MBB Notes: Georgia To Face Notre Dame In Holiday Hoopsgiving

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (7-3) vs. Notre Dame (7-3)
Sunday, December 18, 2022 at 5:30 p.m.
State Farm Arena (19,050) in Atlanta, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Flagship: WSB AM 750); (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer | Affiliates
TV: ESPN2 (Tom Hart, pbp; Dane Bradshaw, analyst)
Video Stream: ESPN+/SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: SiriusXM: 387; SXM App: 977
History: ND leads, 2-1 (Full History)
Last Meeting: UGA, 61-57, on Nov. 22, 2011

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Mike White
7-3 in 1st at UGA
250-131 in 12th season overall
0	Terry Roberts	14.2	4.7
(6-3; 180; Sr.; North Amityville, N.Y)
3	Kario Oquendo	13.9	4.3
(6-4; 220; Jr.; Titusville, Fla.)
11	Justin Hill	8.4	3.2
(6-0; 185; Jr.; Houston, Texas)
12	Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe	6.0	4.5
(6-8; 215; Jr.; Toronto, Ontario)
23	Braelen Bridges	6.2	4.2
(6-11; 245; 5th Year; Atlanta, Ga.)

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Coach: Mike Brey
479-262 in 23rd season at ND
578-314 in 28th season overall
1	JJ Starling	12.5	2.9
(6-4; 200; Fr.; Baldwinsville, N.Y.)
3	Trey Wertz	10.8	2.7
(6-5; 193; Grad.; Charlotte, N.C.)
5	Cormac Ryan	12.5	4.1
(6-5; 195; Grad.; New York, N.Y.)
14	Nate Laszewski	14.9	8.3
(6-10; 230; Grad.; Jupiter, Fla.)
23	Dane Goodwin	12.9	4.9
(6-6; 214; Grad.; Upper Arlington, Ohio)

TEAM COMPARISON

2022-23 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	NOTRE DAME
Points Per Game	70.0	72.4
Opp. Point Per Game	63.3	68.9
Scoring Margin	+6.7	+3.5
Field Goal Pct.	.429	.472
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.416	.457
3-Point Pct.	.329	.377
3-Pointers Per Game	6.9	8.7
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.259	.340
Free Throw Pct.	.732	.804
Free Throws Per Game	13.9	12.3
Rebounds Per Game	39.4	31.6
Opp. Rebound Per Game	31.0	32.3
Rebound Margin	+8.4	-0.7
Assists Per Game	12.6	12.1
Turnovers Per Game	15.3	8.9
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.82	1.36
Turnover Margin	-2.2	-1.2
Steals Per Game	7.4	4.2
Blocks Per Game	3.6	3.3

The Starting 5...

UGA returns to action after a 12-day break from play...in a game 2 miles from their last outing at Ga. Tech on Dec. 6.
UGA has used 7 different starting fives in its first 10 games, while ND has used the same quintet in its 10 outings.
Mike White's dad, Kevin, was the AD at ND from 2000-08 and his brother, Danny, played for the Irish in 2001-02.
UGA won 6 games in November, which matched the Bulldogs' win total for the entire 2021-22 season.
UGA's bench has scored 263 points and posted a +154 margin over its opponents' reserves to date.

The Opening Tip

Georgia returns to action following a dozen-day gap between outings when the Bulldogs face Notre Dame in a Holiday Hoopsgiving matchup at State Farm Arena on Sunday. Georgia last played on Dec. 6 before UGA's athletic teams took a break from competition while Final Exams were administered on campus. The Bulldogs are 7-3 on the season, already topping their win total for the entire 2021-22 season.

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

Justin Hill is…
• 7 assists from 250 for his career

Braelen Bridges is...
• 62 points from 1,000 for his career
• 28 rebounds from 500 for his career

Jailyn Ingram is...
• 45 points from 1,500 for his career
• 8 rebounds from 700 for his career

Series History With Notre Dame

Notre Dame owns a 2-1 edge in all-time matchups between the Irish and the Bulldogs. Sunday's game will be the first meetings between UGA and ND in more than a decade.

