MBB Game Notes: Dogs Begin February Slate By Hosting Hogs

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (6-15, 1-7 SEC) vs. Arkansas (16-5, 5-3 SEC)
Wednesday, February 2, 2022 | 7:00 p.m. ET
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: ESPNU (Paul Sunderland, pbp; Jimmy Dykes, analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: XM: 190; SXM App: 961
History: ARK 24-14 (Full History)
Last Meeting: L 69-99 (1/9/2021)

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
47-63 in 4th season at UGA
403-294 in 22nd season overall
3	Kario Oquendo	12.7	4.1
(6-4; 215; Soph., Titusville, Fla.)
10	Aaron Cook	10.4	2.5
(6-2; 185; Grad.; St. Louis, Mo.)
11	Jaxon Etter	5.6	3.0
(6-4; 205; Jr.; Woodstock, Ga.)
20	Noah Baumann	9.2	3.8
(6-6; 210; Sr.; Phoenix, Ariz.)
23	Braelen Bridges	12.6	5.9
(6-11; 240; Sr.; Atlanta, Ga.)

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Arkansas Razorbacks
Coach: Erik Musselman
61-24 in 3rd season at UA
171-58 in 6th season overall
0	Stanley Umude	10.0	4.5
(6-6; 210; Gr.-Sr.; San Antonio, Texas)
1	JD Notae	18.8	4.4
(6-2; 190; Sr.; Covington, Ga.)
3	Trey Wade	3.7	1.9
(6-6; 225; Gr.-Sr.; Marietta, Ga.)
5	AuDiese Toney	11.1	5.5
(6-6; 205; Sr.; Huntsville, Ala.)
10	Jaylin Williams	9.1	9.2
(6-10; 240; Soph.; Fort Smith, Ark.)

TEAM COMPARISON

2021-22 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	ARKANSAS
Points Per Game	70.9	78.3
Opp. Point Per Game	76.3	68.3
Scoring Margin	-5.5	+10.0
Field Goal Pct.	.444	.453
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.461	.416
3-Point Pct.	.315	.296
3-Pointers Per Game	6.4	6.0
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.333	.338
Free Throw Pct.	.748	.746
Free Throws Per Game	15.9	17.5
Rebounds Per Game	34.4	38.6
Opp. Rebound Per Game	34.4	32.3
Rebound Margin	0.0	+6.2
Assists Per Game	13.9	15.0
Turnovers Per Game	14.3	12.9
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.97	1.15
Turnover Margin	-3.6	+2.1
Steals Per Game	4.8	8.0
Blocks Per Game	2.4	4.4

The Starting 5...

Braelen Bridges is 1 made FGs shy of qualifying for NCAA leaders...or his .630 FG pct. would rank No. 6 nationally.
Jaxon Etter is shooting 71.4 pct. from 3-point range in SEC play, 21.4 pct. better than any other player averaging 1.0 3FG.
With 118 assists, Aaron Cook is just seven passes-to-points from joining UGA's all-time top-20 season leaders.
Georgia leads the SEC in FT pct. in conference games, connecting on 81.9 percent of its trips to the line in league play.
UGA's seven first-year transfers combined to score 4,782 points at their previous schools.

The Opening Tip

Following a travel-dominant January slate, the Georgia Bulldogs tip off a home-heavy February schedule on Wednesday evening when they host Arkansas at Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia opened SEC play with a heart- breaking, last-second 81-79 home setback to Texas A&M on Jan. 4. Since then, the Bulldogs have played five of their last seven games on the road, with trips to Lexington, Starkville, Auburn, Columbia (of the South Carolina variety) and Nashville.

Georgia will play five of its eight outings in the calendar's shortest month at Stegeman Coliseum, including home contests on all four Saturdays in February.

The Bulldogs are 6-15 overall and 1-7 in SEC play to date.

Georgia's most recent home outing was perhaps the Bulldogs' best performance of the season. Georgia outscored Alabama 20-10 over the final 5:12 last Tuesday to notch its first SEC victory of the season. The Tide bounced back four days later to top No. 4 Baylor.

