Dogs Face Noles in ACC/SEC Challenge

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Game 7: Georgia (3-3) vs. Florida State (4-1)
Wednesday, November 29 || 9:15 p.m. ET
Donald L. Tucker Center (11,500) in Tallahassee, Fla.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Flagship: WSB AM 750); (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, color analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer) | Affiliates
TV: ACC Network (Pam Ward, play-by-play; Mark Wise, color analyst)
Video Stream: ESPN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: SiriusXM 384
History: FSU leads, 19-10 (Full History)
Last Meeting: UGA, 70-67, on 12/1/81

Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach: Mike White Record at UGA: 19-19 (2nd season) Career Record: 262-147 (13th season)				Florida State Seminoles Head Coach: Leonard Hamilton Record at FSU: 408-272 (36th season) Career Record: 608-482 (22nd season)
INDIVIDUAL		TEAM	STATISTIC	TEAM		INDIVIDUAL
Thomasson	14.3	70.8	Points Per Game	83.2	14.2	Watkins
DeLoach	.524	.392	Field Goal Pct.	.490	.619	Green
Thomasson	2.3	7.7	3-Pointers Per Game	7.6	2.4	Green Jr.
Thomasson	.378	.299	3-Point Pct.	.345	.600	Nickelberry
Abdur-Rahim	.892	.727	Free Throw Pct.	.667	.875	Jackson
Tchewa	5.8	36.3	Rebounds Per Game	35.4	6.0	Watkins
Hill	2.7	11.8	Assists Per Game	16.8	4.4	Watkins
Hill	3.20	0.93	Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	1.17	2.00	Warley
Demary Jr.	2.0	6.5	Steals Per Game	11.8	2.8	Warley
Moncrieffe	1.2	2.8	Blocks Per Game	4.8	1.4	Miller
Thomasson	29.2		Minutes Per Game		30.4	Green Jr.

The Starting 5...

Georgia travels to Tallahassee to face Florida State on Wednesday for the first time in two days short of 42 years – since a 70-67 Bulldog victory at the Donald Tucker Civic Center on Dec. 1, 1981.
Georgia is the nation's only Power conference team to: 1) open its season with back-to-back games versus Power conference programs (Oregon and Wake Forest); and 2) face four Power conference foes in its first five outings (UO, WFU, Miami and Providence).
Georgia is scheduled to play 13 of 31 (41.9 percent) of its regular-season games against teams featured in the most recent edition of ESPN.com's bracketology. In addition, Oregon is the "first team out," and the Bulldogs defeated Eastern Kentucky, a projected NCAA team, in a preseason exhibition.
A pair of Bulldogs are returning to their home state for Wednesday's game. Dylan James, who was ranked as the nation's No. 94 prospect in the Class of 2023 by ESPN.com, helped lead Winter Haven High to a runner-up showing in the 7A state tourney last spring. Jaden Newell played at Choctowhatchee High, including the Indians' runner-up finish in the 2021 Florida 5A state tourney.
Georgia's freshman and transfer recruiting classes both were ranked as high as No. 11. The Bulldogs were only one of three teams to have both of those groups ranked top-20 nationally by On3.com.

The Opening Tip

Georgia ventures to Tallahassee, Fla., for the first time in two days shy of 42 years on Wednesday where the Bulldogs will face Florida State in the ACC/SEC Challenge at 9:15 p.m. ET. Georgia last trekked to Tallahassee – and last met FSU – on Dec. 1, 1981, the junior season of Hall-of-Famer Dominique Wilkins.

Georgia is 3-3, with two of the three setbacks coming to teams currently included in ESPN's bracketology and the third to its "first team out." The Bulldogs are the only Power conference team in the nation to: 1) start the season with back-to-back outings against other Power conference foes; and 2) face Power conference competition in four of the first five games of the year.

Noah Thomasson leads the Bulldogs offensively at 14.3 ppg, including 21.5 ppg in Georgia's last two outings. Jabri Abdur-Rahim also is averaging double digits for the Bulldogs at 13.3 ppg, largely due to connecting on 33-of-37 trips to the line (5.5 ppg).

Scouting The Seminoles

Florida State is 4-1 on the season and coming off a 77-71 overtime upset of No. 18/21 Colorado in the championship game the Sunshine Slam last Tuesday in Daytona Beach.

