MBB Game Notes: Dogs Open SEC Tournament Against Missouri

Georgia Basketball SEC Tournament Game Notes
Georgia (14-11, 7-11 SEC) vs. Missouri (15-8, 8-8 SEC)
Thursday, March 11, at 7:00 p.m. ET
Bridgestone Arena (3,400) in Nashville, Tenn.
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; Dane Bradshaw, analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: XM: TBD; Internet: TBD
History: Series Tied, 8-8 (Full History)
Last Meeting: UGA, 80-70, on Feb. 16, 2021

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
41-48 in 3rd season at UGA
397-279 in 21st season overall
2	Sahvir Wheeler	14.0	3.9
5-10; 180; Soph.; Houston, Texas
5	Justin Kier	9.5	3.8
6-6; 215; Soph.; Hopkins, S.C.
10	Toumani Camara	12.8	7.6
6-8; 220; Soph.; Brussels, Belgium
14	Tye Fagan	9.3	4.4
6-3; 195; Jr.; Logtown, Ga.
24	P.J. Horne	8.6	3.5
6-6; 230; Gr.; Tifton, Ga.

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Missouri Tigers
Coach: Cuonzo Martin
65-54 in 4th season at MU
251-175 in 13th season overall
1	Xavier Pinson	14.0	2.7
6-2; 170; Jr.; Chicago, Ill.
12	Dru Smith	14.1	3.4
6-3; 203; R-Sr.; Evansville, Ind.
13	Mark Smith	10.0	3.0
6-5; 220; Sr.; Edwardsville, Ill.
23	Jeremiah Tilmon	12.5	7.4
6-10; 250; Sr.; East St. Louis, Ill.
24	Kobe Brown	7.8	6.0
6-7; 240; Soph.; Huntsville, Ala.

TEAM COMPARISON

2020-21 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	MISSOURI
Points Per Game	77.8	74.1
Opp. Point Per Game	78.2	72.1
Scoring Margin	-0.4	+2.0
Field Goal Pct.	.459	.451
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.458	.430
3-Point Pct.	.318	.319
3-Pointers Per Game	6.3	7.0
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.339	.322
Free Throw Pct.	.690	.697
Free Throws Per Game	14.8	15.1
Rebounds Per Game	37.3	35.7
Opp. Rebound Per Game	36.1	35.4
Rebound Margin	+1.1	+0.3
Assists Per Game	15.0	13.3
Turnovers Per Game	16.8	13.2
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.89	1.00
Turnover Margin	0.0	-0.4
Steals Per Game	8.6	6.6
Blocks Per Game	2.4	3.5

The Starting 5...

Sahvir Wheeler's current average of 7.2 assists per game is the highest by any SEC player since Mississippi State's Chuck Evans' 8.1 apg in 1992-93.
Toumani Camara and Sahvir Wheeler are one of just four sets of Division I teammates with seven or more double-doubles during the 2020-21 season.
Though he's only played in 15 games, freshman K.D. Johnson leads the Bulldogs in 20-point scoring performances with four such outings this season.
P.J. Horne, who generally guards the opposing team's post player a significant amount, leads UGA with 44 3-pointers made this season.
From Feb. 10-23, when UGA played five-straight probable NCAA Tournament teams, the Dogs' NCAA strength of schedule climbed from No. 99 to No. 46 nationally.

The Opening Tip

Georgia will face Missouri in the Bulldogs' opening matchup of the 2021 SEC Tournament on Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. ET at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Georgia is the tourney's No. 10 seed. The Tigers are the No. 7 seed...and also projected to be a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament in the edition of bracketology released last Sunday night.

The Bulldogs have probably played as challenging a slate as anyone in the nation over the past four weeks. Missouri represents the seventh probable NCAA Tournament opponent in Georgia's last eight games.

The Bulldogs endured a "February Frenzy" that will rival anything "March Madness" has to offer. Between Feb. 10-23, Georgia faced five consecutive teams likely to receive NCAA bids – Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, Florida and LSU. Arkansas is the SEC's other "March Madness" lock. Georgia was the only SEC team to play five straight games this season versus the league's projected NCAA invitees without a break.