Georgia won the most recent contest, a 61-57 decision on Nov. 22, 2011 in the Progressive CBE Classic in Kansas City.

A pair of freshmen led the Bulldogs in the tournament's consolation contest. Current Denver Nugget Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored what was then a career-high 16 points – in the fifth game of his college career – to lead the Bulldogs. Nemi Djurisic added 10 points.

Georgia led 31-29 at halftime and gradually expanded that margin to seven points before the Irish rallied. Notre Dame tied the game at 53-53, but Caldwell-Pope connected on a 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs back on top. Georgia then held the Irish without a field goal thereafter until a 3-pointer at the final buzzer.

Notre Dame's edge in the series is by virtue of a double-overtime victory at the 2010 Old Spice Classic in Orlando.

The initial matchup was part of the 2004 Nike Shootout at The Omni in Atlanta. The event was a doubleheader also featuring the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, who defeated Mississippi State 83-65 in the first game of the day.

Scouting The Irish

Notre Dame also own a 7-3 record entering Sunday's game.

The Irish sport perhaps the nation's most balanced offensive attack. All five starters are currently averaging double figures, led by Nate Laszewski's 14.9 ppg. He also paces the Irish on the glass at 8.3 rpg. In addition, Dane Goodwin is contributing 12.9 ppg, JJ Starling and Cormac Ryan both are chipping in 12.5 ppg and Trey Wertz is posting 10.8 ppg.

Other than the starters, only one other player – Ven-Allen Lubin – has played in every game.

Last Time Out

In a back-and-forth battle featuring 11 ties and 18 lead changes, Georgia dropped a heart-breaking 79-77 decision at Georgia Tech on Dec. 2.

Terry Roberts led the Bulldogs with 16 points and seven assists; however, his apparent final bucket of the night was waved off by an offensive foul.

Kario Oquendo chipped in 15 points, and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe added 11 for Georgia, which shot a season-best 53.4 percent from the field.

After the Bulldogs led 39-34 at the intermission, Tech began the second stanza with a 9-0 surge, the first of 15 lead changes in the period.

The last, with 23 seconds left, put Tech up 79-77. With 2.6 remaining, a Roberts layup was negated by an offensive foul call. The final outcome wasn't decided at that point, however. Kario Oquendo stole Tech's ensuring inbounds pass and squared up a 3-pointer just on Georgia's side of the half court line that rimmed off.

Dogs, Irish Polar Opposites

Georgia and Notre Dame offer several distinctly different qualifiers.

Georgia has used seven different starting lineups in its first 10 games, and no Bulldog has gotten the nod for every outing...although Kario Oquendo and Terry Roberts, who missed games due to injury and illness, respectively, have started every contest they've played.

Notre Dame has used the same starting five for each of its 10 games.

Through games of Dec. 15, Georgia was the only Power-5 team in the nation with 12 players averaging double-digit minutes per game. FYI, there were 16 schools with 10 or more players logging double-figure MP totals. Interestingly, seven of those teams were from the SEC.

As of Friday, Notre Dame was one of only six Power-5 teams with seven or fewer players recording double-digit PT per game. FYI, Miami (Fla.) was the only team with six players among the aforementioned ledger. Interestingly, three of the six teams were from the ACC.

White Wished To Play For ND

Mike White has some significant ties for Notre Dame. His father, Kevin, was the Director of Athletics in South Bend from 2000-08, and his brother, Danny, played basketball for the Irish during the 2001-02 season.

"The opponent pulls at some heart strings with me because all I wanted to be growing up was a Notre Dame football player," White said. "My father had a great run as the Athletic Director at Notre Dame, and I know he considers Mike Brey one of the best hires he ever made. On top of that, my brother Danny loved playing for Coach Brey at Notre Dame."

Defending The Arc

As of Friday, Georgia ranked No. 8 nationally in 3-point defensive.

The Bulldogs' opponents have connected on 49-of-189 shots from beyond the 3-point arc this season, a paltry 25.9 percent.

That effort will receive a challenge from Notre Dame. The Irish are shooting 34.0 percent from 3-point range, converting 69-of-30 attempts. That ranked No. 47 nationally through games of Dec. 15.