Jamir Watkins, a former teammate of UGA's Jalen DeLoach at VCU, paces the Seminoles in the relatively rare trio of scoring (14.2 ppg), rebounding (6.0 rpg) and assists (4.4 apg). Darin Green Jr. and Cameron Corhen also are scoring at a double-digit pace for Florida State, averaging 13.2 ppg and 10.8 ppg, respectively.

Series History With FSU

Florida State owns a 19-10 edge in matchups between the Bulldogs and the Seminoles, including a 10-2 advantage in Tallahassee. Most of those – 27 to be exact – were in the '50s and '60s. UGA and FSU met multiple times every season from 1954-55 through 1965-66.

Following a 14-year hiatus, the Bulldogs and Seminoles split a "home-and-home" series during the 1980-81 and 1981-82 campaigns, with Georgia staging its contest at The Omni in Atlanta as part of the Cotton States Classic.

The Bulldogs won the most recent matchup, taking a 70-67 victory in Tallahassee on Dec. 1, 1981. Dominique Wilkins' scored 20 points and Tarry Fair added a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead Georgia.

The Bulldogs scored the final six points of the first half to grab a 36-33 lead at the intermission. After several additional lead changes in the second stanza, Georgia took went up for good with 3:13 remaining. The game marked Hugh Durham's return to Tallahassee, where he led the Seminoles to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and Final Four during 12 seasons as head coach from 1966-78.

Last Time Out

Noah Thomaasson's game- and season-high 24-point outburst led Georgia in a 78-69 victory over Winthrop last Friday at Stegeman Coliseum.

Justin Hill added 15 points and Jabri Abdur-Rahim chipped in 10 for the Bulldogs.

Thomasson's point tally came from an efficient shooting effort from the field. The graduate transfer from Houston, Texas produced Georgia's best single-game field goal percentage (.615) and 3-point percentage (.714) on the season.

Georgia led for 32:06 of the game, including the entire second half, but didn't put the game away until late. The Bulldogs led by four, 64-60, with 4:53 remaining before a pair of Thomasson 3-pointers helped push the margin to 72-63 at the 1:49 mark.

"You certainly didn't learn how to just put your opponent away, but I thought it gave the opportunity for our veteran guards to step up and make some big plays down the stretch – make some winning plays offensively when we had some empty possessions," head coach Mike White said. "They put some game pressure on us for sure, and to see Noah [Thomasson] step up the way he did with Justin Hill in the backcourt. Our production on the offensive glass was a big factor. Down the stretch, it gave us an opportunity for those guys hopefully moving forward to gain some confidence knowing they hit some big shots we rebound down the stretch."

UGA vs. FSU Family Ties: Hugh Durham Edition

Hugh Durham ranks among the greatest coaches in the history of both the Georgia and Florida State basketball programs. Durham served as the Seminoles' head coach for 12 seasons from 1966-78 before leading the Bulldogs for 17 campaigns from 1978-95.

Durham compiled a 229-96 record at FSU, his alma mater. He aslo was a standout guard for the Seminoles from 1956-59, scoring 1,381 points and averaging 18.9 ppg. As a coach, Durham led Florida State to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1968, the first of his FSU teams' three bids to "March Madness," including an NCAA runner-up finish in 1972.

Durham also coached Georgia to its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid in 1983, when the Bulldogs were the "other Cinderella" of one of the most memorable editions of the "Big Dance." Georgia knocked of top-seeded St. John's (and Chris Mullin) in the "Sweet 16" before topping North Carolina (and Michael Jordan) to capture the NCAA East Regional in Syracuse. The Bulldogs then lost to N.C. State, 67-60, at the Final Four in Albuquerque two night's before Lorenzo Charles' improbably alley oop to defeat Houston.

Before Durham's arrival, Georgia never earned a postseason bid of any kind. In Durham's 17 seasons, the Bulldogs reached the NCAA Tournament or NIT 12 times.

UGA vs. FSU Family Ties: Football Edition

Georgia's Jalen DeLoach is the younger brother of Florida State linebacker Kalen DeLoach. Kalen has started 36 games for the Seminoles over the past four seasons, recording 173 tackles with 18 TFLs (-96 yards) and 8.0 sacks (-71 yards). He has started all 11 games played for FSU this season and leads the Seminoles with 63 tackles.

In addition, Miyah Verse, a top-60 ESPN prospect in the Class of 2023 who is a freshman on Georgia's women's basketball team, is the younger sister of Florida State defensive lineman Jared Verse. Jared was an All-American last season and is tied with Kalen DeLoach for FSU's leader in sacks this season with 7.0.