The Bulldogs wrapped up the regular season by hosting Alabama before drawing Missouri.

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

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

Sahvir Wheeler is...
• 5 assists from No 15 Shandon Anderson (1993-96) among UGA's best career tallies
• 15 assists from No. 14 Willie Anderson (1985-88) among UGA's best career tallies
• 30 assists from No. 13 Gerald Crosby (1982-85) among UGA's best career tallies

Georgia's SEC Tourney History

Georgia sports a 48-57 an all-time record in 60 appearances the SEC Tournament.

The Bulldogs are 39-38 in SEC Tourney action since the event resumed in 1979 after a 27-year hiatus from 1953-79. The Bulldogs won the 1983 and 2008 SEC Tournaments and finished as runners-up in 1940, 1981, 1988 and 1997.

Georgia has reached the semifinals 15 times, most recently doing so in 2016.

A year ago, Georgia defeated Ole Miss, 81-63, in their first-round matchup, the Bulldogs' most decisive win over a league foe last season. The rest of the tourney was canceled on March 12 just hours before Georgia was to face Florida.

Series History With Mizzou

The all-time series between Georgia and Missouri is currently tied at 8-8, including a 1-1 record in SEC Tournament matchups.

Just over three weeks ago on Feb. 16 in Athens, Georgia upset No. 20/19 Missouri, 80-70, 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.

Georgia and Missouri are meeting for the third time in the last four SEC Tournaments. In 2018, the Bulldogs secured a 62-60 victory in St. Louis. A year later, the Tigers defeated Georgia, 71-61, in Nashville.

Two days short of two years ago – on March 13, 2019 – Jordan Harris scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Bulldogs in the setback at Bridgestone Arena.

The Bulldogs led by two at halftime before Missouri opened the second stanza with a 6-0 surge. After Georgia battled back, another 6-0 run put the Tigers up for good, 49-43, with 8:57 remaining.

In 2018, Yante Maten scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Georgia in a 62-60 win over Missouri in the second round at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

The contest featured a series of runs by each team. Missouri opened the day by scoring the game's first 10 points, before Georgia responded with a 19-2 surge.

The Bulldogs led 36-24 early in the second stanza scoring before the Tigers rallied to knot the score at 39-39 with 14:11 remaining.

Georgia led 61-60 with 60 seconds left. The Bulldogs forced three misses and grabbed a pair of key rebounds to secure the victory.

Scouting The Tigers

Missouri wrapped up its regular-season slate with a 15-8 overall record and an 8-8 mark in SEC play.

The Tigers were ranked for a vast majority of the season, topping out at No. 10 in both the AP and USA Today polls on Feb. 8. Missouri was tabbed No. 20 by the AP and No. 19 by USA Today when UGA and MU first met.

Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson lead a quartet of Tigers scoring at a double-digit pace with almost identical production. Smith's 325 points equates to a 14.1 ppg average, while Pinson's 321 supplies at 14.0 ppg clip.

Jeremiah Tilmon, who is tied with Toumani Camara and Sahvir Wheeler for the SEC lead with seven double-doubles, is contributing 12.5 ppg and a team-high 7.4 rpg. Mark Smith adds an even 10.0 ppg.

Last Time Out

Sahvir Wheeler's seventh double-double of the season highlighted an 89-79 setback to No. 8/5 Alabama last Saturday.

Wheeler's seventh point-assist double-double tied Tyler Ulis of Kentucky's 2015-15 effort for the most by an SEC player in the 2000s.

Georgia started quickly, racing to a 29-15 lead with 8:03 left in the first half.

The Crimson Tide cut that margin to six points at halftime and scored the first nine points of the second stanza to go up 39-26 at the 18:22 mark.

Alabama pushed its lead two 10 points three times –lastly at 73-63 – before Georgia rallied. The Bulldogs closed the gap to 82-79 with 73 seconds left before a 3-pointer from Keon Ellis with three seconds on the shot clock started a 7-0 surge to end the game.

A Tough slate Without Breaks

Georgia faced the SEC's most challenging league schedule and did so as the only team to play its first 17 games of the conference slate without skipping a play date due to COVID- or weather-related issues.

