Bulldogs To Entertain Tigers On Valentine's Day

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (15-10, 5-7 SEC) vs. LSU (12-13, 1-11 SEC)
Tuesday, February 14 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Flagship: WSB AM 750); (Scott Howard, pbp; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie (producer)) | Affiliates
TV: SEC Network (Kevin Fitzgerald, pbp; Ron Slay, analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: SiriusXM: 133 or 190; SXM App: 961
History: LSU leads, 69-47 (Full History)
Last Meeting: LSU, 84-65, on Feb. 15, 2022

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Mike White
15-10 in 1st at UGA
258-138 in 12th season overall
3	Kario Oquendo	13.0	3.1
(6-4; 220; Jr.; Titusville, Fla.)
4	Jusaun Holt	3.3	3.5
(6-7; 190; Soph.; Tacoma, Wash.)
11	Justin Hill	7.7	2.8
(6-0; 185; Jr.; Houston, Texas)
12	Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe	6.4	5.5
(6-8; 215; Jr.; Toronto, Ontario)
23	Braelen Bridges	8.0	4.5
(6-11; 245; 5th Year; Atlanta, Ga.)

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

LSU TIGERS
Coach: Matt McMahon
12-13 in 1st season at LSU
166-80 in 8th season overall
3	Justice Hill	6.9	1.8
(6-0; 175; Sr.; Little Rock, Ark.)
12	KJ Williams	16.0	7.3
(6-10; 250; 5th Year; Cleveland, Miss.)
15	Tyrell Ward	2.8	0.9
(6-6; 185; Fr.; Washington, D.C.)
20	Derek Fountain	8.0	5.5
(6-10; 225; Jr.; Holly Springs, Miss.)
44	Adam Miller	11.9	2.2
(6-3; 190; Soph.; Peoria, Ill.)

TEAM COMPARISON

2022-23 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	LSU
Points Per Game	70.1	66.4
Opp. Point Per Game	69.0	69.0
Scoring Margin	+1.0	-2.6
Field Goal Pct.	.417	.413
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.423	.442
3-Point Pct.	.325	.330
3-Pointers Per Game	7.0	7.3
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.300	.332
Free Throw Pct.	.736	.704
Free Throws Per Game	16.2	12.7
Rebounds Per Game	37.4	34.3
Opp. Rebound Per Game	35.0	34.3
Rebound Margin	+2.4	0.0
Assists Per Game	11.8	12.3
Turnovers Per Game	13.2	12.7
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.89	0.97
Turnover Margin	-1.8	-3.3
Steals Per Game	6.5	5.8
Blocks Per Game	2.8	2.8

The Starting 5...

Eight different Dogs have been used to comprise 11 different starting lineups for UGA this season.
UGA is 12-2 at home this season, improving Mike White's record at Stegeman to 19-3 (.864) all-time.
Seven different Dogs have made double-digit 3s this season, the most since 8 did so in 1997-98.
UGA is ranked No. 2 nationally in bench minutes, with reserves logging 45.4 percent of the Dogs' PT.
UGA's assist-to-TO ratio is up by +.26 since Thanksgiving, the best improvement by an SEC team during that span.

The Opening Tip

Georgia hosts LSU on Tuesday night in a Valentine's Night matchup at Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs have loved playing at home this season, where Georgia has compiled a 12-2 record.

The arena itself seems to have an affinity for first-year head coach Mike White. He is now 19-3 all-time at Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia improved to 15-10 overall and 5-7 in SEC play with a 75-68 victory over Kentucky last Saturday. The Bulldogs seemed to recover the "mojo" that led them to 13-4 and 3-1 overall and SEC starts, respectively, before Georgia dropped six of its next seven outings.

Saturday's victory also supplied Georgia with its first consecutive home wins over Kentucky in 33 seasons – since 1990.

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

Jailyn Ingram is...
• 7 points from 1,500 for his career
Justin Hill is…
• 69 points from 1,000 for his career

Series History With LSU

Despite a 28-23 advantage for Georgia in games played in Athens, LSU sports a 69-47 lead in the all-time series between the Bulldogs and the Tigers.

In the most recent matchup last season on Feb. 16 in Baton Rouge, Kario Oquendo poured in 26 points – his eighth 20-point outing of the season overall and sixth in SEC play – to lead Georgia in an 85-64 setback at LSU.

Georgia led 20-19 with 6:20 remaining in the first half before the Tigers exploded on a 19-2 surge to close the period and take control of the game.

In the most recent meeting in Athens on Feb. 23, 2021, Georgia secured a 91-78 victory at Stegeman Coliseum to avenge an overtime loss in Baton Rouge earlier in that season.