UGA vs. FSU Family Ties: Basketball Edition

Florida State sophomore Cam Corhen is the son of Richard Corhen, who was a four-year letterwinner and two-year starter for the Bulldogs between 1981-85. Richard helped Georgia reach the semifinals of the 1982 NIT, the 1983 Final Four, the 1984 NIT and the 1985 NCAA Tourmanet. He scored seven points against North Caroilna in the "Elite Eight" and posted six points and seven boards versus N.C. State in the Final Four. Richard averaged 5.5 ppg and a team-high 6.6 rpg as a junior before contributing 6.4 ppg and 5.2 rpg as a senior.

UGA vs. FSU Ties: Bench Edition

Georgia assistant coach Erik Pastrana is a Florida State graduate. Pastrana earned his bachelor's degree in History from FSU in 2007. He then secured his master's in Counseling and Student Development at Kansas State in 2009 while serving as a graduate assistant.

Pastrana's coaching career includes stints at Stephen F. Austin, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Oklahoma State and Florida before he joined the Bulldogs in 2022.

Abdur-Rahim Among Best-Ever Bulldogs At The Line

Jabri Abdur-Rahim has already joined Georgia's top-10 career leaders in free throw percentage and is well within reach of the best single-season leaders ledger.

Abdur-Rahim has made 153-of-189 FTs while at Georgia, a sizzling 81.0 percent. With a minimum of 125 made free throws needed to be featured among UGA's career leaders, Abdur-Rahim's 81.0 effort is currently No. 5 all-time among Bulldogs. FYI, J.J. Frazier owns the record at 84.1 percent.

Abdur-Rahim has connected on 33-of-37 free throws this season, a stellar 89.2 percent conversion rate. A minimum of 50 made FTs is required for inclusion on single-season ledger. In six games, Abdur-Rahim already is two-thirds of the way to that standard. His current percentage would rank third at UGA behind Channing Toney (.910 in 2004-05) and Joe Ward (.902 in 1983-84).

Bulldogs Bench Bounces Back

After being outperformed in the season opener, Georgia's reserves have done considerably better since. Oregon outscored Georgia in bench points, 28-22. The Bulldogs have won the "bench battle" in every game since and now sport a +55 scoring margin – a 61-point swing (12.2 ppg).

BEWARE: Barking Bench Means Bulldogs May Bite

Getting "three stops in a row" is an extremely popular analytical indicator quoted by basketball coaches competing on just about every level. At Georgia, a sequence of three stops in a row is recorded as a "bite" for the Bulldogs.

If you notice various members of the bench barking loudly while Georgia is on the defensive end of the floor, that indicates that the Bulldogs have already posted two consecutive defensive stops and are just shy of taking a "bite" out of their opponent's offensive efforts.

A Challenging Slate Out Of The Gate

Georgia is the only Power conference team to open the 2023-24 season with back-to-back outings against other Power conference programs. The Bulldogs began the year against Oregon in a Naismith Hall of Fame Series date at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas before hosting Wake Forest.

The Power heavy schedule doesn't stop there.

Georgia will play four of its first five, five of its first seven and six of its first nine games against Power conference foes.

Georgia faced Miami, a 2023 Final Four participant, in the opening round of the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship followed by Providence, another NCAA Tournament team last March.

The Bulldogs other two Power conference dates in non-conference action are both versus ACC competition – at Florida State this evening and versus Georgia Tech on Dec. 5.

All told, 24 of Georgia's 31 regular-season games (.774) are against Power conference teams.

Georgia Impressive In Stegeman Openers

With last Friday's win over Wake Forest, Georgia improved to 55-6 in home openers at Stegeman Coliseum.

The matchup with the Demon Deacons represented the first time since the 2017-18 season that Georgia's home opener was not also the initial outing of the season.

The Bulldogs are now 17-1 in Stegeman openers that were not season openers.

Cain, Demary Make Their Marks In Collegiate Debuts

Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. made key contributions for Georgia in their collegiate debuts against Oregon in the Naismith Hall of Fame Classic.

Demary became the first true freshman to get a starting nod for the Bulldogs in a season opener since Anthony Edwards in 2019. The Raleigh, N.C., native produced a thorough linescore of eight points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Cain became the first true freshman to notch a double-digit scoring output in the season opener since Edwards and Sahvir Wheeler did so in 2019. Cain posted 12 points off the bench by connecting on 5-of-11 shots from the field and matched Demary for the team high with two steals.