Seven SEC teams compiled records of .500 or better in league play. After the opening round of the SEC Tournament, Georgia will be the only league team that has played five of those – Alabama, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss and Missouri. In fact, no other SEC team will have played more than three of those teams.

The Bulldogs also are the only SEC team to play five-consecutive games against the league's projected NCAA Tournament teams in a 14-day span.

Wheeler Hits Last POTD Of 2019-20

Sahvir Wheeler holds the unique distinction of making ESPN's "Top Play" of the 2020-21 season before the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a screeching halt

Wheeler hit a half-court buzzer-beater versus Ole Miss at halftime of the SEC Tournament matchup. That was March 11's No. 1 play on SportsCenter. The next morning, rest of the season was canceled.

Two Bulldogs Earn SEC Honors

Sahvir Wheeler was named second-team All-SEC by both league coaches and the AP, and K.D. Johnson was tabbed to the coaches SEC's All-Freshman team on Tuesday.

Wheeler leads the SEC in assists (7.2 apg) and double-doubles (seven). In stats for SEC games only, Johnson ranks No. 2 in steals (1.9 spg) in No. 18 in scoring (13.8 ppg).

Youth Served For Bulldogs

Georgia is one of just three SEC teams with its top-three leading scorers being true freshmen or sophomores...along with Auburn and Vanderbilt.

Sophomore Sahvir Wheeler paces the Bulldogs at 14.0 ppg, followed by freshman K.D. Johnson at 13.6 ppg and sophomore Toumani Camara at 12.8 ppg.

That trio of Bulldogs not only leads Georgia but rank among the SEC's top performers in various statistical categories.

Wheeler is atop SEC stats for assists at 7.2 apg, an eye-catching 2.3 assists per game more than any other league players. He also is No. 3 in both assist-to-turnover margin (1.64) and average minutes (34.8 mpg).

Camara is tied for the league lead with seven double-doubles along with Wheeler, Missouri's Jeremiah Tilmon and Mississippi State's Tolu Smith.

Johnson missed the first 10 games of the season while the NCAA reviewed his academic certification and therefore only meets the minimum participation requirement of 75 percent of a team's games for stat leaders for SEC only games. In stats for SEC games only, Johnson is No. 2 in steals at 1.9 spg.

Bulldogs Supplying The Digits

Georgia is averaging 77.8 points per game this season, continuing the trend of big-time point production under Tom Crean. The Bulldogs are on pace to produce their second-highest scoring average of the 2000s as outlined below.

Georgia scored 91 points in a Feb. 23 win over LSU – the 15th time UGA reached the 90-point plateau in 87 games under Crean. For you math geeks out there, that's a healthy 17.2 percent of his games at UGA.

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.

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

Wheeler Climbs UGA Assist Lists

Sahvir Wheeler broke Georgia's single-season assist during a Feb. 27 matchup with South Carolina. He ascended the Bulldogs' season leaders ledger at a breakneck pace, moving from No. 13 to No. 1 in four games.

Wheeler entered the Feb. 16 Missouri game at No. 13 but moved up five spots with ¢60 – as in six dimes – against the Tigers. Four more passes to points at Florida on Feb. 20 pushed him to No. 4, and 13 dishes versus LSU on Feb. 23 put him at No. 2...and within four of the record. Wheeler had five assists against the Gamecocks to up his season total to 170, one more than Pertha Robinson's previous Georgia record of 169 in 1994-95.

Wheeler also is making his way up UGA's career assists leaders list. He is currently in No. 16 with 319 as outlined below.

