MBB Notes: Bulldogs Host Mocs In Midweek Matinee Matchup

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (8-3) vs. Chattanooga (8-4)
Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Flagship: WSB AM 750); (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer | Affiliates
TV: None
Video Stream: SEC Network + (Kaleb Frady, pbp; Marcus Thornton, analyst)
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: 136 or 191; SXM App: 962
History: UGA leads, 30-5 (Full History)
Last Meeting: UTC, 92-90 (OT), on Nov. 13, 2015

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Mike White
8-3 in 1st at UGA
251-131 in 12th season overall
0	Terry Roberts	13.8	4.3
(6-3; 180; Sr.; North Amityville, N.Y)
3	Kario Oquendo	13.0	4.0
(6-4; 220; Jr.; Titusville, Fla.)
12	Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe	7.3	4.4
(6-8; 215; Jr.; Toronto, Ontario)
13	Mardrez McBride	5.3	2.7
(6-2; 180; 5th Year; Augusta, Ga.)
23	Braelen Bridges	7.3	4.4
(6-11; 245; 5th Year; Atlanta, Ga.)

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Chattanooga Mocs
Coach: Dan Earl
8-4 in 1st season at UTC
81-143 in 8th season overall
0	A.J. Caldwell	4.6	4.1
(6-5; 200; R-Sr.; Sarasota, Fla.)
5	Jamal Johnson	11.3	3.7
(6-4; 195; Sr.; Birmingham, Ala.)
10	Dalvin White	9.8	2.7
(5-10; 162; Grad.; Norcross, Ga.)
22	Demetrius Davis	10.3	3.8
(6-9; 185; Jr.; Atlanta, Ga.)
33	Jack Stephens	22.5	10.5
(7-0; 275; Grad.; Bunker Hill, W.Va.)

TEAM COMPARISON

2022-23 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	CHATTANOOGA
Points Per Game	70.6	81.8
Opp. Point Per Game	63.2	68.4
Scoring Margin	+7.5	+13.3
Field Goal Pct.	.435	.477
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.416	.406
3-Point Pct.	.322	.395
3-Pointers Per Game	6.6	11.9
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.283	.337
Free Throw Pct.	.745	.715
Free Throws Per Game	14.4	14.0
Rebounds Per Game	39.0	39.8
Opp. Rebound Per Game	30.5	31.3
Rebound Margin	+8.5	+8.5
Assists Per Game	12.7	16.8
Turnovers Per Game	15.2	13.0
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.84	1.29
Turnover Margin	-1.9	-2.8
Steals Per Game	7.5	5.6
Blocks Per Game	3.5	4.6

The Starting 5...

UGA hosts Chattanooga in the Bulldogs' final outing prior to a week-long break from games over the holidays.
UGA has used 8 different starting fives in its first 11 games and only 3 Bulldogs have played in every outing.
UGA's win over Notre Dame was its first non-conference victory over a Power 5 team since Nov. 2019.
UGA won 6 games in November, which matched the Bulldogs' win total for the entire 2021-22 season.
UGA's bench has scored 290 points and posted a +177 margin over its opponents' reserves to date.

The Opening Tip

Georgia hosts Chattanooga on Wednesday afternoon in a midweek matinee matchup at Stegeman Coliseum. Following the game, the Bulldogs will enjoy a week-long break from competition over the holidays.

Georgia is 8-3 on the season, already topping the Bulldogs' win total for entire 2021-22 season by two W's.

Georgia is coming off its best performance of the season, a 77-62 victory over Notre Dame. Braelen Bridges earned SEC Player of the Week honors after scoring 18 points on a 9-of-9 shooting effort. Matthew-Alexander also was perfect from the floor, connecting on 6-of-6 shots en route to a season-high 15 points, and Jabri Abdur-Rahim notched his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

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

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

Braelen Bridges is...
• 44 points from 1,000 for his career
• 22 rebounds from 500 for his career

Jailyn Ingram is...
• 43 points from 1,500 for his career
• 7 rebounds from 700 for his career

Series History With UTC

Georgia owns a 30-5 advantage in all-time matchups against Chattanooga, including a 23-4 record in games played in Athens. The Bulldogs and Mocs are meeting for the first time since the opener of the 2015-16 campaign, a 92-90 overtime win for Chattanooga on Nov. 13, 2015.

Georgia was led on offensively by J.J. Frazier, who poured in 22 points and handed out a career-high eight assists. Yante Maten chipped in a double-double on career bests of 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Georgia lost despite shooting 54 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. The Bulldogs were undone by a missing 17 free throws.

Chattanooga built double-digit leads in both halves before the Bulldogs gained their first advantage midway through the second stanza. Georgia led by as many as six before the Mocs went back on top on a layup by Casey Jones with 24 seconds left in regulation.

Charles Mann tied the game on a free throw with 12.8 seconds remaining and stout defense held the Mocs without a good look on their final possession.

