In Tight Games

Georgia is 4-1 in games decided by four points or less, including 3-0 in SEC play.

Last season, the Bulldogs were 5-3 in such outings. That combined 9-4 record is a dramatic difference from 2018-19, when the Georgia was 0-6 in such outings, with each setback coming to NCAA Tournament teams.

During Tom Crean's first season in Athens, the Bulldogs lost to Temple (81-77) and Arizona State (76-74) in non-conference play also dropped four consecutive extremely excruciating late-season losses by a combined nine points to LSU (83-79), Mississippi State (68-67), Ole Miss (72-71) and Auburn (78-75).

This season, the Bulldogs have defeated Samford (79-75), Ole Miss (78-74), Kentucky (63-62) and Vanderbilt (73-70) while losing in overtime at LSU (94-92).

Last season, Georgia topped Georgia Tech (72-68), Chaminade (80-77), SMU (87-85), No. 9 Memphis (65-62) and Vanderbilt (80-78) but lost to Missouri (72-69), Alabama (105-102) and South Carolina (94-90).

Tye Fagan's Avenge Tour

When Georgia lost to Auburn on Jan. 13 in Athens, Tye Fagan scored two points in a season-low 10 minutes of playing time.

In the Bulldogs' next outing at Ole Miss, Fagan put up a team-high 19 points to lead Georgia to its first SEC win of the season.

The first question asked of Fagan following the game was if not starting motivate him.

"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."

In the rematch at Auburn, Fagan took full advantage of the chance to reverse his performance. He scored seven points in the first 103 seconds and finished with a team-high 16.

After the win, Fagan stated that his performance in the first outing was motivational.

"It was very motivational, because I knew that I had to be there for my team tonight," he said. "I just wanted to do whatever I could do, whether it was rebound or run the floor. I just wanted to make up for that game because that game wasn't one of my best, so I just wanted to put that behind me."

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.

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 behind only Dominique Wilkins and Anthony Edwards as outlined below.

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.

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, announced on social media that he was immediately eligible to play.

Johnson stated: "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."

"We're extremely excited to have K.D. eligible," head coach Tom Crean said. "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."

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 September 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

Toumani Camara

Anthony Edwards

Jaxon Etter

Tye Fagan

Andrew Garcia

Rayshaun Hammonds

P.J. Horne

K.D. Johnson

Justin Kier

Tyron McMillan

Sahvir Wheeler