There were several near misses before Georgia's victory. The Bulldogs were up at halftime in three of their four games prior to the win over Alabama – and owned double-digit leads in two of those contests.

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

Aaron Cook is...
• 7 assists from co.-No. 19s Gino Gianfrancesco and Barry Cohen among UGA's season assist leaders
• 10 steals from 200 for his career

Series History With Arkansas

Despite a 10-6 advantage for Georgia in games against Arkansas in Athens, the Razorbacks own a 24-16 lead in the all-time series between the two schools.

In the most recent matchup last season on Jan. 9 in Fayetteville, Arkansas broke open a close game early in the second half and scored 56 second-half points in a 99-69 win over Georgia at Bud Walton Arena.

After leading by six at halftime, Arkansas doubled that margin with 16:45 remaining in the game and never looked back.

The Bulldogs and Razorbacks last met in Athens on Feb. 29, 2020, when Georgia raced to a 14-0 lead and secured a 99-89 victory before a sold-out Stegeman Coliseum.

The Bulldogs earned their largest lead of the evening at 36-18 with 8:24 left in the first half before the Razorbacks trimmed the gap to 47-39 at the intermission.

Arkansas pulled within a single point three times in the second period, but the Bulldogs answered on each occasion – with a Rayshaun Hammonds three-point play, an acrobatic layup from Tyree Crump and a layup by Hammonds.

Anthony Edwards took over late in the contest, scoring 10 of his game-high 26 points in the final 4:30 as Georgia pushed a three-point lead to the 10-point margin of victory.

Scouting The Razorbacks

Arkansas arrives in Athens at 16-5 overall and 5-3 in SEC play.

The Razorbacks won their first nine games of the season and climbed into the top 10 of both the AP and coaches' polls before back-to-back setbacks.

Arkansas stumbled from the gates in SEC play, dropping its first three league outings before winning its last five. Last Saturday, the Hogs extended that winning streak to six with a 77-68 victory over West Virginia in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

The Razorbacks sport six players contributing 9.1 points or more per game.

JD Notae not only leads Arkansas offensively but is the top scorer in the SEC entering this week with his 18.8 ppg scoring average.

Au'Diese Toney and Stanley Umude also are scoring in double figures, averaging 11.1 ppg and 10.0 ppg, respectively. Chris Lykes chips in 9.4 ppg, while Davonte Davis and Jaylin Williams both add 9.1 ppg.

Notae also leads the league in steals at 2.4 spg, and Williams is the SEC's second-leading rebounder at 9.2 rpg.

Last Time Out

Aaron Cook's 18-point performance led a quartet of Bulldogs in double figures in the scoring column in an 85-77 setback at Vanderbilt last Saturday.

The Bulldogs shot 51.9 percent from the field and 81.0 percent from the line but only connected on 23.5 percent of their 3-pointers. Conversely, the Commodores shot better from 3-point range (52.2 percent) than overall (50.9 percent).

Vanderbilt scored the game's first four points and never trailed.

B.B. Is Consistent, Efficient

Braelen Bridges is the Bulldogs' most consistent point producer and among the nation's most efficient.

Bridges has posted double-digit scoring outputs in a team-best 16 of Georgia's 21 games, and he has notched nine points in two of the other five outings.

The graduate transfer senior Atlanta native is shooting a sizzling 63.0 percent from the field, connecting on 104 of his 165 shots.

Bridges' effort almost puts him in elite company in the SEC and nationally. To be ranked among statistical leaders in field goal percentage, a player has to make a minimum of 5.0 shots per game.

With 104 field goals made, Bridges falls a single bucket shy of that standard...or he would lead the SEC and rank No. 6 nationally in field goal percentage entering this week.

Cook Nears UGA Assist Top 20

"Super senior" Aaron Cook enters the Arkansas outing just seven assists shy of joining Georgia's top-20 single-season leaders in passes to points.

Cook has distributed 118 assists in 20 games played this season...he missed an outing against No. 18 Memphis on Dec. 1 due to an illness.

Cook's 188 dimes matches the most he's ever had as a collegiate player. He also notched 118 assists in 32 games played during his junior season at Southern Illinois in 2018-19.