Georgia Signs Top-10 Prospect Asa Newell

Georgia opened the NCAA's early signing period with a bang on Nov. 6 when the Bulldogs signed Asa Newell, the No. 8 overall prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings for the Class of 2024.

Newell is the fifth top-100 prospect to sign with Georgia in the last two classes.

The younger brother of current Bulldog Jaden Newell, Asa is a 6-10, 215-pound power forward and a consensus five-star recruit. Asa is the second-highest ESPN.com and third-highest 247Sports.com ranked recruit to sign with Georgia during the internet era. He trails only Anthony Edwards (No. 4 in 2019) on the ESPN.com ledger and only Edwards (No. 2) and Lou Williams (No.6 in 2005) in the 247Sports.com composite. Edwards went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, while Williams elected to turn pro and has enjoyed a 17-year NBA career that includes three NBA Sixth Man of the Year awards.

Newell was a member of USA National Teams for FIBA World Cup tournaments during the past two summers, helping the USA capture a Gold Medal at the 2022 U17 tourney in Malaga, Spain and finish fourth at the 2023 U19 event in Debrecen, Hungary.

Newell is in his second season at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., which finished 23-3 and finished No. 2 nationally in the SCNext Top 25 high school boys' basketball rankings last season.

Both Packs of New Bulldogs Highly Rated

Georgia was one of three programs with both its freshman and transfer recruiting classes ranked among the nation's top-20 groups by On3.com. The Bulldogs' five transfer were tabbed as at No. 11, while the freshmen were featured at No. 18.

All four of Georgia's freshmen were rated as top-100 prospects in the Class of 2023 by various recruiting services. The highest rankings were: Blue Cain at No. 53 by On3.com, Silas Demary Jr. at No. 56 by Rivals.com, Dylan James at No. 78 in the 247Sports.com and Mari Jordan at No. 87 by ESPN.com.

As a class, the freshman were ranked No. 11 by Rivals.com, No. 15 in the 247Sports.com composite, No. 18 by On3.com and No. 20 by 247Sports.com. Georgia's freshmen were the second-highest ranked class in the SEC 247Sports.com's composite ledger of the average ranking of those recruiting services. Ten of 14 SEC schools were ranked among the nation's top-50 freshman classes in the 247Sports.com composite.

A "March Madness" Pedigree

Seven Georgia players have played in the NCAA Tournament at previous schools.

Third-year Bulldog Jabri Abdur-Rahim was a member of Virginia's roster in 2021 when the Cavaliers won the ACC regular-season title en route to March Madness.

Frank Anselem-Ibe, Justin Hill and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, who are in their second seasons in Athens, also reached the Big Dance. Anselem-Ibe helped Syracuse reach the 2021 Sweet 16. Hill led Longwood to the 2022 tournament. Moncrieffe played in the 2021 NCAA Tournament while at Syracuse.

Georgia newcomers Jalen DeLoach, RJ Melendez and RJ Sunahara bring NCAA Tournament experience as well. DeLoach helped VCU earn an NCAA bid last spring. Melendez was on Illinois teams that reached the 2022 and 2023 tourneys. Sunahara played in a trio of Division II tournaments at Nova Southeastern, including the Sharks perfect 36-0 march to the 2023 national title.

In addition, Russel Tchewa's Texas Tech team was on the NCAA bubble in 2020 before the championship was canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sunahara Takes One For the Team...accepts new nickname

It's not uncommon for basketball teams to have multiple players with the same first name, but that usually occurs with a rather common name. When a pair of "RJ's" transferred to Georgia during the offseason, it left the coaching staff scratching their heads.

"We're going to have to figure this out," Mike White quipped to the media when discussing the Bulldogs' summer trip to Italy.

It didn't take long for RJ Sunahara to become "Sunny"...at least while he's on the basketball court. Even though his name is pronounced "soon-ah-hara," the 2023 Division II National Player of the Year is now "Sunny." Actually, the nickname fits quite well with Sunahara's Hawaiian heritage.

Bulldogs Tops A-Sun Favorite EKU In Exhibition

Six Bulldogs scored in double figures at Georgia defeated Eastern Kentucky, 99-82, in an exhibition game benefiting the American Red Cross at Stegeman Coliseum on Oct. 30.

