MBB Game Notes: Georgia To Host S. Carolina On "Pseudo" Senior Day

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (14-9, 7-9 SEC) vs. South Carolina (5-12, 3-10 SEC)
Saturday, February 27, at 1:00 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (1,638) in Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta. (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer) | Affiliates
TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal, play-by-play; Jon Sunvold, analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: XM: 190; Internet: 961
History: USC leads, 59-58 (Full History)
Last Meeting: USC, 83-59, on Jan. 27, 2021

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
41-45 in 3rd season at UGA
397-277 in 21st season overall
2	Sahvir Wheeler	14.1	3.9
5-10; 180; Soph.; Houston, Texas
5	Justin Kier	9.3	3.6
6-6; 215; Soph.; Hopkins, S.C.
10	Toumani Camara	12.9	7.6
6-8; 220; Soph.; Brussels, Belgium
14	Tye Fagan	9.8	4.5
6-3; 195; Jr.; Logtown, Ga.
24	P.J. Horne	8.2	3.4
6-6; 230; Gr.; Tifton, Ga.

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

South Carolina Gamecocks
Coach: Frank Martin
152-131 in 9th season at USC
269-195 in 14th season overall
0	AJ Lawson	17.8	4.2
6-6; 177; Jr.; Toronto, Ontario
1	TJ Moss	4.4	0.8
6-4; 175; R-Soph.; Memphis, Tenn.
10	Justin Minaya	7.6	6.8
6-6; 215; R-Jr.; Harrington Park, N.J.
14	Nathan Nelson	2.2	0.5
6-7; 201; Jr.; Murfreesboro, Tenn.
15	Wildens Leveque	5.9	5.4
6-10; 242; Soph.; Brockton, Mass.

TEAM COMPARISON

2020-21 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	S. CAROLINA
Points Per Game	78.0	72.7
Opp. Point Per Game	77.1	77.8
Scoring Margin	+0.9	-5.1
Field Goal Pct.	.462	.415
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.453	.460
3-Point Pct.	.313	.311
3-Pointers Per Game	6.2	7.2
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.330	.355
Free Throw Pct.	.695	.667
Free Throws Per Game	14.7	12.0
Rebounds Per Game	37.5	35.9
Opp. Rebound Per Game	35.7	37.1
Rebound Margin	+1.8	-1.2
Assists Per Game	15.0	13.1
Turnovers Per Game	16.6	15.2
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.90	0.86
Turnover Margin	+0.1	+1.6
Steals Per Game	8.5	8.4
Blocks Per Game	2.5	3.8

The Starting 5...

Sahvir Wheeler's 165 assists this season is second nationally and the 2nd-best season total ever for UGA...four from Pertha Robinson's school record.
Of 347 Division I teams, Toumani Camara and Sahvir Wheeler are of only four sets of teammates with six or more double-doubles during 2020-21.
Graduate transfer Andrew Garcia is eight points shy of 1000 for his career. He scored 784 points at Stony Brook and has added 208 this season at UGA.
P.J. Horne, who generally guards the opposing team's post player a significant amount, leads UGA with 38 3-pointers made this season.
Eight different Bulldogs have scored in double figures during the 2020-21 season, combining to produce 90 double-digit performances in UGA's 23 games.

The Opening Tip

Georgia will celebrate "Senior Day" on Saturday when the Bulldogs welcome South Carolina to Stegeman Coliseum for a matinee matchup. And like everything else over the past 10-12 months, the festivities will vary from what's considered the norm.

Georgia's three "pseudo seniors" – Andrew Garcia, P.J. Horne and Justin Kier – are graduate transfers who were playing at other schools this time last season. That trio arrived in Athens at various times last summer when it wasn't known if there would even be a 2020-21 college basketball season and has played an integral role in the development of an easily spotted chemistry the team displays this season.