The current No. 19 total for the Bulldogs is 125 assists by both Gino Gianfrancesco in 1972 and Barry Cohen in 1971. Cook is 30 assists away from Georgia's top-10 single-season leaders

UGA Season Assist Leaders
Rk.	No.	Player	Season	GP
9.	148	G.G. Smith	1997	33
	148	G.G. Smith	1998	35
11.	145	Pertha Robinson	1996	30
12.	144	Gerald Crosby	1985	31
13.	143	Sundiata Gaines	2008	34
14.	140	J.J. Frazier	2017	34
15.	139	Willie Anderson	1988	35
	139	Sahvir Wheeler	2020	31
17.	133	Litterial Green	1989	31
	133	Gerald Robinson	2011	33
19.	125	Gino Gianfrancesco	1972	24
	125	Barry Cohen	1971	25

Dogs Capitalizing At The Line

Georgia has made the most of its trips to the free-throw line this season, and even more so in SEC play.

The Bulldogs enter this week leading the SEC and No. 63 nationally in free throw percentage at 74.8 percent. Georgia also is among the top teams in the nation at getting to the charity stripe. As of Monday, UGA ranked No. 13 in FT makes (333) and No. 16 in FT takes (445).

In stats for conference games only, the Bulldogs are the league's most efficient team by a pretty healthy margin. The Bulldogs have connected on a sizzling 81.9 percent (140-of-171) of their SEC free throws, 5.0 percent better than any other conference team.

Etter's Production Is Better

Walk-on Jaxon Etter's contributions this season have skyrocketed over those during his first two seasons in Athens. Etter has more than tripled his career averages for points and rebounds while upping his playing time four fold.

The junior from Woodstock, Ga., began the 2021-22 campaign with averages of 1.6 points, 0.8 rebounds and 6.1 minutes during his freshman and sophomore years.

This season, he is contributing 5.6 points, 3.0 boards in 25.5 minutes per contest.

Etter's scoring and playing time have increased even more in SEC action. His scoring production is up 0.9 ppg over non-conference play and his shooting efficiencies have improved by 18.0 percent overall and 47.9 percent from 3-point range

Etter's Non-Conference vs. SEC
Stat	N-C	SEC	Diff.
Minutes	24.0	27.8	+3.8
Scoring	5.2	6.1	+0.9
FG Pct.	.383	.565	+.180
3FG Pct.	.235	.714	+.479

We Know What You're Thinking

"Wait, what? Did that just say Jaxon Etter is shooting 71.4 percent from 3-point range in SEC play?"

Yes, yes it did. Etter is 10-of-14 from behind the arc in conference games to date.

Through last weekend's games, there were 12 SEC players averaging at least 1.0 3-pointer per game in league action and shooting 40.0 percent or better from 3-point range.

Etter's effort from behind the arc was the best in the league by a relatively massive margin of 21.4 percent.

Top 3-Point Threats In SEC Play
Rk.	Player, School	GP	3FGs.	Pct.
1.	J. Etter, UGA	8	10	.714
2.	M. Murrell, OM	8	22	.500
3.	S. Vescovi, UT	8	29	.453
4.	T. Fagan, OM	8	9	.429
5.	D. Gordon, MIZ	7	8	.421
6.	K.D. Johnson, AU	8	15	.417
	B. Murray, LSU	8	10	.417
8.	A. Gordon, TAMU	8	11	.407
9.	D. Mintz, UK	8	15	.405
	T. Thomas, VU	8	17	.405

Noah Continues Scoring Trend

In five seasons of college basketball, Noah Baumann has established a trend of scoring most of his points from behind the 3-point arc...and doing so efficiently.

This season, 74.6 percent (44 of 59) of Baumann's made field goals have been 3s, and he is shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range.

Career-wise, 72.0 percent (190 of 264) of Baumann's made FGs are 3-pointers, and he is converting on a considerably better clip from outside the arc (.432) than inside that stripe (.385).

Cook Among Assist Leaders

As of Monday, Aaron Cook ranked No. 12 nationally in total assists (118) and No. 14 in assist average (5.9 apg).