A Very Productive Bench

Georgia's bench has scored 263 points in the first 10 games, accounting for 37.6 percent of 700 points put up by the Bulldogs this season.

Georgia's bench has outscored its opponents reserves 263-109, a massive +148 margin (14.8 ppg).

The Bulldogs have won the "bench battle" in each game, providing a "+20" margin in four contests and a season-high "+25" (27-2) tally versus ETSU. Georgia's highest single-game bench scoring effort was 36 points versus UAB.

Bulldogs Switching Starters

Georgia has mixed and matched eight Bulldogs to comprise seven different starting lineups over the first 10 games.

No player has started every game, although three – Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, Kario Oquendo and Terry Roberts – have gotten the nod for every game they've played. UGA's game-by-game starters can be found on Page 5 of these Game Notes.

Ten games into the season, only three Bulldogs – Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Braelen Bridges and Mardrez McBride – have played in every contest. In addition, six Bulldogs have missed a combined 16 outings due to injury or illness.

Dogs Match 2021-22 Win Total

While a 6-win season will certainly never be celebrated, it is worth noting that Georgia notched is sixth victory of the 2022-23 season with a Nov. 30 win over Hampton. With that, the Bulldogs matched their win total for the entire 2021-22 campaign during the first calendar month of the season...and then topped that total on Dec. 2.

Valuing The Basketball

Georgia recorded more turnovers than assists in each of the first six games, to the tune of combined tallies of 62 assists to 99 TOs. That equated to an unimpressive 0.63 assist-to-TO ratio.

In each of the Bulldogs' four outings since then, they have flipped those numbers to positive ratios.

Against ETSU, Hampton, Florida A&M and Georgia Tech, Georgia posted 64 assists while committing 54 turnovers. While the coaching staff is extremely eager to trim the TO total dramatically, that 1.19 assist-to-TO effort is significantly better than the first half-dozen games.

Etter Still Taking Charges

Former Jaxon Etter has made quite the name for himself on defense.

The senior from Woodstock, Ga., who was awarded a scholarship on Nov. 2, has taken seven charges in seven games played this season.

That comes after drawing 30 offensive fouls in 31 games last season and eight in the last 11 games of his sophomore year.

All told, Etter has now been on the receiving end of 37 charges in his last 38 games...and 45 in his last 49 outings...though we think – with respect to the folks with whistles on game days – several more should have gone his way.

White Earns Win No. 250

Mike White captured the 250th victory of his head coaching career with Georgia's Dec. 2 win over Florida A&M.

White compiled a 101-40 record in four seasons in Louisiana Tech from 2011-15. That included a trio 27-win efforts in each of his final three seasons, which helped give White the best winning percentage (.716) of any coach in program history.

In seven campaigns at Florida from 2015-22, White posted a 142-88 record. He reached 100 victories with the Gators in 158 games, the second-fastest pace ever by a Florida basketball coach behind only Billy Donovan (154 games). Under White, the Gators were one of only four programs to record a victory in the four NCAA Tournaments contested between 2017-21.

White quickly added the final seven wins with the Bulldogs to reach 250. In fact, Georgia's victory over the Rattlers topped UGA's win total during the entire 2021-22 season.

Dogs Get Defensive

Georgia held its opposition a trio of outings from Nov. 27-Dec. 2 to under 55 points, which was a first for the Bulldogs in 12 seasons. During that span, Georgia defeated ETSU, 62-47; Hampton, 73-54; and Florida A&M, 68-46.

That marked the first time the Bulldogs held three consecutive opponents under 55 points since Dec. 2010, a span covering 388 games. That season, Georgia defeated High Point, 85-38 on Dec. 21; Mercer, 56-53 on Dec. 23; and Charleston Southern, 70-55 on Dec. 28.

Ingram Proves Impactful

Jailyn Ingram, one of just five seventh-year seniors in college basketball this season, made his 2022-23 debut in the second half of Georgia's 62-47 win over East Tennessee State.

