Bulldogs Complete Road Swing With Trip To Texas A&M

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (14-8, 4-5 SEC) vs. Texas A&M (15-7, 7-2 SEC)
Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Reed Arena (12,989) in Bryan-College Station, Texas
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; Jon Sundvold, analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: SiriusXM: 380; SXM App: 97
History: TAMU leads, 7-5 (Full History)
Last Meeting: TAMU, 91-77, on 2/22/22

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Mike White
14-7 in 1st at UGA
257-135 in 12th season overall
0	Terry Roberts	15.4	4.1
(6-3; 180; Sr.; North Amityville, N.Y)
3	Kario Oquendo	13.1	3.3
(6-4; 220; Jr.; Titusville, Fla.)
4	Jusaun Holt	3.3	3.7
(6-7; 190; Soph.; Tacoma, Wash.)
5	Frank Anselem	3.4	3.7
(6-10; 215; Jr.; Lagos, Nigeria)
12	Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe	6.9	5.3
(6-8; 215; Jr.; Toronto, Ontario)

No.	Name	PPG	RPG

TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Coach: Buzz Williams
65-43 in 4th season at TAMU
317-199 in 16th season overall
0	Dexter Dennis	8.2	5.5
(6-5; 210; Grad.; Baker, La.)
4	Wade Taylor IV	14.9	2.9
(6-0; 185; Soph.; Dallas, Texas)
15	Henry Coleman III	10.4	6.2
(6-8; 245; Jr.; Richmond, Va.)
23	Tyrece Radford	13.7	5.4
(6-2; 195; Sr.; Baton Rouge, La.)
34	Julius Marble	9.7	4.2
(6-9; 245; Jr.; Dallas, Texas)

TEAM COMPARISON

2022-23 STATISTICS	GEORGIA	TEXAS A&M
Points Per Game	70.3	74.4
Opp. Point Per Game	68.1	66.6
Scoring Margin	+.2.2	+7.8
Field Goal Pct.	.421	.446
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.421	.402
3-Point Pct.	.341	.315
3-Pointers Per Game	7.3	6.0
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.300	.339
Free Throw Pct.	.734	.738
Free Throws Per Game	15.5	18.5
Rebounds Per Game	37.8	37.3
Opp. Rebound Per Game	34.5	31.5
Rebound Margin	+3.4	+5.7
Assists Per Game	11.9	13.2
Turnovers Per Game	13.8	12.4
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.86	1.07
Turnover Margin	-2.0	+2.3
Steals Per Game	6.7	7.5
Blocks Per Game	2.9	2.5

The Starting 5...

Eight different Dogs have been used to comprise 10 different starting lineups for UGA this season.
No Dog has started every game, though M-A Moncrieffe, K. Oquendo and T. Roberts have started every GP.
M. McBride has led UGA offensively the last 2 games, scoring 37 points after having 14 in the 1st 7 SEC games.
UGA is on pace to hold opponents under 30.0 from 3-point range for just the 2nd time in program history.
UGA's assist-to-TO ratio is up by +.23 since Thanksgiving, the best improvement by an SEC team during that span.

The Opening Tip

Georgia completes a two-game road swing on Saturday when the Bulldogs venture to Bryan-College Station to face Texas A&M.

Georgia is currently 14-8 overall and 4-5 in the SEC play, marks which are significantly improved over the Bulldogs' finishes of 6-26 overall and 1-17 in the league competition a year ago.

Georgia is 11-1 at Stegeman Coliseum – improving first-year head coach Mike White to 18-2 all-time in the arena – and 2-1 at neutral sites this season, a combined 13-2 record.

Conversely, the Bulldogs are just 1-6 on the road. Reed Arena does not appear like a welcoming environment to improve upon that mark, as the Aggies are 10-1 at home during the 2022-23 campaign.

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

Jailyn Ingram is...
• 17 points from 1,500 for his career

Series History With A&M

By virtue of winning the last three meetings, Texas A&M now possesses a 7-5 edge in the all-time series between the Bulldogs and the Aggies. A&M also owns a 4-2 advantage in contests played in Bryan-College Station.

Texas A&M swept both ends of a home-and-home series last season after the Bulldogs and Aggies did not meet during the 2020-21 campaign. They were slated to play on Feb. 10 in College Station; however, that contest was postponed – and later canceled – due to COVID issues within the Texas A&M program.

In the last meeting on deuces wild day (Feb. 22, 2022), Kario Oquendo exploded for 33 points; however, Georgia still dropped a 91-77 decision at Texas A&M.

Oquendo's outburst represented the Bulldogs' largest offensive output since Anthony Edwards' 37-point performance versus No. 3 Michigan State at the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The 33-point tally also equaled the single-game high by any SEC player in a conference game last season.