UGA Single-Season Assist Leaders
Rk.	No.	Player, Season	GP	Avg.
1.	180	Sahvir Wheeler, 2020-21	25	7.20
2.	169	Pertha Robinson, 1994-95	27	6.26
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

UGA CareerAssist Leaders
Rk.	No.	Player, Season	GP	Avg.
1.	493	Rashad Wright, 2000-04	119	4.1
2.	476	Sundiata Gaines, 2004-08	123	3.9
3.	466	Litterial Green, 1989-92	116	4.0
4.	440	G.G. Smith, 1996-99	129	3.4
5.	422	J.J. Frazier, 2014-17	130	3.2
10.	379	Rod Cole, 1988-91	126	3.0
13.	349	Gerald Crosby, 1982-85	115	3.0
14.	334	Willie Anderson, 1985-88	107	3.1
15.	324	Shandon Anderson, 1993-96	118	2.7
16.	319	Shavir Wheeler, 2020-21	56	5.7

Johnson Tops 20 Four Times

Though he's only played in 14 games, freshman K.D. Johnson leads the Bulldogs with four 20-point performances this season.

Johnson christened his collegiate career with 21 points against Auburn on Jan. 13. That represented the third-highest effort ever by a Georgia freshman in his debut, trailing only Dominique Wilkins and Anthony Edwards as outlined below.

Since then, Johnson put up 22 points at No. 16/15 Tennessee on Feb. 10 and topped that with 24 at No. 11/11 Alabama on Feb. 13. The Atlanta native's fourth 20-point outburst was a 21-point showing against LSU on Feb. 23.

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

Bulldogs Balanced On Offense

Georgia is among the nation's most balanced basketball teams offensively, with seven Bulldogs averaging 8.6-14.0 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 97 double-digit scoring outputs and four or more have scored in double figures in 17 of UGA's 25 outings, including a season-high six against Auburn and Jacksonville.

Georgia's "Pseudo Seniors"

Georgia celebrated "Senior Day" on Feb. 27. And like everything else over the past 10-12 months, the festivities varied from what's considered the norm. The Bulldogs' three "pseudo seniors" – Andrew Garcia, P.J. Horne and Justin Kier – are grad transfers who played at other schools 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 Bulldogs display this season. Each has enjoyed significant milestones this season, most notably:

• Garcia scored his 1,000th career point against South Carolina on Feb. 27. He put up 784 points in 77 games at Stony Brook and added the final 216 as a Bulldog.

• P.J. Horne, a native of Tifton, Ga., who played previously at Virginia Tech, converted the game-winning layup with 1.3 seconds left against Kentucky on Jan. 20 that snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Wildcats dating back to 2013.

• Justin Kier, formerly of George Mason, knocked down his 100th career 3-pointer versus LSU on Feb. 23, making him 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...along with Carlik Jones from Louisville.

Fagan, Garcia Get To 10+ Efficiently

Tye Fagan and Andrew Garcia are Georgia's two most efficient scorers. Fagan leads the team with a 58.6 percent conversion rate, followed closely by Garcia's 54.2 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 11 double-digit games, he has made 63.4 percent (59-of-93) of his field goals.

Georgia's Double-Double Tandem

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

As of Monday, Toumani Camara and Sahvir Wheeler represented one of only four sets of teammates with seven or more double-doubles during the 2020-21 campaign.

The others are: Eral Penn and Tryn Flowers of LIU; Jalen Moore and Daniel Oladapo of Oakland; and Neemias Queta and Justin Bean of Utah State.

Don't Sell Him Short

Entering this week, 505 D-I players had recorded a double-double this season. Sahvir Wheeler, at 5-10, was one of just seven players on that ledger listed as shorter than 6-0.

In fact, Wheeler is one of 66 players with seven or more double-doubles. The average height of those players was 6-7.85.

Wheeler opened the campaign with three-straight point-assist double-doubles and is believed to be the first SEC player to have three point-assist double-doubles in a row since Mississippi State's Chuck Evans in 1993.

Wheeler recorded his seventh double-double against Alabama in the regular-season finale, tying him Tyler Ulis for the most point-assist double-doubles by any SEC player in the 2000s as outlined below.

SEC Pt.-Ast. Double-Doubles In 2000s
Rk.	No.	Player, School	Season	GP
1.	7	Sahvir Wheeler, Georgia	2020-21	25
	7	Tyler Ulis, Kentucky	2015-16	35
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

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 Feb. 23 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.

Toumani Was Money Too

Somewhat lost in the shuffle with Sahvir Wheeler's performance against LSU was a stellar showing by Toumani Camara.

