Bulldogs To Visit Top-Ranked Tide

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (16-10, 6-7 SEC) vs. No. 1/1 Alabama (22-4, 12-1 SEC)
Saturday, February 18 at 6:00 p.m. ET
Coleman Coliseum (13,474) in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Flagship: WSB AM 750); (Scott Howard, pbp; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie (producer)) | Affiliates
TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal, pbp; Joe Kleine, analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: SiriusXM: 386; SXM App: 976
History: UA leads, 98-53 (Full History)
Last Meeting: UGA, 82-76, on Jan. 25, 2022

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Mike White
16-10 in 1st at UGA
259-138 in 12th season overall
3	Kario Oquendo	12.7	3.0
(6-4; 220; Jr.; Titusville, Fla.)
4	Jusaun Holt	3.5	3.6
(6-7; 190; Soph.; Tacoma, Wash.)
11	Justin Hill	7.8	2.7
(6-0; 185; Jr.; Houston, Texas)
12	Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe	6.3	5.5
(6-8; 215; Jr.; Toronto, Ontario)
23	Braelen Bridges	8.2	4.4
(6-11; 245; 5th Year; Atlanta, Ga.)

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
Coach: Nate Oats
83-50 in 4th season at UA
179-83 in 8th season overall
0	Jaden Bradley	8.2	2.8
(6-3; 200; Fr.; Rochester, N.Y.)
1	Mark Sears	13.5	3.7
(6-1; 185; Jr.; Muscle Shoals, Ala.)
14	Charles Bediako	5.5	5.3
(7-0; 215; Soph.; Brampton, Ontario)
15	Noah Clowney	9.7	8.2
(6-10; 210; Fr.; Spartanburg, S.C.)
24	Brandon Miller	18.7	8.2
(6-9; 200; Fr.; Antioch, Tenn.)

TEAM COMPARISON

2022-23 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	ALABAMA
Points Per Game	69.9	82.5
Opp. Point Per Game	68.8	68.7
Scoring Margin	+1.1	+13.8
Field Goal Pct.	.418	.446
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.422	.370
3-Point Pct.	.324	.352
3-Pointers Per Game	6.9	10.3
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.300	.263
Free Throw Pct.	.729	.722
Free Throws Per Game	16.1	17.1
Rebounds Per Game	37.1	44.4
Opp. Rebound Per Game	35.1	38.0
Rebound Margin	+2.0	+6.3
Assists Per Game	11.7	14.9
Turnovers Per Game	13.2	14.3
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.89	1.05
Turnover Margin	-1.5	-2.3
Steals Per Game	6.5	6.1
Blocks Per Game	2.9	5.0

The Starting 5...

Eight different Dogs have been used to comprise 11 different starting lineups for UGA this season.
All 12 Dogs who have logged playing time this season are averaging double-digit minutes per game.
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 begins an SEC alphabetical road swing on Saturday evening when the Bulldogs venture to Tuscaloosa to face No. 1 Alabama. That contest is followed by a trek to take on Arkansas in Fayetteville next Tuesday.

Georgia improved to 16-10 overall and 6-7 in SEC play with a 65-63 win over LSU on Valentine's Day in Athens.

With that, the Bulldogs have won as many SEC games in head coach Mike White's first season in Athens as they did overall during the entire 2021-22 campaign.

Georgia also improved to 13-2 at home this season, putting the Bulldogs within one victory of matching the record for regular-season wins at Stegeman Coliseum during the venue's 60-season history.

The arena itself seems to have an affinity for White. He is now 20-3 all-time at Stegeman, an 87.0 winning percentage.

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

Jailyn Ingram is...
• 4 points from 1,500 for his career
Justin Hill is…
• 8 assists from 300 for his career
• 59 points from 1,000 for his career

Series History With Alabama

Alabama sports 98-53 lead in the overall series between the Bulldogs and the Tide, including 55-14 advantage in games played in Tuscaloosa.

In the most recent matchup last January 25 in Athens, Aaron Cook's 15-point performance led a quartet of Bulldogs in double figures during an 82-76 win over the Tide.

The victory was Georgia's lone league win during the 2021-22 season.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Braelen Bridges added 13 points apiece and Kario Oquendo chipped in 11 for Georgia, which snapped an eight-game losing skid with the victory.

The Bulldogs surged ahead late in the contest, outscoring the Tide 20-10 over the final 5:12.