Cook's assist average is on pace to be among the best ever by a Bulldog.

The current No. 2 mark in Georgia history is 6.3 apg by Pertha Robinson in 1994-95, and there is a wide gap between Cook's current average (6.1 apg) and the No. 3 standard in the Bulldogs' record book of 4.8 apg by Sundiata Gaines in 2006-07.

Etter Accepting Charges

Defensively, Jaxon Etter is like Visa...as in "everywhere you want (him) to be."

The junior walk-on took three charges against Western Carolina, the second game this season he's done so...the other outing being versus Ga. Tech.

Etter now has a team-high 20 charges in 20 games played this season – that's an average of 1.0 charge per game for you non-math majors.

Etter's offensive foul trend began last season when he drew eight in the final 11 games. That gives him 28 in his last 31 outings – 0.90 per game so you don't have to get your calculator out.

Experience Has Traveled

The phrase "defense travels" is a well-known in the sports world.

The slogan "experience has traveled" may be more appropriate for Georgia Basketball this season.

When the campaign began, Georgia's lineup was anchored by five D-I transfers – sixth-year "super seniors" Aaron Cook and Jailyn Ingram, graduate transfer seniors Noah Baumann and Braelen Bridges and sophomore Jabri Abdur-Rahim.

Even though Ingram has not contributed to their totals statistically since suffering a season-ending injury in the ninth outing of the year against Jacksonville on Dec. 7, that quintet of Bulldogs has accounted more than 60 percent of Georgia's points and assists and the majority of its production in virtually every stat.

D-I transfer contributions
Stat	Team	D-I Ts	Pct.
Minutes	4200	2314	55.1
Scoring	1488	908	61.0
Rebounds	655	370	56.5
Assists	292	195	66.8
Blocks	51	31	60.8
Steals	100	49	49.0

Bulldogs Battle Through

Georgia has only dressed 11 players for the last four games and will continue to due so for the foreseeable future.

In fact, the Bulldogs only had 10 players in uniform four times this season, including three SEC games, and had their "full roster" for six outings.

The Bulldogs' roster was cut by one with a preseason injury to P.J. Horne, one of two players to start every game last season.

Since the season started, Jailyn Ingram suffered a season-ending injury against Jacksonville on Dec. 7, Jonathan Ned has been out with an ankle injury beginning with a Dec. 18 matchup with George Mason and Tyrone Baker broke on Jan. 18, the day before a road game at Auburn.

We won't count Horne since his injury was before the season, but the 14 other Bulldogs have compiled 40 DNPs this season. In addition to the quartet of injuries outlined above, Bulldogs scratched from the scorebook include:

• T. Baker vs. Virginia and Northwestern (illness);
• N. Baumann vs. Northwestern (illness);
• A. Cook vs. Memphis (illness);
• J. Etter vs. Gardner-Webb (injury);
• C. McDowell vs. Texas A&M and Kentucky (illness);
• J. Ned vs. Virginia and Northwestern (illness);
• K. Oquendo vs. Auburn (injury);
• D. Ridgnal vs. Texas A&M and Kentucky (illness).

Only three Bulldogs – Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Braelen Bridges and Christian Wright – have played in every game.

Georgia has used seven starting fives, and Bridges is the only Bulldog who has gotten the nod for every contest.

Wright Scores Savvily

Christian Wright's recorded his second and third double-figure scoring outputs as a Bulldog in back-to-back road outings against No. 2 Auburn and South Carolina.

The freshman from The Skill Factory scored 16 points at Auburn and followed that 10 at South Carolina. His first double-digit performance was a 17-point outing against No. 18 Memphis on Dec. 1.

There has been a common theme in all three contests, Wright's ability to get to the free throw line.

Wright converted on 24-of-28 (.857) trips to the charity stripe in those contests. That's 55.8 percent of his 43 points. All told, Wright drew 22 fouls in that trio of games, while committing only four fouls himself.

Also of note, Wright committed only one turnover in 38 minutes against Memphis, which entered the contest averaging 18.0 turnovers forced per game.