The sophomore from Brussels poured in a career-high 22 points on a 9-of-12 shooting performance from the floor. He also grabbed 10 rebounds to notch his league-leading seventh double-double of the 2020-21 season.

Wheeler The Dealer

Sahvir Wheeler has led the SEC and ranked among the nation's leaders in assists throughout the 2020-21 campaign.

Wheeler is currently No. 2 nationally in total assists and No. 6 in average assists as outlined below. In fact, Wheeler's career average (5.70 apg) is almost a full assist per game better than the second-best season average in the SEC for 2020-21 (4.85 by Vanderbilt's Scotty Pippen Jr.)

NCAA Average Assist Leaders
Rk.	Player, School	Assists	Avg.
1.	Jalen Moore, Oakland	238	8.5
2.	Cam Mack, Prarie View	126	8.4
3.	Colbey Ross, Pepperdine	177	7.7
4.	Kendric Davis, SMU	114	7.6
	Jason Preston, Ohio	114	7.6
5.	Sahvir Wheeler, Georgia	180	7.2

Etter Betters Contributions

The production of walk-on Jaxon Etter has increased dramatically in the past month.

Entering a Feb. 6 outing against Vanderbilt, Etter sported career averages of 0.4 points, 0.4 rebounds and 3.0 minutes in 20 outings as a Bulldog.

In Georgia's last 10 games, the sophomore from Woodstock, Ga., is contributing 4.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game. He has also drawn eight charges.

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 with 1:17 left gave Georgia its first lead of the night.

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 20 more double-digit tallies this season, Camara has scored 10 or more points in 27 of his last 40 outings.

Bulldogs Better In Tight Games

Georgia is 4-1 in games decided by four points or less, including 3-1 in SEC play. The Bulldogs defeated Samford (79-75), Ole Miss (78-74), Kentucky (63-62) and Vanderbilt (73-70) while losing in OT at LSU (94-92).

Last season, the Bulldogs were 5-3 when the game's outcome was between 1-4 points.

That combined 9-4 mark is a dramatic difference from Tom Crean's first season, when the Georgia was 0-6 in tight games and each of those setbacks was to an eventual 2019 NCAA Tournament team.

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.

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.

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.

Garcia finished with a team-high 16 points while connecting on a sizzling 8-of-12 shots from the floor. Kier contributed an extremely thorough linescore – seven points, five boards, a season-high five steals, three assists and a career-most two blocks.

Dogs Earn Weekly SEC Honors

Tye Fagan and Toumani Camara earned SEC Player of the Week honors this season, while K.D. Johnson secured SEC Freshman of the Week accolades.

Fagan was chosen on Nov. 30 after posting career-high tallies of 21 points and 10 rebounds en route to his first career double-double in the opener versus Florida A&M.

Camara was tabbed on Dec. 21 after his performance against Cincinnati when he equaled his career-best scoring output (19 points) en route to his second double-double.

Johnson was selected on Jan. 18 after he averaged 17.5 ppg in his first two collegiate outings against Auburn and Ole Miss.

Wrecking Announcers' Boards

Announcers prepping for the Auburn game got a surprise on Monday, 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 posted after practice that day: "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."

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 with the top pick 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 all-time and the eighth first-round selection. He was Georgia's first lottery pick since Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was taken No. 8 overall by Detroit 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. He scored 610 points – the 10th-most ever by an SEC freshman – en route to earning SEC Freshman of the Year. 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 as the top overall selection in the NBA Draft continued a strong year for Georgia Bulldogs in the 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: Dogs Open SEC Tournament Against Missouri

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Toumani Camara

Anthony Edwards

Jaxon Etter

Tye Fagan

Andrew Garcia

Rayshaun Hammonds

Jordan Harris

P.J. Horne

K.D. Johnson

Justin Kier

Tyron McMillan

Sahvir Wheeler

MBB Game Notes: Dogs Open SEC Tournament Against Missouri

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Toumani Camara

Anthony Edwards

Jaxon Etter

Tye Fagan

Andrew Garcia

Rayshaun Hammonds

Jordan Harris

P.J. Horne

K.D. Johnson

Justin Kier

Tyron McMillan

Sahvir Wheeler

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