Chattanooga scored the first five points of overtime and led 87-81 with just 42 seconds remaining. A 3-pointer from William "Turtle" Jackson and two more from Frazier pulled the Bulldogs within 92-90 with seven ticks on the clock. Dee Oldham missed two free throws, but Jackson's potential half-court game-winner was off the mark.

Scouting The Mocs

Chattanooga arrives in Athens with an 8-4 record under first-year head coach Dan Earl following an 83-79 overtime setback to Belmont last Sunday.

Much like Georgia, the Mocs feature an extremely deep playing rotation. No less than 13 players are averaging double-digit minutes, although four of those players have seen action in less than half of Chattanooga's games.

Jake Stephens paces the Mocs with eye-catching average of 22.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.5 blocked shots per game. Among national leaders, he entered this week ranked No. 6 in scoring, No. 9 in rebounding and No. 13 in blocks.

Jamal Johnson and Demetrius Douglas also are scoring at a double-digit rate for Chattanooga, averaging 11.3 ppg and 10.3 ppg, respectively.

Dalvin White is a single bucket of a double-figure scoring average at 9.8 ppg and led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio through games of Dec. 18 at 4.43.

Last Time Out

Braelen Bridges and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe combined to connect on all 15 of their shots from the floor to lead Georgia in a 77-62 victory over Notre Dame in a Holiday Hoopsgiving matchup at State Farm Arena in Atlanta last Sunday.

Bridges was 9-of-9 from the field en route to 18 points in 18 minutes, and Moncrieffe connecting on all six of his field goal attempts while scoring a season-high 15 points. In addition, Jabri Abdur-Rahim recorded the first double-double of his collegiate career with 12 points and a career-most 11 rebounds, and Terry Roberts chipped in 10 points and five assists.

Georgia surged ahead late in the first half and outscored the Irish by 10 points in the second stanza. After leading 41-36 at the intermission, the Bulldogs doubled that advantage in the first five minutes of the second half.

The Irish pulled within three points at 58-55 with 7:43 left, but Justin Hill answered with a 3-pointer to ignite an 11-0 run that ended any doubt.

The win over Notre Dame represented Georgia's first non-conference victory over a Power 5 opponent since the Bulldogs defeated Georgia Tech, 82-78, on Nov. 20, 2019.

A Very Productive Bench

Georgia's reserves have come off the bench to score 290 points in the first 11 games of the season, accounting for 37.3 percent of the 777 points put up by the Bulldogs.

Georgia's bench has outscored its opponents reserves 290-113, a massive +177 margin (16.1 ppg).

The Bulldogs have won the "bench battle" in each game, providing a "+20" margin in five 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 eight different starting lineups over the first 11 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.

Only three Bulldogs – Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Braelen Bridges and Mardrez McBride – have played in every contest, and six Bulldogs have missed a combined 16 outings due to injury or illness. In fact, the Notre Dame game was the first outing when all 14 players on Georgia's roster were available for action.

Bridges Earns SEC POTW

Braelen Bridges was named SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 19, a day after his 18-point performance in a Holiday Hoopsgiving win over Notre Dame.

Bridges was a perfect 9-of-9 from the field against the Fighting Irish and scored 18 points in just 18 minutes of playing time. He scored a point per minute played in each half, putting up eight points in eight MP in the first half and 10 points in 10 minutes of action in the second stanza.

Bridges became the Bulldogs' first SEC Player of the Week honoree since Toumani Camara was recognized on Dec. 21, 2020. Overall, Bridges is the 29th Georgia player to earn SEC Player of the Week accolades since the award's inception in 1985. Those Bulldogs have combined to secure 40 SEC Player of the Week certificates.

Healthy M-A Makes A Difference

Matthew-Alexander was hindered after suffering an ankle sprain in the Bulldogs' season opener against Western Carolina. The junior from Ontario missed two games before returning to play in the next four contests. He then had two more DNPs prior to the Georgia Tech contest.

Moncrieffe has been extremely efficient in Georgia's last two outings, posting his first double-digit outing as a Bulldog with 11 points against the Yellow Jackets and topping that with 15 points versus Notre Dame. Moncrieffe was a combined 11-of-12 from the field – an almost unfathomable 91.7 percent – against GT and ND.

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 "W" over Hampton.

With that, the Bulldogs matched their win total for the entire 2021-22 campaign during the first 24 days of Mike White's first season.

Valuing The Basketball

Georgia recorded more turnovers than assists in each of its 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 the Bulldogs' five outings since, they produced positive ratios against ETSU, Hampton, Florida A&M and Georgia Tech and were an even 14-14 in assists-to-TOs versus Notre Dame. In that quintet of contests, Georgia has delivered a combined 78 and committed 68 turnovers.

While the coaching staff is extremely eager to trim the TO total dramatically, that 1.15 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: Bulldogs Host Mocs In Midweek Matinee Matchup

Next Event

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

MBB Notes: Bulldogs Host Mocs In Midweek Matinee Matchup

Next Event

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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