Crean Inducted Into MU HOF

Tom Crean was inducted into Marquette University's M Club Hall of Fame on Sunday, Jan. 23.

Crean was the head coach at Marquette from 1998-2008 and during nine seasons compiled a record of 190-96. He led MU to the 2003 NCAA Final Four – its first since 1977 – and four additional NCAA appearances in 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Crean earned Conference USA Coach of the Year honors in both 2002 and 2003 before leading Marquette's successful integration into a loaded BIG EAST in 2005.

Crean was also inducted to the M Club Hall of Fame as part of the 2003 Final Four Team. He recruited and coached Marquette All-Americans Dwyane Wade, Travis Diener, Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Lazar Hayward.

Cook Joins Elite List

At tipoff at Auburn, Aaron Cook became just the 18th player in NCAA Division-I men's basketball history to participate in 150 career games.

Cook played in 103 games in four seasons at Southern Illinois from 2016-20, including a redshirt campaign with six contests in 2019-20. He saw action in 30 games last season at Gonzaga during the Bulldogs' NCAA runner-up finish. Georgia's Jan. 19 game at Auburn was his 17th game with the Bulldogs.

While Cook's milestone is significant, it is obviously aided by his "super senior" status as a sixth-year player. Entering this season, Ohio State's David Lighty held the NCAA record with 157 games played and only 13 players had logged PT in 150 contests.

On Jan. 13, Iowa's Jordan Bohannon inched past Lighty's mark, and Cook became the fifth player in 2021-22 alone to reach the century-and-a-half mark.

Those numbers have only continued to grow. Bohannon recorded his 163rd GP on Monday night against Penn State and Creighton's Ryan Hawkins became the 10th player to reach the 150 games played milestone this season alone last Saturday.

Kario Hot When SEC Starts

Kario Oquendo opened SEC play with a trio of 20-point performances – 21 vs. Texas A&M, 22 vs. No. 13/16 Kentucky and 28 at Mississippi State.

The sophomore from Titusville, Fla., became the first Bulldog to do so since 2020 when Anthony Edwards put up 23 points at Missouri on Jan. 28, 29 against Texas A&M on Feb. 1 and 32 at Florida on Feb. 5.

Baumann Hits the Boards

With injuries to P.J. Horne and Jailyn Ingram, Noah Baumann has shifted to playing the traditional '4' spot for Georgia.

In his first outing doing so, Baumann grabbed 11 rebounds against Western Carolina. That was more than double his previous career-most of five in seven different outings including this year's season opener against FIU.

Joked Tom Crean: "I don't know if he's done that since grade school. Somewhere out West, he might have had 11 boards in a CYO game in the eighth grade."

Kario Likes The Bright Lights

Kario Oquendo has a history of producing big games against the best opposition.

Last season, he averaged 13.5 points while shooting 55.4 percent from the field for the Florida SouthWestern College.

In Buccaneers' four contests against ranked opponents, those stats jumped to 22.0 points and 63.6 percent.

The trend of big nights continued this season. Against No. 19 Memphis and No. 13/16 Kentucky, Oquendo averaged in 23.0 ppg and shot 59.3 percent (16-of-27) from the floor.

In six outings versus ranked foes as a collegiate basketball player, Oquendo is averaging 22.3 points and connecting on 62.2 (51-of-82) of his field goal attempts. FYI, Oquendo did not play in Georgia's game at No. 2 Auburn on Jan. 19 due to a lower body injury.

Dogs Look To Regroup...Again

Georgia lost Jailyn Ingram to a knee injury during the Jacksonville game on Dec. 7. Ingram went down in a non-contact situation while trying to save a ball along the baseline with 14:21 left in the contest.

The "super senior" from Madison, Ga., and Morgan County High School was the Bulldogs' leading rebounder (6.0 rpg) and third-leading scorer (10.7 ppg).

