Bulldogs To Host North Florida In Friday Matinee

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Game 12: Georgia (8-3) vs. North Florida (7-6)
Friday, December 22 || 3:00 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, color analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer) | Affiliates
TV: None
Video Stream: SEC Network+ (Jeff Dantzler, play-by-play; Marcus Thornton, color analyst)
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: SiriusXM 374
History: First Meeting

Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach: Mike White Record at UGA: 24-19 (2nd season) Career Record: 267-147 (13th season)				North Florida Ospreys Head Coach: Matthew Driscoll Record at UNF: 224-237 (15th season) Career Record: 250-313 (18th season)
INDIVIDUAL		TEAM	STATISTIC	TEAM		INDIVIDUAL
Abdur-Rahim	13.3	73.5	Points Per Game	79.8	16.2	Lanier
Anselem-Ibe	.563	.417	Field Goal Pct.	.427	.509	Moss
Abdur-Rahim	2.1	7.5	3-Pointers Per Game	12.5	3.4	Lanier
Abdur-Rahim	.442	.322	3-Point Pct.	.357	.429	Moss
Abdur-Rahim	.917	.718	Free Throw Pct.	.750	.879	James
Tchewa	6.2	37.6	Rebounds Per Game	37.5	6.2	James
Hill	3.0	11.5	Assists Per Game	13.8	3.4	Moss
Hill	2.75	1.02	Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	1.14	1.81	Moss
Moncrieffe	0.9	3.3	Blocks Per Game	7.1	0.9	James
Demary Jr.	1.6	6.1	Steals Per Game	3.0	1.5	Lanier
Thomasson	27.8		Minutes Per Game		29.6	LanierLeffew

The Starting 5...

Georgia will wrap up its pre-holiday slate with a matinee matchup against North Florida on Friday. The Bulldogs are looking to extend winning streaks of seven games at Stegeman Coliseum and six games overall.
Georgia is 7-0 at Stegeman Coliseum this season, improving to 20-4 in Mike White's two seasons in Athens. White is a combined 27-5 as a head coach at Stegeman, including a 7-1 mark while at Louisiana Tech and Florida.
After going 10-of-10 at the line against Mount St. Mary's, Jabri Abdur-Rahim currently owns UGA's season free throw percentage record by connecting on .917 (55-of-60) of his attempts to the line.
Georgia is slated to play 14 of 31 (45.2 percent) of its regular-season games against teams featured in the most recent edition of ESPN.com's bracketology.
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).

The Opening Tip

Georgia wraps up a busy stretch of three home games in seven days on Friday afternoon when the Bulldogs host North Florida at Stegeman Coliseum at 3:00 p.m. Georgia topped High Point last Saturday and defeated Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday.

Those victories improved Georgia to 8-3 and extended a pair of winning streaks.

The Bulldogs have now won six straight games, their longest stretch of success under second-year head coach Mike White and the second-longest active streak in the SEC. The streak dates back to a Nov. 24 victory over Winthrop and includes successive wins over Florida State, Mercer, Georgia Tech, High Point and Mount St. Mary's.

Georgia is 7-0 at Stegeman this season, topping its opposition by an average of 9.6 ppg.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim's record-setting performance against Mount St. Mary's moved him back atop Georgia's scoring leaders. Abdur-Rahim's career-high 23-point performance against the Mountaineers increased his scoring average by a full point per game to 13.3 ppg. Noah Thomasson and RJ Melendez also are scoring at a double-digit pace for the Bulldogs, contributing 13.0 ppg and 10.0 ppg, respectively.

Scouting The Ospreys

North Florida sports a 7-6 record entering its matchup with the Bulldogs. The Ospreys' three-game winning streak was snapped with a 91-75 setback at Florida State on Tuesday. UNF also has faced an SEC foe, dropping a 75-63 decision at LSU on Nov. 24.

North Florida leads the nation in both 3-point makes and takes per game. The Ospreys are jacking up 35.1 shots from behind the arc in each outing – 55.2 percent of their total shots from the floor. UNF is connecting on 12.5 3-pointers per game – 46.2 percent of its shots that find the bottom of the net.

Chaz Lanier and Dorian James, the older brother of UGA freshman Dylan James, lead North Florida in scoring and rebounding, respectively. Lanier is averaging 16.2 ppg, and James is grabbing 6.2 rpg. Amertri Moss also is contributing double figures in the scoring column at 11.5 ppg and leads the Ospreys in assists at 3.4 apg.

Series History With North Florida

Friday's game will be the first ever between Georgia and North Florida.

The Bulldogs are 25-3 all-time against teams currently competing with the Ospreys in the Atlantic Sun Conference. That includes records of: 11-0 vs. Jacksonville; 7-3 vs. Stetson; 3-0 vs. Kennesaw State; 2-0 vs. Eastern Kentucky; and 1-0 vs. both Austin Peay and Lipscomb.

In addition, Georgia defeated EKU, the preseason favorite to win the A-Sun this season, in a preseason charity exhibition prior to this season. RJ Melendez's 21 points led six Bulldogs in double figures in the 99-82 win on Oct. 30 at Stegeman Coliseum. In addition, Russell Tchewa notched a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, Noah Thomasson put up 15 points and Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. all chipped in 12 points each.