It was a great night for former Bulldogs still playing collegiately. Current Kentucky Wildcat Sahvir Wheeler recorded the first triple-double in Georgia Basketball history with 14 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. In addition, Dayton's Toumani Camara added 22 points, Auburn's KD Johnson scored 21 and Ole Miss' Tye Fagan chipped in 18.

The Bulldogs opened the scoring and then led for 37:25 of the contest. Georgia eventually built a 16-point, 45-29 advantage at halftime and never allowed LSU closer than 12 points following the intermission.

Scouting The Tigers

LSU is 12-13 on the season, including a 1-10 mark in SEC play under first-year head coach Matt McMahon.

The Tigers upset Arkansas 60-57 in their league opener on Dec. 28 but have since dropped 11 consecutive decisions.

KJ Williams leads LSU in four of five major statistics, producing averages of 16.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Justice Hill paces the Tigers in assists at 3.1 apg.

Adam Miller also is scoring in double figures, chipping in 11.9 ppg.

Last Time Out

Kario Oquendo continued his trend of big games against Kentucky to lead Georgia in a 75-68 win over the Wildcats last Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum.

Oquendo poured in 21 points on Saturday, his second 20-point performance in three outings against Kentucky. The junior from Titusville, Fla., also put up 18 points in an earlier matchup with the Wildcats this season.

Justin Hill scored 15 points and dished out six assists with just one turnover, and Braelen Bridges added 12 points on efficient a pair of efficient shooting performances from the field (5-of-6) and the free throw line (2-of-3).

The Bulldogs led 42-32 at the half and in the process matched their best first-half offensive output of the season – 42 points at Rupp Arena. However, after allowing the Wildcats to rally to an 85-71 win in Lexington last month, Georgia weathered the Wildcats' comeback attempt on Saturday.

Kentucky surged to a 52-48 with 11:53 remaining before Bridges accounted for eight points in an 13-2 answer that gave Georgia the lead for good.

Bulldogs Strong At Stegeman

Georgia is 12-2 at home this season, matching the fifth-most victories at Stegeman Coliseum during the Bulldogs' 60 seasons competing in the arena.

Georgia's record for home Ws came during the 2015-16 and 2013-14 campaigns when those Bulldogs notched 15 wins at Stegeman as outlined below.

The current campaign marks the 15th time the Bulldogs have garnered a dozen home wins. With another home win this season, Georgia would match its second-most regular-season victories at Stegeman ever.

Most Victories at Stegeman
Rk.	Season	Reg.	Post	Tot.
1.	2015-16	14-4	1-0	15-4
	2013-14	14-2	1-1	15-3
3.	2006-07	13-4	1-0	14-4
4.	2003-04	13-3	0-0	13-3

White Is Stellar At Stegeman

Although Stegeman Coliseum opened in February 1964, about 13 before Mike White was born, some might say the arena was built for him.

White was 7-1 in Stegeman before he became the Bulldogs' head coach. He led Louisiana Tech to an NIT victory over Georgia at Stegeman in 2014 and then was 6-1 against the Bulldogs in seven seasons at Florida from 2015-22.

Quick math adding in a 12-2 mark this season reveals White's 19-3 mark in the venue. We used a calculator to determine White's success rate at Stegeman – a spectacular 86.4 percent.

In A Matter of Days...

Last Saturday's win over Kentucky – coupled with the Bulldogs' 63-62 victory at Stegeman on Jan. 20, 2021 – provided Georgia with its first back-to-back home wins over the Wildcats in 33 seasons.

The most recent occurrence prior was during the 1988-89 and 1989-90 campaigns. The Bulldogs bettered the Wildcats 106-91 on Jan. 3, 1990 in the opener of their march to an SEC Championship.

There were 12,092 days between that contest and last Saturday.

That added to a growing list of significant milestones during Mike White's first season at Georgia.

On Dec. 28, the Bulldogs' victory over Rider improved Georgia to 10-3 on the season and gave UGA a double-digit win total prior to the calendar rolling over for the fourth time in 118 seasons of Georgia Basketball. The last time the Bulldogs did so was during the 2010-11 season, with a 4,380-day gap.

A couple of weeks later, Georgia used a 62-58 win at Ole Miss to notch a couple of firsts in a while.

The victory was the Bulldogs' first on the road since topping Auburn on Feb. 2, 2021, a span of 711 days.

Georgia also improved to 3-1 in the SEC with the win over the Rebels, a first for the Bulldogs since the 2016-17 campaign. That gap measured 2,204 days.

Georgia's Four "3-Migos"

Four Bulldogs have made more than 60 percent of their field goals from 3-point range. Three of those also have scored more than half of their total points on 3-pointers as outlined below.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim is Georgia's most productive 3-point shot maker, knocking down 1.5 3s per game overall and upping that to 1.8 3FGpg in SEC action.