Following an MRI on Dec. 8, Tom Crean confirmed the prognosis on Dec. 9 with a Tweet stating: "Unfortunately, Jailyn Ingram will have to have surgery to repair his ACL in his right knee. It's heartbreaking because Jailyn has been emerging in so many areas and has been a model of consistency day in and day out. He's an incredible young man... Jailyn has brought a spirit and seriousness to us. He is a guy that is in the gym most mornings before we would lift weights at 8:45 and was stabilizing for a young team. We plan to appeal for the waiver to get another year since he's under the 30% games played. Pray for him."

Ingram's injury was UGA's second season-ending setback. On Oct. 20, Crean announced an injury to P.J. Horne, one of just two Bulldogs to start every game last season.

Tweeted Crean: "It's with genuine sadness that I let you know that P.J. Horne will miss this season after undergoing surgery on his right knee this past weekend. In practice, he bumped knees in a scrimmage, lost footing and went down awkwardly. This is such a major blow to us because P.J. was playing so well and showing great leadership as our leading returning player, but more so because he is such a great person and one of the finest people I've ever coached."

Jabri's Contributions Soar

It's probably glossed over too much that this fall is the first time Jabri Abdur-Rahim has played extended minutes in nearly two years. He suffered a foot injury during his senior season at Blair Academy and only played in two games and only appeared in eight games last season at Virginia.

Jabri, who was ranked as one of the nation's top-40 prospects in the Class of 2020, showed signs of returning to form in three early-December outings.

Abdur-Rahim exploded for a career-high 20 points against Wofford and followed that with a 15 and 10-point showings versus No. 18 Memphis and Jacksonville, respectively. Equally impressive as the totals was the efficiency in which he scored.

In those three games, Abdur-Rahim scored more points, connected on more shots and upped his shooting percentages by massive amounts over his 14 previous career outings.

Abdur-Rahim's Increases
Total Points	32	45	+13
Scoring Average	2.3	15.0	12.7
FGs Made	9	13	+4
FG Percentage	.214	.650	+.436
3FGs Made	3	9	+6
3FG Percentage	.125	.600	+.475

Crean Captures Win No. 400

Tom Crean secured his 400th career victory with Georgia's upset of No. 18 Memphis on December 1.

Prior to arriving in Athens, Crean compiled 366 W's in his first 18 campaigns as a collegiate head coach. He earned the first 190 in nine seasons at Marquette from 1998-2008 and added 166 more at Indiana between 2008-17 before arriving in Athens and securing the final 44 of his 400.

Tom Crean's Milestone Wins
No. 1 – Nov. 20, 1999 – Marquette defeats Chicago State, 62-43, in Tom Crean's first game as a collegiate head coach.
No. 100 – March 6, 2004 – A three-point play with .8 of a second left lifts Marquette over No. 25 Louisville, 81-80.
No. 200 – Dec. 8, 2009 – Indiana knocks off Pittsburgh, 74-64, in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
No. 250 – Nov. 20, 2012 – A day after beating Georgia, 66-53, in the first round, IU tops Georgetown, 82-72, to win the Progressive Legends Classic.
No. 300 – Dec. 20, 2014 – Indiana tops No. 23 Butler, 82-73, as Yogi Ferrell became IU's 48th 1,000-point scorer.
No. 400 – Dec. 1, 2021 – Kario Oquendo's 24-point outburst paces UGA in an 82-79 upset of No. 18 Memphis.

Wright Stellar In Upset

Freshman Christian Wright started at point guard against No. 18 Memphis for Aaron Cook, who was out of action due to an illness. That task was taller considering the Tigers entered the game forcing an average of 18.0 turnovers per game.

While Wright's career-high totals of 17 points, six boards and 38 minutes tallies drew significant attention, his turnover tally – a meager one TO – was the most significant digit in his linescore. And he did so logging the most PT of any Bulldog in any game this season to date.

Also of note, Wright drew seven fouls, including two on the offensive end, and converted on 6-of-7 free throw attempts.

The SportsCenter "Top-Quen"

Kario Oquendo has emphatically made his way in the top-10 plays on ESPN's SportsCenter twice this season.

On Nov. 16, Oquendo came in at No. 3 on SportsCenter's top-10 plays after his third highlight reel effort against S.C. State. He stole the ball at midcourt and windmilled home an uncontested dunk.