The Bulldogs are coming off a challenging stretch of facing five consecutive probable NCAA Tournament teams. Georgia compiled a 2-3 mark, with home teams winning each contest. The Bulldogs defeated No. 20/19 Missouri and LSU at Stegeman Coliseum and dropped decisions at No. 16/15 Tennessee, No. 11/11 Alabama and Florida. Georgia and Kentucky are the only SEC teams to play five straight games versus the league's six consensus teams projected to earn NCAA Tournament bids, Arkansas being the other. The Bulldogs played their quintet of contests in 14 days, while the Wildcats did so over an 18-day span.

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

Tom Crean is...
• 3 wins from 400 victories in his career

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

Sahvir Wheeler is...
• 4 assists from No. 1 Pertha Robinson (1995) among UGA's best season tallies
• 20 assists from No 15 Shandon Anderson (1993-96)among UGA's best career tallies

Series History With South Carolina

Despite a 33-20 advantage for the Bulldogs in games played in Athens, South Carolina leads the all-time series between the schools, 59-58.

In the most recent matchup in Athens on Feb. 12 last season, the Gamecocks started quickly and led throughout a 75-59 win.

Anthony Edwards, who went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, scored 16 points to pace the Bulldogs offensively for the 15th time in 24 games.

The Bulldogs and Gamecocks met a month ago to the day in Columbia, with Georgia dropping an 83-59 decision.

Sahvir Wheeler flirted with his first scoring-rebounding double-double with nine points and a career-high nine boards. He also handed out seven assists and recorded the first blocked shot of his collegiate career.

Georgia twice built six-point leads early in the contest but failed to push its advantage further. A 10-3 run put the Gamecocks up 18-17 with 7:02 left in the half, and South Carolina expanded that margin to double figures at the 3:50 mark.

The Bulldogs closed the gap to 41-35 early in the second half but could not get closer.

Scouting The Gamecocks

South Carolina is currently 5-12 overall and 3-10 in SEC play this season.

The Gamecocks' schedule has been dramatically impacted by the COVID. To date, South Carolina has canceled four games and postponed four more due to the pandemic. The Gamecocks lost four games between Dec. 10-29, then played two contests before a second pause postponed two more outings.

AJ Lawson and Keyshawn Bryant lead the Gamecocks offensively. Lawson is scoring a team-high 17.8 ppg, and Bryant is chipping in 14.2 ppg.

Last Time Out

Sahvir Wheeler recorded the first triple-double in Georgia hoops history and Toumani Camara scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 91-78 win over LSU on Tuesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.

Wheeler scored 14 points, dished out 13 assists and recorded 11 rebounds to post the first triple-double in Georgia's 116 seasons of basketball. It was just the 29th triple-double in SEC history.

Camara was 9-of-12 from the field against the Tigers and also collected 10 rebounds to notch his SEC-leading seventh double-double of the season.

Wheeler grabbed his first rebound and scored on a layup at the other end just 34 seconds into the game to give the Bulldogs a lead they would enjoy for 37:25 of the contest.

Georgia eventually led by 16 points, 45-29, at halftime and never allowed LSU closer than 12 points thereafter.

Wheeler's Historic Performance

Let's start with some perspective. When the following is fourth-best nugget from what a player did in a game, that's saying something:

• Delivered 13 assists, the third-best single-game assist effort in school history.

For the sake of brevity and convenience, we'll just list the significant achievements associated with Sahvir Wheeler's performance against LSU on Tuesday night in bullet form.

• Recorded the first triple-double in 116 seasons of Georgia Basketball.
• Became the shortest player in SEC history with a triple-double.
• Moved from No. 4 to No. 2 among UGA's all-time single-season assist leaders.
• Delivered 13 assists, the third-best single-game assist effort in school history.
• Notched his sixth game this season with double figures in both points and assists, the second-most by any SEC player in the 2000s.
• Ascended from No. 18 to No. 16 on UGA's career assist leaders ledger.

We could keep going but will stop there.

Toumani Was Money Too

Somewhat lost in the shuffle associated Sahvir Wheeler's performance with Tuesday night's win over LSU was a supremely stellar showing by his classmate, Toumani Camara.

The sophomore from Brussels poured in a career-high 22 points on a 9-of-12 shooting performance from the floor.