The Madison, Ga., native entered the game at the 14:15 mark of the second half and the Bulldogs leading 39-36. A quick glance at the box score would lead one to believe Ingram's 4:02 of PT were quite pedestrian – 0-of-1 on FGs, one foul, one foul drawn and one steal. But the far right side of his linescore was more telling – "+9."

"I just thought we were flat," Mike White said. "When you do put him out there for the first time, you're experimenting... So, you're tooth-and-nail against East Tennessee State – close game, early second half – and one of the guys on staff suggested it. The last few days he's gotten to the point where we said, 'We're about ready to give him a chance in a game.' Athletically, from a conditioning standpoint, he's looked better and better. It could've gone the other way of course, but he was an inspiration to his teammates. I thought he was probably the biggest factor in the game."

Ingram was a huge factor in the Hampton game as well with a more statistically emphatic performance. He scored 14 points, largely due to knocking down 4-of-5 3-pointers, in 20 minutes of PT.

While those were Ingram's first two games of the 2022-23 season, he upped his collegiate GP total to 133. He played five seasons at Florida Atlantic – including a red-shirt campaign in 2018-19 – before transferring to Georgia. Ingram started the first nine games of the 2021-22 season and was the Bulldogs' leading rebounder when he tore the ACL in his right knee with 14:21 left in a Dec. 7 victory over Jacksonville.

Hill Named All-Tourney

Justin Hill was named to the Beach Bracket's all-tournament team at the Greenlight Sunshine Slam presented by Discount Tire.

The junior from Houston averaged a team-high 14.5 points against Saint Joseph's and UAB by shooting 61.5 percent from the field and an even more impressive 71.4 percent from 3-point range.

Hill put up 12 points against Saint Joseph's, including a shot clock-beating 3-pointer with 2:28 left after the Hawks cut Georgia's 23-point halftime lead to 54-46.

Hill then led the Bulldogs offensively for the first time this season with 17 points versus UAB.

A Homecoming For Kario

Kario Oquendo was productive in his homecoming trip to the Sunshine State for the Sunshine Slam. Oquendo is from Titusville, Fla., just under an hour south of Daytona Beach.

Oquendo scored a game-high 17 points in Georgia's win over Saint Joseph's and put up 12 points against UAB.

Oquendo averaged 21.2 points and 8.3 rebounds in leading Astronaut High School to a 20-6 finish in 2019. He was named Brevard County Class 5A Player of the Year by area coaches that season and also was tabbed All-Cape Coast in both 2019 for Astronaut and in 2018 while playing at Titusville High.

Roberts Pops For 20...Twice

Terry Roberts recorded back-to-back 20-point outings against Miami (Ohio) and Bucknell, scoring 22 and 20 points , respectively, in those contests.

Roberts' contributions weren't limited to the scoring column. He led the Bulldogs with three assists, two steals and a block against the RedHawks and then contributed team-high efforts of nine boards, six assists and two steals in the win over Bucknell.

A Big-Time Beginning

Freshman KyeRon Lindsay, who was rated as the nation's No. 87 prospect in the Class of 2022 by 247Sports.com, made an immediate impact at Georgia.

The Denton, Texas, product tied for team-high rebounding honors with six boards in the opener versus Western Carolina. With Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe out of action due to an injury at Wake Forest, Lindsay made his first start in Winston-Salem and scored 10 points. He followed with his first collegiate double-double – 14 points and 10 rebounds – against Miami (Ohio).

In his first three outings of college basketball, Lindsay averaged 8.0 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting a stellar 66.7 percent from the floor.

Bulldogs Sign Top-25 class

Georgia opened the NCAA's early signing period on Wednesday, Nov. 9 with a bang, inking a top-25 recruiting class comprised of two of the nation's top-100 prospects.

Lamariyon "Mari" Jordan and Dylan James were ranked No. 72 and No. 94 nationally by ESPN.com, respectively.

"It's an exciting day for us to be able to sign two players that we targeted and invested a lot of time and energy in," Mike White said. "Both of these guys are excited to be Bulldogs."

James, a 6-9, 190-pound power forward, helped lead Winter Haven High to the semifinals of the 2022 Florida Class 6A state tournament. He was selected as the Lakeland Ledger's Player of the Year after averaging 15.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.4 blocks, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game last season for the Blue Devils, who finished 23-8 overall.