3-Point Production
Player	3FGs	FGs	Pct.	"3" Pts.	Tot.	Pct.
J. Abdur-Rahim	38	55	69.1	114	190	60.0
M. McBride	31	40	77.5	93	123	75.6
J. Ingram	15	20	75.0	45	63	71.4
J. Holt	13	21	61.9	39	80	48.8
Total	97	136	71.3	291	456	63.8

But They're Not The Only Ones

In addition to the aforementioned quartet of successful long-range shooters, three more Bulldogs have converted on more than 10 3-pointers this season – Terry Roberts has 31, Kario Oquendo has 27 and Justin Hill has 16.

The tally of seven Bulldogs with double-digit 3-pointers is Georgia's most in a quarter century – since eight Dogs did so during the 1997-98 season.

And on the "Other" End

The Bulldogs entered the week ranked No. 23 nationally in 3-point defense, holding their opponents to 30.0 percent from behind the arc.

Georgia is well on its way to having one of the best 3-point defense marks in program history as outlined below

Only once in the 37 seasons since the arc was added in 1986-87 has Georgia held its opponents to less than 30 percent of its 3-point attempts – 29.9 percent in 1993-94.

Best 3-point Defending Dogs
RK.	Season	3FG-FGA	Pct
1.	1993-94	158-529	.299
2.	1996-97	191-622	.307
3.	2001-02	219-708	.309
4.	2014-15	207-665	.311
5.	2007-08	215-684	.314

Dogs' Double-Digit Starting 5s

Georgia has mixed and matched eight Bulldogs to comprise 11 different starting lineups.

Most of those were in non-conference play when Georgia used eight different quintets over the first 11 contests. The Bulldogs battled through a series of injuries and illnesses that resulted in 16 DNPs by six players. In fact, the Notre Dame game – Georgia's 11th outing – was the first when the entire roster was available.

After settling into a consistent quintet for nine games – from Notre Dame on Dec. 18 to Vanderbilt on Jan. 21 – the Bulldogs' started a ninth and 10th different lineup against Tennessee and South Carolina, respectively. The final pairing first occurred at Texas A&M.

No Bulldog has started every game, although two – Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe and Kario Oquendo – have gotten the nod for every game they have played.

Only four Bulldogs – Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Braelen Bridges, Justin Hill and Mardrez McBride – have played in every contest this season.

Lots Of Dogs Lead Scoring

Six different players have led Georgia offensively in games this season.

Including ties in certain contests, Terry Roberts has paced the Bulldogs a team-high 10 times. In addition, Kario Oquendo has been Georgia's top point producer in seven outings, followed by Mardrez McBride in four outings, Braelen Bridges in three, Justin Hill in two and Jabri Abdur-Rahim in one.

Thankful We're Less Giving

Georgia's ball security numbers have taken a distinct turn since Turkey Day.

The Bulldogs recorded more turnovers than assists in each of the first six games prior to Thanksgiving, to the combined tune of 62 assists to 99 TOs. That equated to a paltry 0.63 assist-to-TO ratio.

The Bulldogs have produced positive or equal ratios in 14 of 18 contests since – including a season-best 13-to-7 effort against Kentucky in Athens – and have upped their Ast.-to-TO mark to 0.87. While that still ranks 13th in the SEC, the Bulldogs' improvement taking care of the basketball since Thanksgiving has been the best in the league.

Since Turkey Day, nine of the SEC's teams have produced a better assist-to-TO ratio than in their games prior to the holiday, but the Bulldogs own by far the most positive up-tick as outlined below.

Although "Thanksgiving" seems like a random line to draw, every SEC team had played either five or six games as of Nov. 24 so it seemed like a solid reference point to observe.

Assist-To-TOs Since Turkey Day
Team	11/24	2/11	Diff.
Georgia	0.63	0.89	+.26
Tennessee	1.18	1.35	+.17
Texas A&M	0.96	1.11	+.15
Auburn	1.01	1.13	+.12
S. Carolina	0.70	0.82	+.12
Alabama	0.99	1.07	+.08
Ole Miss	1.00	1.06	+.06
LSU	0.92	0.97	+.05
Vanderbilt	1.04	1.06	+.02

A Very Productive Bench

The Bulldogs who have come off the bench this season have scored 588 points, 33.6 percent of the 1,752 points put up by Georgia.

The Bulldogs' bench has outscored its opponents' reserves 588-409, a pretty substantial +179 margin...which directly equates to 7.2 ppg. Georgia has won the "bench battle" in 18 of 25 games and tied Auburn (in Athens) in another.

According to KenPom.com, Georgia ranks No. 2 nationally in bench minutes, with reserves accounting for 45.4 percent of the Bulldogs' total PT.