A posterized effort on Nov. 23 was tabbed No. 6. Oquendo, who's 6-4, gathered a steal in Northwestern's lane and drove the length of the floor before a thunderous dunk over a 6-9 Wildcat.

If you want to rate Oquendo's SportsCenter dunks, you can find the S.C. State slam at gado.gs/kariosctop1116 and the Northwestern effort at gado.gs/kariosc1123.

Cook Tops Millennium Mark

Aaron Cook blew past the 1,000-point career scoring mark on Nov. 16 against South Carolina State.

The "super senior" was eight points shy of entering the game and inched past the milestone with 2:21 left in the first half. He finished with 22 points, three off his career high versus Indiana State on Jan. 24, 2018.

Cook scored 845 points at Southern Illinois from 2016-20 and added 127 points during Gonzaga's en route to their NCAA runner-up finish last season.

Cook was presented the game ball from the S.C. State game in a ceremony prior to the George Mason game that featured his mother, Regina, and brother, Anthony.

Dalen, Kario Draw Attention

Kario Oquendo and Dalen Ridgnal are among the top JUCO transfers expected to make the biggest marks this season.

On August 25, bustingbrackets.com ranked the top-25 junior college players moving to the "high-major" level. Ridgnal was tabbed No. 2 on that ledger, while Oquendo was ranked No. 23.

On Nov. 1, college basketball guru Jon Rothstein tabbed his top-10 "JUCOs to watch," an unranked list that also included Ridgnal.

Welcoming A Slew Of Scoring

Of the 10 newcomers on the Bulldogs' roster seven are transfers – five D-I players (Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Noah Baumann, Braelen Bridges, Aaron Cook and Jailyn Ingram) and a pair from the junior college ranks (Kario Oquendo and Dalen Ridgnal).

Those players arrived in Athens having already scored 4,782 points at their previous schools, the largest addition of scoring by any D-I program this season as outlined below.

In their previous stops, the D-I quintet of the group also logged 8813 minutes in 404 games played, while grabbing 1283 rebounds, dishing 643 assists, swatting 116 blocks and collecting 304 steals.

Top Scoring Influx's In D-I hoops
Rk.	School	Players	Points
1.	Georgia	7	4782
2.	Duquesne	5	4695
3.	Florida	5	4144
4.	Arkansas	6	4125
5.	Penn State	7	5183
6.	Washington St.	4	3785
7.	SMU	4	3733
8.	Kentucky	4	3538
9.	Utah	6	3175
10.	Arizona St.	3	3132

On The Flip Side...

While Georgia welcomed a huge influx of college scoring from its newcomers, the Bulldogs returned a minuscule portion of their scoring from last season.

Minus P.J. Horne, the four returning Bulldogs accounted for only 1110 of Georgia's 2014 points a year ago, or 5.5 percent. Walk-on Jaxon Etter is the top returning point producer with 47 points.

"B" Is For Basketball Player

You may notice on Georgia's roster that the Bulldogs have gone away from listing traditional positions – guard, forward and center. All 15 players are now simply listed as "B" for "Basketball Player."

Tom Crean is a proponent for "position-less basketball."

"That's what they are," Crean said. "It's not valid to call them centers and power forwards and things like that as much with the way that we're trying to play. They're being trained as basketball players, every day... in the sense of how we train with the ball handling, the driving, the shooting – all those type of things. That's big to me."

MBB Game Notes: Dogs Begin February Slate By Hosting Hogs

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jabri Abdur-Rahim

Tyrone Baker

Noah Baumann

Braelen Bridges

Aaron Cook

Jaxon Etter

P.J. Horne

Jailyn Ingram

K.D. Johnson

Jonathan Ned

Kario Oquendo

Dalen Ridgnal

Sahvir Wheeler

Christian Wright

MBB Game Notes: Dogs Begin February Slate By Hosting Hogs

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jabri Abdur-Rahim

Tyrone Baker

Noah Baumann

Braelen Bridges

Aaron Cook

Jaxon Etter

P.J. Horne

Jailyn Ingram

K.D. Johnson

Jonathan Ned

Kario Oquendo

Dalen Ridgnal

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