EKU returns four starters and 11 letterwinners from a 23-14. The Colonels are the preseason favorite of both media and coaches to win the Atlantic Sun Conference this season and have been a consistent member of ESPN's Bracketology throughout the summer and preseason.

RJ Melendez Georgia with 21 points and added nine rebounds, while Russell Tchewa notched a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. In addition, Noah Thomasson added 15 points and Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. all chipped in 12.

As a team, Georgia shot 54.8 percent from the field.

"I thought we did some good things and we've got a lot to work on," head coach Mike White said. "I was very pleased with their tenacity defensively, and progression and tempo offensively. It was a really fast-paced game."

Georgia opened the game with a 6-0 surge 73 seconds into the contest and lead throughout the entire opening half. The Bulldogs kept the Colonels at bay, ending the half on a 13-3 run and carrying a 21-point lead headed into the locker room. From there, Georgia controlled the second half and was ahead by as many as 24 points.

Forza Dogs...Georgia's Tour Of Italy

Georgia got a jump on preparations for the 2023-24 season during the summer when the Bulldogs ventured to Italy for a three-game international tour from July 20-29.

On the the hardwood, Georgia defeated different teams from the Italian Club Orange Basket Bassano by 39.3 points per game. Each Bulldog dressed out for two of the three games, with nine different players recording one or more double-figure scoring outputs.

Away from basketball, Georgia spent four days in Rome, one day in Florence and two days in Sorrento. The team toured the traditional sites such as Vatican City, The Colosseum, The Forum, Pompeii, Amalfi and Positano. The Bulldogs also enjoyed a cooking class where they prepared – and then dined on – their own pasta and tiramisu.

Designer Genes

We believe that Georgia Basketball's family tree may be the most athletic in the country. Almost every Bulldog has immediate family who competed at the collegiate or professional levels, including:

Jabri Abdur-Rahim – his dad, Shareef, was a 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2002 NBA All-Star and current president of the NBA's G League; and five of his uncles (Amir, Muhammad, Tahir, Bilal and Malik) played college basketball.

Blue Cain – his mom, the former Myriah Lonergan, played basketball at George Washington and is in GWU's Athletic Hall of Fame; his dad, Chris, played golf at Duke; and his sister, Sophie, is a senior setter on Appalachian State's volleyball team.

Jalen DeLoach – his brother, Kalen, is in his third season as a starting linebacker at Florida State; and his sister, Taylor, was a Big Ten champion in the 400-meter relay at Ohio State.

Silas Demary Jr. – his dad, Silas Sr., played at Virginia State and was the 2005 Arena Football League Defensive Player of the Year for the L.A. Avengers.

Justin Hill – his dad, Keith, played basketball at Michigan State and New Mexico State, where he helped the Aggies reach the NCAA Tourney; his mom, the former Donna Holt, played basketball at Virginia, where she was 1988 ACC Player of the Year and was named to the ACC's Silver Anniversary team in 2002;

Dylan James – his brother, Dorian, is a redshirt senior of North Florida's basketball team; and two additional siblings – brother Darius and sister Charla – played basketball at Lynn University.

Markel Jennings – is distant cousins on his dad's side with NFL players Vernon and Vontae Davis, who both were multiple Pro Bowl selections.

Brandon Klatsky – his dad, Brian, played college basketball at DIII Skidmore; and his brother, Alex, is a redshirt senior on Florida's basketball team.

Jaden Newell – his brother, Asa, the No. 8 overall prospect in 247Sports.com Class of 2024 composite rankings, has signed to join him in Athens next season.

RJ Sunahara – his dad, Reed, was a two-time All-American in volleyball at UCLA and is the current women's volleyball coach at West Virginia; his mom, the former Laura Rekstis, played volleyball at Cincinnati; his grandfather, Peter Rekstis, played football at Cincinnati; his uncle, Chet Moeller, played football at Navy and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Noah Thomasson – his dad, Leon, played football at Texas Southern and for the Atlanta Falcons; and he's distant cousins with Spud Webb on his mom's size.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jabri Abdur-Rahim

Frank Anselem-Ibe

Blue Cain

Jalen DeLoach

Silas Demary Jr.

Justin Hill

Dylan James

Markel Jennings

Brandon Klatsky

RJ Melendez

Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe

Jaden Newell

RJ Sunahara

Russel Tchewa

Noah Thomasson