Braelen Bridges added 10 points and Aaron Cook handed out a game-high seven assists for Georgia.

The Bulldogs produced better shooting percentages than the Aggies from everywhere on the floor (60.0 to 56.1 on field goals, 54.2 to 34.8 on 3-pointers and 90.0 to 76.0 at the free throw) line in the loss.

Scouting The Aggies

Texas A&M enters Saturday evening's matchup at 15-7 overall and 7-2 in SEC play. Much like Georgia, the Aggies, who are tied for second in the league standings, have been impressive at home this season. A&M is 10-1 at Reed Arena.

Texas A&M enters this weekend ranked No. 2 nationally in both free throw takes and makes, averaging 25.0 trips and 18.5 conversions at the line. The equates to the Aggies scoring 24.8 percent of their points (406 of 1637) with the clock stopped.

The Aggies' most recent starting five has combined to score 76.5 percent (1252 of 1637) of A&M's points. Leading the way are a trio of double-digit scorers in Wade Taylor (14.9 ppg), Tyrece Radford (13.7 ppg) and Henry Coleman III (10.4 ppg).

Taylor also leads the Aggies in assists (3.9 apg) and steals (1.3 spg), while Coleman is A&M's top rebounder (6.2 rpg).

Last Time Out

Mardez McBride scored a season-high 20 points to lead Georgia offensively for the second consecutive game; however, the Bulldogs dropped a 94-73 road decision at No. 25/34 Auburn on Wednesday night.

McBride, who scored 17 points in Georgia's overtime win against South Carolina last Saturday, notched his first 20-point performance as a Bulldogs and fifth of his collegiate career.

Kario Oquendo chipped in 10 points.

Auburn avenged a loss to the Bulldogs on Jan. 4 in Georgia's SEC opener. The Tigers broke the game open midway through the first half. After leading 16-14 at the 11:06 mark, Auburn went on a 17-0 run over the next 4:53.

Drez Explodes Off The Bench

Fifth-year Mardrez McBride has come off the bench to lead Georgia offensively in the last two games, producing season-high tallies of 17 points against South Carolina and 20 at Auburn.

The Augusta, Ga., native started 77 of the first 79 outings of his collegiate career before coming off the bench for the Bulldogs his last three games.

"Maybe he should've come off the bench a little earlier," head coach Mike White quipped prior to the Auburn game. "Maybe I should've done that for him. That's my mistake. He played his best game as a Bulldog (against South Carolina). He was fantastic. He was really good defensively, got some two-handed, tough rebounds in traffic and goes 5-of-7 – incredibly efficient. (He) played a good floor game, played with some toughness and confidence. I'd like to see that a lot more from him."

For the record, McBride was not in the room when White was talking but...he followed the outing against the Gamecocks with 20 points at Auburn on 6-of-9 shooting, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range.

McBride upped his scoring average in SEC play nearly 2.0 ppg in each of the last two games and in the process, has nearly tripled his scoring average in conference play as outlined below.

Drez's Scoring Production
	Overall		SEC
Through	PPG	UP	PPG	UP
Tennessee	4.2		2.0
S. Carolina	4.8	+0.6	3.9	+1.9
Auburn	5.5	+1.3	5.7	+1.8

Rebounding A team Effort

Georgia entered this weekend ranked No. 91 nationally in rebound margin, grabbing 3.4 boards per game more than its opponents.

That's pretty impressive considering not a single Bulldog is included in the SEC's top 20 or the nation's top 350 rebounders.

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

More On Drez's 3-Pointers

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 nod to stats guru Dave McMahon for tracking down the aforementioned span.

Double-Digit Starting 5s

Georgia has mixed and matched eight Bulldogs to comprise 10 different starting lineups over its 22 games this season.

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

After settling into a consistent lineup 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.

No Bulldog has started every game, although three – Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, Kario Oquendo and Terry Roberts – have gotten the nod for every game they've played. Only four Bulldogs – Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Braelen Bridges, Justin Hill and Mardrez McBride – have played in every contest.

Expect Some Trips To The Line

If season statistics hold true, expect nearly one-fourth of the points scored in Saturday's game between the Bulldogs and the Aggies to happen with the clocked stop.

On the season, Texas A&M and Georgia rank No. 3 and No. 34, respectively, in free throws made per game. The Aggies are scoring 18.5 of their 74.4 points per game – or 24.9 percent – at the line. Of the Bulldogs' offensive output, 15.5 of their 70.3 pointers per contest – or 22.0 percent – is scored at the charity stripe.

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 entered this weekend up 196 spots to No. 142 in scoring defense (66.9 ppg), 232 positions to No. 106 in opponent FG percentage (.414) and 232 slots to No. 28 in opponent 3-point percentage (.296) this season.