Last Time Out

Four Bulldogs scored in double-figures, led by Jabri Abdur-Rahim's career-high of 23, as Georgia scored the most points of the Mike White era and defeated Mount St. Mary's, 94-82, on Wednesday evening. RJ Melendez tied his career-high in points with 18, Noah Thomasson contributed 17 and Blue Cain chipped in 10.

Abdur-Rahim tied his career-high in scoring in the first half alone with 21 points, giving Georgia a 43-32 lead over Mount St. Mary's headed into the locker room. The Bulldogs led by as many as 15 in the final frame, scoring the program's most points in a game since defeating Jacksonville, 98-65, on Dec. 4, 2020.

"I think a lot of guys are stepping up," Abdur-Rahim said. "I think our depth is showing. Earlier you could see signs of different guys being able to play some roles, but now everyone's getting comfortable and everybody's sharing it. We had a season-high in assists tonight. That's something we really value and it really shows that we're sharing the ball and working together. I think if we continue to do that the sky is the limit."

Jabri Among Best Bulldogs At The Line

Jabri Abdur-Rahim's 10-of-10 effort from the line against Mount St. Mary's not only equaled Georgia's single-game conversion record at the arc, it also pushed Abdur-Rahim to the top of the Bulldogs single-season leaders.

Abdur-Rahim's performance represented the 15th time a Bulldog converted on all nine or more trips to the line in a single contest.

A minimum of 50 made FTs are required for inclusion on the Bulldogs' single-season leaders ledger. Abdur-Rahim surpassed that standard during the Mount St. Mary's game, just the 11th outing of the season. He has connected on 55-of-60 free throws, a school-record .917 as outlined below

A minimum of 125 made free throws are needed to be featured among UGA's career FT percentage leaders. Abdur-Rahim has made 175-of-212 FTs while at Georgia, a sizzling 82.5 percent that currently has him at No. 4 all-time among Bulldogs as outlined below.

Rk.	Player	Pct.
UGA Career FT Percentage Leaders
1.	Jabri Abdur-Rahim	.917
2.	Channing Toney ('05)	.910
3.	Joe Ward ('84)	.902
4.	J.J. Frazier ('17)	.886
5.	Lanny Taylor ('70)	.864

Rk.	Player	Pct.
UGA Career FT Percentage Leaders
1.	J.J. Frazier	.841
2.	Dick McIntosh	.831
3.	Juwan Parker	.828
4.	Jabri Abdur-Rahim	.825
5.	Jerry Epling	.822

White's Teams Strong In Stegeman...Now And Then

Georgia is 7-0 at Stegeman Coliseum this season, upping the Bulldogs' home record to 20-4 under head coach Mike White during his two campaigns in Athens.

A year ago, Georgia won its first 10 home games to record just the sixth double-digit home winning streak in program history. The Bulldogs eventually finished 13-4 at Stegeman during the 2022-23 campaign, matching Georgia's the second-most regular-season home victories ever.

White's success at Stegeman isn't limited to his time on the Bulldogs' bench. He was 7-1 in the arena as a visiting head coach. White led Louisiana Tech to an NIT victory over Georgia at Stegeman in 2014 and was 6-1 against the Bulldogs in seven seasons at Florida from 2015-22.

All told, White is 27-5 as a head coach at Stegeman, a sizzling 83.9 winning percentage.

James Brothers Face Off

Georgia freshman Dylan James will play against his brother, Dorian, when the Bulldogs and Ospreys face off on Friday.

Dorian is a redshirt senior for North Florida and leads the team in rebounding (6.2 rpg), free throw percentage (.879) and blocks (0.9 bpg).

Dylan and Dorian aren't the only athletes in the James family. Their brother Darius and sister Charla both played basketball at Lynn University.

Lots Of Dogs Leading In Scoring And Rebounding

Eleven games into the 2023-24 season, no less than five Bulldogs have led Georgia in scoring and five different players have paced UGA in rebounding.

Noah Thomasson has been Georgia's leading scorer in four games, while Jabri Abdur-Rahim has done so three times, Silas Demary Jr. twice and Blue Cain and RJ Melendez once each.

Russel Tchewa has paced the Bulldogs on the glass in four of 11 outings followed by Melendez (thrice), Jalen DeLoach (twice), Cain (once) and Demary (once).

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 +120 scoring margin – a 126-point swing and a differential of +12.6 ppg in Georgia's last 10 outings.

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 didn't stop there.

Georgia played 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 – a 68-66 win over Florida State on Nov. 29 and versus Georgia Tech on Dec. 5.

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

A Very "Maddening" Schedule

Georgia is not only playing Power conference teams, it's playing really good Power conference teams – at least according to Joe Lunardi.

The Bulldogs' 31-game regular-season slate includes 13 matchups against teams featured in the most recent edition of ESPN.com's Bracketology. In addition, Georgia also played Oregon, Lunardi's "first team out" of the bracket, in the season opener and defeated Eastern Kentucky, a 14th team projected into the NCAA bracket, in a preseason exhibition.

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

University of Georgia Athletics