Abdur-Rahim started the spurt by connecting on a trio of free throws after being fouled on an attempt from the right wing.

Bridges gave Georgia the lead for good on a hook shot in the lane that made it 69-68 at the 3:24 mark.

Georgia last traveled to Tuscaloosa on February 13, 2021, when a quartet of former Bulldogs still playing collegiately led Georgia in a 115-82 setback to No. 11/11 Alabama.

Auburn's KD Johnson, who scored 22 points at No. 16/15 Tennessee three days earlier, led the Bulldogs with 24 points. Kentucky's Sahvir Wheeler chipped in 16 points, Dayton's Toumani Camara posted a double-double of 12 points and 13 boards and Ole Miss' Tye Fagan notched 11 points.

Georgia trailed by just three, 41-38, at halftime before Alabama began the second period with an 18-9 surge over the first 6:39 of the period to seize control.

A hot-shooting Crimson Tide team connected on 64.3 percent of its shots from the floor and 60.0 percent of its 3-pointers.

Scouting The Tide

Top-ranked Alabama slipped to 22-4 overall and 12-1 in the SEC with the Tide's setback at No. 10 Tennessee on Wednesday night.

Alabama has been ranked throughout the season. The Tide began the campaign ranked No. 20 by the Associated Press and No. 19 in the USA Today coaches poll and ascended into the top 10 of both ledgers on Dec. 5. Alabama has been in the top 5 of those polls since climbing to No. 4 in both on Jan. 9.

Freshman Brandon Miller not only leads Alabama but also tops the SEC in scoring, averaging 18.7 ppg. Miller also is the league's third-leading rebounder and collecting 8.2 rpg.

Mark Sears is contributing double figures in the scoring column as well, averaging 13.5 ppg.

Last Time Out

Justin Hill's layup with 4.2 seconds remaining lifted Georgia to a 65-63 victory over LSU at Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday night.

After the Tigers went up 63-62 on a K.J. Williams turnaround jumper in the lane with 11 seconds remaining, Hill took the inbounds pass and drove the length of the floor to connect on a shot high off the glass.

Hill also stole LSU's ensuing inbounds pass and connecting on 1-of-2 free throws with 1.0 second remaining to close out the game's scoring.

Braelen Bridges led Georgia with 13 points, while Jabri Abdur-Rahim added 11 and Hill chipped in 10.

LSU led for a majority of the evening until Abdur-Rahim scored five straight points to put the Bulldogs up 49-46 at the 8:46 mark. Georgia pushed its advantage to 57-49 with 6:24 remaining before the Tigers rallied.

Williams' jumper completed a 7-0 surge by LSU before Hill's heroic drive delivered the win for the Bulldogs.

Dogs' Double-Digit Starting 5s

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

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 being registered 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.

"Unc" Approaching 1,500

Seventh-year Jailyn Ingram, affectionately referred to as "Unc" by his coaches and teammates, is just four points shy of 1,500 for his career.

Ingram, who is from Madison, Ga., spent his first five seasons of college basketball from 2016-21 – including a redshirt campaign – at Florida Atlantic. He left Boca Raton as the program's sixth-leading scorer with 1,334 points in 121 outings.

Ingram graduated from FAU with his degree in Criminal Justice and transferred to Georgia. He scored 96 points (10.7 ppg) in nine games last season before suffering a season-ending injury on Dec. 7 against Jacksonville.

The NCAA granted Ingram an additional year of eligibility for 2022-23, making him one of five seventh-year players in Division I. He missed the first six games of this season while continuing to rehab his knee but has scored 66 points, including a pair of double-digit games, since returning to action.

Hill Hot Of Late

Justin Hill has upped his production considerably over Georgia's last four outings.

The junior from Houston is the Bulldogs' co-leading scorer during that span, averaging 14.5 ppg along with Braelen Bridges. He has scored in double figures in each of those contests, after doing so five times in the first 22 games of the season.

Hill also has averaged 4.5 assists in the last four games, upping not only his distribution but his ball security in doing so as outlined below.

Justin Hill's Increases
Stat	1st 22	last 4	Diff.
Scoring Average	6.6	14.5	+7.9
Assist Average	2.7	4.5	+2.8
Assist-to-TO ratio	1.46	2.57	+1.11

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, UMass Lowell and Charleston also have 10 players with 50+ boards. Thanks to stats guru Dave McMahon for tracking the aforementioned.