Camara also hauled in 10 boards to record his league-leading seventh double-double of the campaign. He enters this weekend tied with Missouri's Jeremiah Tilmon atop the ledger of SEC double-double leaders.

Some Info On The Grad Transfers

Each of Georgia's graduate transfers has made significant contributions to the Bulldogs' success this season. Staying with the bulleted theme:

• Andrew Garcia enters today's game with 992 points in 100 career outings at Stony Brook and Georgia.

• Justin Kier is one of only two active D-I players with career totals of 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 steals and 100 3-pointers.

Wheeler Climbing UGA Assist List

Sahvir Wheeler has climbed from No. 13 to No. 2 among Georgia's single-season leaders in assists during UGA's last three games.

Wheeler entered the Missouri game at No. 13 but ascended five spots with six dimes against the Tigers. Four more passes to points in Gainesville pushed him to No. 4 and 13 dishes versus LSU put him within striking distance of the school record.

Wheeler has 165 assists in 23 games. He is now only four shy from Pertha Robinson's single-season Georgia record of 169 in 1994-95 as outlined below.

As a point of reference – but hopefully not a "jinking" – Wheeler has had four or more assists in 21 of 23 games this season.

UGA Single-Season Assist Leaders
Rk.	No.	Player, Season	GP	Avg.
1.	169	Pertha Robinson, 1994-95	27	6.26
2	165	Sahvir Wheeler, 2020-21	23	7.17
3.	154	Sundiata Gaines, 2006-07	32	4.81
4.	153	Rashad Wright, 2001-02	32	4.78
5.	152	Donald Hartry, 1985-86	30	5.07
6.	151	J.J. Frazier, 2015-16	34	4.44
7.	150	Willie Anderson, 1986-87	30	5.00
8.	149	Rashad Wright, 2002-03	27	5.52
9.	148	G.G. Smith, 1996-97	33	4.48
	148	G.G. Smith, 1997-98	35	4.23
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

Garcia closes in On 1000 Points

Andrew Garcia enters Saturday's game eight points shy of reaching the 1,000-point scoring mark for his collegiate career.

Garcia put up 784 points in 77 career outings in three seasons at Stony Brook. He has added 208 in 23 games at Georgia.

Of note, Garcia will reach 1,000 points despite only logging 35 career starts as a Seawolve and Bulldog. By contrast, the fewest starts by any four-year player among Georgia's 48 1,000-point scorers is 57 nods by Nemanja "Nemi" Djurisic between 2011-15.

Bulldogs Supplying The Digits

Georgia is averaging 78.0 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 its win over LSU on Tuesday – the 15th time UGA reached the 90-point plateau in just 87 games under Crean. For you math geeks out there, that's a pretty healthy 17.2 percent of Crean's total games with the Bulldogs.

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

Bulldogs Balanced On Offense

Georgia is among the nation's most balanced basketball teams offensively, with seven Bulldogs averaging 8.2-14.1 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 90 double-digit scoring outputs and four or more have scored in double figures in 16 of UGA's 23 outings, including a season-high six against Auburn and Jacksonville.

Georgia Gets Taste Of Postseason

Georgia trekked through a "February Frenzy" that will rival what any college basketball team will likely endure in "March Madness."

In a 14-day span, the Bulldogs faced five-consecutive opponents projected to receive an NCAA Tournament bid. Georgia went 2-3 in those games.

The Bulldogs suffered setbacks at No. 16/15 Tennessee and No. 11/11 Alabama before rebounding to top No. 20/19 Missouri. The Vols, Tide and Tigers were the three SEC teams included in the NCAA's initial Feb. 13 reveal of the projected top-16 seeds for the "Big Dance."

Georgia lost at Florida before bouncing back to best LSU. The Gators and Tigers were No. 7 and No. 9 seeds, respectively, ESPN's latest edition of Bracketology released on Friday morning. FYI, Arkansas is the SEC's other team included in Joe Lunardi's prognostications as a No. 5 seed.