Dogs Start Hot At Home

Georgia won its first 10 games at Stegeman Coliseum this season, making this just the sixth bunch of Bulldogs ever to post a double-figure home winning streak.

In fact, this season's streak tied the Georgia's sixth-longest overall home winning streak, fifth-best stretch in a single season and fourth-longest span at Stegeman Coliseum as outlined in the next column.

The Bulldogs' longest stretch of home success was in 1930-31 when Bulldogs produced one of two perfect home records in program history and went 16-0.

Georgia's longest overall home winning streak is 25 games – final three games of the 1929-30 season, the 16-0 mark in 1930-31 and the first six dates in Athens of the 1931-23 campaign.

UGA Hoops Home Win Streaks - Overall
Rk.	W's	Span
1.	25	1930-32
2.	20	1939-40
3.	15	1989-90
4.	13	2002-03
5.	11	1998-99
6.	10	2022-23
	10	2007-08
	10	1985-86

UGA Hoops Home Win Streaks - Overall
Rk.	W's	Span
1.	16	1930-31
2.	13	1939-40
3.	12	1989-90
4.	11	2002-03
5.	10	2022-23
	10	2007-08

Drez Hot From 3-Point Range

Mardrez McBride's five 3s against South Carolina equaled what was then Georgia's most successful shots from behind the arc this season, matching Jabri Abdur-Rahim's total versus Vanderbilt and Rider.

McBride improved that standard by connecting on six 3-pointers at Auburn.

In the process, McBride became the first Bulldog to make five or more 3-pointers in successive games in seven seasons...since current graduate assistant Kenny Gaines – he's on the bench if TV wants a shot of him – did so.

Gaines made six 3-pointers against Auburn on Feb. 24, 2016 and followed that with five versus Ole Miss on Feb. 27. A wink to stats guru Dave McMahon for tracking down the aforementioned span.

Rebounding A Team Effort

Getting on the glass has been a team effort for Georgia. A nation-leading 10 different Bulldogs have collected more than 50 boards this season. FYI, Tennessee, Arkansas, UMass Lowell and BYU also have 10 players with 50+ boards this season. A nod to stats guru Dave McMahon for tracking the aforementioned.

Bulldogs' Defense Stiffens

With a Jan. 11 win over Mississippi State, Georgia doubled its overall and SEC win totals from last season. Much of the Bulldogs' success can be attributed to their defense.

During the 2021-22 season, Georgia ranked No. 338 nationally in both scoring defense (78.5 ppg) and field goal defense (.473) and No. 260 in 3-point field goal defense (.439).

The Bulldogs enter this weekend up 174 spots to No. 164 in scoring defense (69.0 ppg), 232 positions to No. 106 in opponent FG percentage (.423) and 237 slots to No. 23 in opponent 3-point percentage (.300) this season.

He Ain't Roy Kent, But...

if you peruse Southeastern Conference statistical leaders, Terry Roberts may have you thinking "He's here. He's there. He's "...and we better stop right there.

The senior from North Amityville, N.Y., entered this week's action ranked among league leaders in six categories – No. 4 in assists (4.1 apg), No. 6 in free throw percentage (.816), No. 9 in scoring (14.7 ppg), No. 10 in field goal percentage (.390), No. 12 in steals (1.6 spg) and No. 14 in assist-to-TO ratio (1.40).

Milestones Mount For Bridges

Braelen Bridges reached a trio of significant statistical achievements during a Jan. 11 win over Mississippi State – his 100th game played, 500th rebound and 1000th point.

Bridges also was named SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 19 after an 18-point performance – on 9-of-9 shooting from the floor – in a Holiday Hoopsgiving win over Notre Dame on Dec. 18.

Bulldogs Sign Top-25 class

Georgia made a bang during NCAA's early signing period, inking a top-25 recruiting class.

The incoming Bulldogs rank as two of ESPN's top-100 prospects in the Class of 2023 – No. 72 Lamariyon "Mari" Jordan and No. 94 Dylan James.

James 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 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.4 blocks, 2.0 apg and 1.3 spg per game last season for the Blue Devils, who finished 23-8.

Jordan was tabbed first-team All-State for Class 6A as a junior after averaging 19.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.4 bpg and 1.2 spg 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.

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."

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 spent five seasons at Florida Atlantic before returning to his home state prior to the 2021-22 season.

Ingram and others competing for a seventh college season – including a very well-traveled Penn State Nittany Lion – are 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

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jabri Abdur-Rahim

Frank Anselem-Ibe

Braelen Bridges

Justin Hill

Jusaun Holt

Jailyn Ingram

Mardrez McBride

Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe

Kario Oquendo

Terry Roberts

University of Georgia Athletics