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 Braelen Bridges and Mardrez McBride in four outings, Justin Hill in two and Jabri Abdur-Rahim in one.

These Dogs are Deep

All 12 players who have seen playing time for Georgia this season are averaging double-digit minutes.

A Very Productive Bench

The Bulldogs who have come off the bench this season have scored 612 points, 33.7 percent of the 1,817 points put up by Georgia.

The Bulldogs' bench has outscored its opponents' reserves 612-428, a pretty substantial +184 margin...which directly equates to 7.1 ppg. Georgia has won the "bench battle" in 19 of 26 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.

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 187 spots to No. 151 in scoring defense (68.8 ppg), 249 positions to No. 98 in opponent FG percentage (.422) and 237 slots to No. 23 in opponent 3-point percentage (.300) this season.

Bulldogs Strong At Stegeman

Georgia is 13-2 at home this season, matching the fourth-most victories at Stegeman Coliseum during 60 seasons competing in the arena.

With two home dates remaining, the Bulldogs are one win shy of equaling their most regular-season wins at Stegeman and two victories away from the overall mark in the venue.

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

Most Victories at Stegeman - Regular-Season
Rk.	W's	Season
1.	14	2015-16
	14	2013-14
3.	13	2022-23
	13	2006-07
	13	2003-04

Most Victories at Stegeman - Overall
Rk.	W's	Season
1.	15	2015-16
	15	2013-14
3.	14	2006-07
4.	13	2022-23
	13	2003-04

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 13-2 mark this season reveals White's 20-3 mark in the venue. We used a calculator to determine White's success rate at Stegeman – a spectacular 87.0 percent.

Georgia's Trio of "3-Migos"

Three Bulldogs have made more than 70 percent of their field goals from 3-point range and have scored more than 60 percent of their total points on 3-pointers as outlined below.

3-Point Production
Player	3FGs	FGs	Pct.	"3" Pts.	Tot.	Pct.
J. Abdur-Rahim	41	58	70.7	123	201	61.2
M. McBride	31	40	77.5	93	123	75.6
J. Ingram	16	21	76.2	48	66	72.7
Total	88	119	73.9	264	390	67.7

But They're Not The Only Ones

In addition to the aforementioned trio of successful long-range shooters, four more Bulldogs have converted on more than 10 3-pointers this season – Terry Roberts has 31, Kario Oquendo has 27, Justin Hill has 16 and Jusaun Holt has 13.

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 weekend 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
	2021-22	170-567	.300
2.	1996-97	191-622	.307
3.	2001-02	219-708	.309
4.	2014-15	207-665	.311
5.	2007-08	215-684	.314

Thankful We're Less Giving

The Bulldogs' ball security numbers have taken a distinct turn for the better since Turkey Day.

Georgia 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 20 contests since – including a season-best 13-to-7 effort against Kentucky in Athens – and have upped their Ast.-to-TO mark to 0.89. 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, 10 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 among those teams 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	2/15	Diff.
Georgia	0.63	0.89	+.26
Tennessee	1.18	1.35	+.18
Texas A&M	0.96	1.11	+.15
Auburn	1.01	1.14	+.13
S. Carolina	0.70	0.82	+.12
Alabama	0.99	1.05	+.06
Ole Miss	1.00	1.04	+.04
Vanderbilt	1.04	1.08	+.04
LSU	0.92	0.95	+.03
Arkansas	1.04	1.03	+.01

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 weekend's action ranked among league leaders in six categories – No. 5 in assists (4.1 apg), No. 10 in field goal percentage (.386), No. 12 in scoring (14.3 ppg), No. 12 in steals (1.7 spg), No. 12 in free throw percentage (.759) and No. 15 in assist-to-TO ratio (1.34).

In A Matter of Days...

Last Saturday's win over Kentucky – coupled with the Bulldogs' 63-62 victory over the Wildcats at Stegeman on Jan. 20, 2021 – provided Georgia with its first back-to-back home Ws in the series 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, the best four-game start in league play for the Bulldogs since the 2016-17 campaign. That gap measured 2,204 days.

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.

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.

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

Aaron Cook

Justin Hill

Jusaun Holt

Jailyn Ingram

Mardrez McBride

Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe

Kario Oquendo

Terry Roberts

University of Georgia Athletics