The average NET ranking of those five teams as of Feb. 22 was 24.0. During those two weeks of contests from Feb. 10-23, Georgia's NCAA strength of schedule ascended from No. 99 to No. 50.

He Gives But Doesn't Give Away

Sahvir Wheeler enters the South Carolina game leading the SEC in both assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.

Wheeler is currently ranked No. 2 nationally in total assists and No. 5 in average assists as outlined below. In fact, his career average (5.63 apg) is better than the second-best season average in the SEC for 2020-21 (5.17 by Vanderbilt's Scotty Pippen Jr.)

Wheeler's 13-assist-to-2-TO outing against LSU improved his ratio to 1.67. Tennessee's Santiago Vescovi is second in the SEC at 1.59.

Pacing the SEC in both assists and assist-to-TOs is a relatively rare feat. In the 2000s, only three players have done so – Florida's Chris Chiozza in 2017-18, Ole Miss' Todd Abernathy in 2006-07 and Alabama's Ronald Steele in 2004-05.

NCAA Average Assist Leaders
Rk.	Player, School	Assists	Avg.
1.	Jalen Moore, Oakland	227	8.4
2.	Cam Mack, Prarie View	81	8.3
3.	Kendric Davis, SMU	114	7.6
4.	Colbey Ross, Pepperdine	157	7.5
5.	Sahvir Wheeler, Georgia	165	7.2

Fagan, Garcia Get To 10+ efficiently

Tye Fagan and Andrew Garcia are Georgia's two most efficient scorers. Fagan leads the team with a 59.3 percent conversion rate, followed closely by Garcia's 56.0 percent.

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

In Fagan's 11 double-figure outings, he has connected on 68.6 percent (70-of-102) 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.

Etter Betters Contributions

The production of Jaxon Etter, a walk-on from Woodstock, Ga., has increased dramatically of late.

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. In the next five contests he contributed 6.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg and 17.2 mpg.

All of Etter's efforts don't show up a box score as he has also drawn eight charges in the last eight games.

Etter's increased production didn't magically blossom on Feb. 6. He 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
Florida	4	1	14
Last 4 Games	34	9	86

Georgia's Double-Double Tandem

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

Georgia is one of four teams with a pair of players with six or more double-doubles.

Toumani Camara and Sahvir Wheeler have done so along with Eral Penn and Tryn Flowers of LIU; Jalen Moore and Daniel Oladapo of Oakland; and brothers Evan and Isaiah Mobley of Southern Cal.

Don't Sell Him Short

Entering this weekend's games, 74 Division I players have recorded six or more double-doubles this season. The average height of those players is 6-feet, 7.97-inches tall.

Sahvir Wheeler is the shortest player on that list at 5-10, all but a foot shorter than the other players on the list. He is one of just two players listed under 6-0, along with 5-11 Jalen Moore from Oakland.

Each Wheeler's sextet 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...and a sixth, which was actually a point-rebound-assist triple double, against LSU in Athens.

SEC Pt.-Ast. Double-Doubles In 2000s
Rk.	No.	Player, School	Season	GP
1.	7	Tyler Ulis, Kentucky	2015-16	35
2.	6	Sahvir Wheeler, Georgia	2020-21	23
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

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 the mark just three days later with a 24-point showing at No. 11/11 Alabama on Feb. 13.

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

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

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 18 more double-digit tallies this season, Camara has scored 10 or more points in 25 of his last 38 outings.

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 19th game of the season 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.

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

Bulldogs Better In Tight Games

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

Last season, the Bulldogs were 5-3 in such outings. That combined record of 9-4 is a dramatic difference from Tom Crean's first season in Athens, when the Georgia was 0-6 and each of those setbacks was to an NCAA Tournament team.

In 2018-29, 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 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).

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 in successive games 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 this season, the Bulldogs connected on 43.8 percent of their shots from the field, including 32.0 percent from 3-point range.

In the Bulldogs' trio of victories, they connected on a 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.

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 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: Georgia To Host S. Carolina On "Pseudo" Senior Day

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

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