Jordan, a 6-6, 185-pound small forward, was tabbed first-team All-State for Class 6A by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a junior after averaging 19.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game for Dacula High. Over three seasons, Jordan compiled 1,257 points, 434 rebounds, 128 blocks, 109 assists and 104 steals for the Falcons.

Oquendo Named All-SEC

Kario Oquendo was tabbed second-team preseason All-SEC in balloting of the league's 14 head coaches.

Oquendo was the Bulldogs' scoring leader, both overall and in SEC play, last season. He averaged 15.2 points overall and upped his contributions to 18.3 points per game in league play, which made Oquendo the SEC's leading returning scorer from conference action last season.

The junior from Titusville, Fla. also built a reputation as one the nation's top dunkers, appearing on ESPN's Top-10 plays three times – No. 3 on Nov. 16 against S.C. State, No. 6 on No. 23 versus Northwestern and No. 3 on March 1 against Tennessee.

A "March Madness" Pedigree

Five of Georgia's six first-year transfers played for teams that reached the 2021 or 2022 NCAA Tournaments.

Justin Hill (Longwood) and Jusaun Holt (Alabama) both took part in the "Big Dance" last spring. Frank Anselem (Syracuse), Madrez McBride (North Texas) and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe (Oklahoma State) all had tickets punched to the 2021 edition of "March Madness."

Bridges Finds Bottom Of Net

Braelen Bridges converted on 63.4 percent of his shots from the floor for Georgia last season. That not only led the SEC and ranked No. 7 nationally, it was one of the most efficient campaigns ever for UGA and in league history.

The Union Grove High School product knocked down 161 of his 264 field goals in his first year as a Bulldog in 2021-22.

Among the best single-season field goal percentages for the Bulldogs and within the SEC, Bridges' effort ranks No. 2 and No. 17 all-time, respectively.

Bridges became the first Bulldog to pace the SEC in shooting efficiency since Lavon Mercer did so in 1980 at 61.1 percent. Interestingly, Mercer set the UGA record (64.3 percent) in 1979 but did not lead the SEC that season.

Ingram Offers Experience

According to research by Middle Tennessee's SID staff, Jailyn Ingram is one of five seventh-year men's players in Division-I basketball this season.

The Madison, Ga., native and Morgan County High graduate, spent five seasons at Florida Atlantic before returning to his home state prior to the 2021-22 season.

Ingram played in 122 games for the Owls from 2016-21, including a redshirt campaign in 2018-19. All told, he recorded 1,334 points and 630 rebounds for the Owls, which are the No. 6 and No. 3 totals in program history.

Ingram played in nine games last season for Georgia before suffering a season-ending injury on Dec. 7 against Jacksonville. He received an additional red-shirt from the NCAA to return to the Bulldogs this season.

That makes Ingram among of quintet of players – including a well traveled Nittany Lion – competing for a seventh college basketball season this winter as outlined below.

7th-Year Super Duper Seniors
Name	Schools
Jailyn Ingram	FAU, Georgia
DeAndre Dishman	EKU, MTSU
Juan Munoz	Longwood, Hawaii
DeJuan Clayton	Coppin State, Cal
Michael Henn	UC-Davis, Cal Baptist, Portland, Denver, Penn State

MBB Notes: Georgia To Face Notre Dame In Holiday Hoopsgiving

Players Mentioned

Jabri Abdur-Rahim

Frank Anselem-Ibe

Braelen Bridges

Jaxon Etter

Justin Hill

Jusaun Holt

Jailyn Ingram

Mardrez McBride

Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe

Kario Oquendo

Terry Roberts

University of Georgia Athletics

MBB Notes: Georgia To Face Notre Dame In Holiday Hoopsgiving

Players Mentioned

Jabri Abdur-Rahim

Frank Anselem-Ibe

Braelen Bridges

Jaxon Etter

Justin Hill

Jusaun Holt

Jailyn Ingram

Mardrez McBride

Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe

Kario Oquendo

Terry Roberts

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