Defending Outside The Arc

Georgia entered this weekend ranked No. 28 nationally in 3-point defense, with the Bulldogs' opponents connecting on just 30.0 percent (143-of-477) of their attempts from outside the arc.

The Bulldogs are on their 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 nationally in 1986-87 has Georgia held its opponents to less than 30 percent from outside the arc, and that was by the slimmest of margins – 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

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 ranked among league leaders in six different statistical categories.

Through mid-week games, Roberts was No. 4 in assists (4.2 apg), No. 6 in free throw percentage (.819), No. 8 in scoring (15.0 ppg), No. 10 in steals (1.7 spg), No. 11 in field goal percentage (.388) and No. 14 in assist-to-TO ratio (1.39).

A Very Productive Bench

The Bulldogs who have come off the bench this season have scored 533 points, 34.5 percent of the 1,546 points put up by Georgia.

The Bulldogs' bench has outscored its opponents' reserves 533-368, a pretty substantial +165 margin...which directly equates to 7.5 ppg. Georgia has won the "bench battle" in 18 of 22 games and tied Auburn (in Athens) in another.

According to KenPom.com, Georgia ranks No. 3 nationally in bench minutes, with reserves accounting for 45.2 percent of the Bulldogs' total PT.

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 even or positive ratios in 12 of 16 contests since then and upped their a-to-TO mark to 0.86. While that still ranks 13th in the SEC, the Bulldogs' improvement taking care of the basketball since Thanksgiving is the best in the league.

Since Turkey Day, have of the SEC teams have produced a better assist-to-TO ratio than in their games prior to the holiday, while the other half's ratios have dropped. The Bulldogs own the most positive up-tick as outlined on the next page.

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	2/1	Diff.
Georgia	0.63	0.86	+.23
Auburn	1.01	1.15	+.14
Tennessee	1.18	1.32	+.14
Texas A&M	0.96	1.07	+.11
S. Carolina	0.70	0.78	+.08
LSU	0.92	0.97	+.05

Healthy M-A Makes A Difference

Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe was hindered for much of November after suffering an ankle sprain in the season opener against Western Carolina.

The junior from Ontario missed two games before returning to play in the next four contests. He then recorded two additional DNPs before coming back for the Georgia Tech contest.

In the Bulldogs' last 13 outings, Moncrieffe has been both Georgia's most efficient shooter from the field and productive performer on the glass.

During that span, Moncrieffe has converted on 40-of-66 shots from the field – 60.6 percent. He also has posted his first three double-digit outings as a Bulldog – 11 points at Tech, 15 versus Notre Dame and 10 against Mississippi State.

Moncrieffe is averaging at team-best 5.5 rpg over his last 13 contests. That's a full 1.5 rpg better than any other Bulldog during that span and includes grabbing team-high board tallies against Chattanooga, Rider, Auburn (a season-high nine), Kentucky and Tennessee

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 11-1 mark this season reveals White's 18-2 mark in the venue. We thought that converted to 90.0 percent (dividing it down to 9-1) but used a calculator to be certain public school math didn't fail in this instance.

Anselem Protecting The Rim

The defensive presence of Frank Anselem has increased significantly since the early portion of the season.

In the 12 games since the Bulldogs returned to action following Final Exams, Anselem has averaged 1.2 blocks, including a career-high three swats against Chattanooga.

That comes after Anselem did not record a block in Georgia's first eight outings

The junior from Lagos, Nigeria, entered this week ranked No. 10 in blocks in SEC action, swatting 0.9 shots per game against league foes.

Hill, Oquendo Clutch In Wins

Justin Hill and Kario Oquendo produced key scoring surges in consecutive wins over Mississippi State and Ole Miss, respectively.

Hill recorded eight straight Georgia points between the 9:22-6:44 marks of the second half against State, with the last bucket giving the Bulldogs the lead for good.

Oquendo put up Georgia's final 12 points in a 62-48 road win over Ole Miss. In fact, he scored all of his game-high 15 points in the second half in Oxford, including both ends of a one-and-one with three seconds remaining.

Holt Gives Bulldogs Juice

Jusaun "Juice" Holt's stats in Georgia's consecutive wins over Mississippi State and Ole Miss were relatively pedestrian – combined totals of six points, seven rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes of action.

However, by the popular "+/-" metric, Holt was the Bulldogs' most productive player in those outings. With Holt on the floor, the Bulldogs were a combined "+30" against State (+17) and Ole Miss (+13).

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

Bulldogs Complete Road Swing With Trip To Texas A&M

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

Bulldogs Complete Road Swing With Trip To Texas A&M

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

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