Bulldogs Look To Match Best Start In 94 Years

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (11-1) vs. S.C. State (6-8)
Date: Sunday, December 29, 2024
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Location: Athens, Ga.
TV: SEC Network+ (Jeff Dantzler, play-by-play; Mark Slonaker, analyst)
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Network – Sirius 391 (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer)
Tickets: www.georgiadogs.com/mbbtix

The Starting 5...

Georgia returns to action on Sunday when the Bulldogs host S.C. State in their final non-conference outing of the regular season. At 11-1, Georgia is off to its best start since 2001-02. With a win on Sunday, the Dogs would match their best beginning in 94 years (since the 1930-31 campaign).
The Bulldogs are win the midst of three significant winning streaks – six games overall, 10 contests at Stegeman Coliseum and 26 home outings against non-conference opponents.
Of 364 Division I men's basketball teams, Georgia entered this weekend as one of two teams ranked in the top-20 nationally in FG percentage (No. 16 at .504) and FG percentage defense (No. 17 at .384).
The Bulldogs' balanced offense features nine players who have combined to post 51 double-figure scoring outputs in 12 games, led by freshman Asa Newell's 11 double-digit performances.
Georgia entered the weekend ranked among the nation's top-50 teams in 11 stats, including top-20 marks in blocks (No. 4 at 6.3 bpg), rebound margin (No. 9 at +11.2 rpg), 3-point FG defense (No. 13 at .275), FG percentage (No. 16 at .504), FG defense (No. 17 at .384) and scoring margin (No. 19 at +19.4).

THE OPENING TIP

The Georgia Bulldogs look to continue their stellar start to the 2024-25 season on Sunday when they host South Carolina State at 2:00 p.m. in historic Stegeman Coliseum. The matchup of Bulldogs wraps up the 2024 calendar and the non-conference portions of Georgia's regular-season slate.

Georgia is 11-1 on the season, the Bulldogs' best start since they also began the 2001-02 campaign at 11-1. This season also represents just the 10th time in 119 seasons of competition that Georgia has reached double-digits in the win column with less than two losses.

The Bulldogs' balanced offense features six players who have led Georgia offensively in one or more games this season. Three more players have posted double-figure scoring outputs. All told, those nine Bulldogs have combined to produce 51 double-digit performances in 12 games.

De'Shayne Montgomery leads a quintet of Bulldogs averaging double figures at 19.5 ppg, including a 22-point outburst in Georgia's most recent outing against Charleston Southern.

Asa Newell, a two-time SEC Freshman of the Week honoree in the first five weeks of the season, is averaging 15.8 ppg and paces UGA on the boards at 6.5 rpg. Among SEC stat leaders, Newell entered the weekend ranked No. 15 in both scoring and rebounding, as well as No. 3 in field goal percentage (.580) and No. 13 in blocks (1.2 bpg).

Rounding out the double-digit point producers in the scoring column are Silas Demary Jr. at 12.9 ppg, Dakota Leffew at 12.5 ppg and Tyrin Lawrence at 10.4 ppg.

Scouting The Bulldogs

South Carolina State is currently 6-8 on the season, including a pair of road wins.

Drayton Jones paces the Bulldogs in scoring (13.0 ppg), rebounding (5.0 rpg) and blocks (1.5 bpg). Jones' 23.8 minutes per game also leads S.C. State, and he is one of 10 players averaging double-figure minutes. Eight of those Bulldogs have delivered double-digit assists, led by 33 from Mitchell Taylor.

Georgia and S.C. State have faced a pair of common opponents. UGA defeated Jacksonville, 102-56, and Charleston Southern, 81-65, while SCSU fell to the Dolphins, 71-62, and defeated the Buccaneers, 82-63.

Series History With SCSU

Georgia is 2-0 all-time against South Carolina State, with a pair of early season wins in Stegeman Coliseum during the 2006-07 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Most recently on Nov. 16, 2021, Aaron Cook's 22-point performance – an effort which pushed him past 1,000 career points – paced Georgia in a 76-60 win over S.C. State.

Cook, in his third outing at Georgia after 133 combined contests at Southern Illinois and Gonzaga, recorded his fourth career 20-point game in efficient fashion. He connected on 8-of-11 shots from the floor, including 3-of-5 3-pointers, and 3-of-4 free throws.

The Bulldogs never trailed, racing from the opening tip to a 30-16 lead just 8:20 into the contest. While Georgia led by double figures most of the night, S.C. State did close the gap to 56-51 at the 10:05 mark before a 3-pointer from Cook ignited a 20-8 surge.

Last Time Out

De'Shayne Montgomery and Dakota Leffew came off the bench to score 22 and 19 points, respectively, to lead Georgia in an 81-65 victory over Charleston Southern on Dec. 22.

The Bulldogs trailed for only 17 seconds of the contest and shot better than 50 percent from the field for the seventh time in 12 games...compared to doing so eight times in 36 contests a year ago.

Justin Abson led the Bulldogs with eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals, leading to an eye-grabbing +24 despite not attempting a shot from the field.

"He was fantastic," head coach Mike White said of Abson. "I mean...did not take a shot, and was plus 24. Yeah, that's really unique. He was a big factor in us being in the win column in this one."

Bulldogs' Beginning Among Their Best Ever

Georgia's 11-1 start to the 2024-25 season is the Bulldogs' best since also opening the 2001-02 campaign at 11-1.

With a win over S.C. State, Georgia would be off to its best start in 94 years, since the 1930-31 season as outlined below

Regardless of Sunday's outcome, this marks just the 10th time in 119 seasons of intercollegiate play for Georgia that the Bulldogs notched their 10th win with one or fewer losses.

Bulldogs' Best Beginnings
Rk.	Season	Rec.
1.	1930-31	23-1
2.	1923-24	13-1
3.	2024-25	11-1
	2001-02	11-1
	1996-97	11-1
	1929-30	11-1
	1947-48	11-1
	1920-21	11-1
9.	1995-96	10-1
	1994-95	10-1

Dogs Among Nation's Best In 11 stats

Entering this weekend, Georgia ranked among the nation's top-50 teams in no less than 11 statistics as outlined below.

The Bulldogs have been among the best in the country at controlling the glass and protecting the rim. Georgia ranked No. 4 in blocked shots (6.3 bpg) and No. 9 in rebounding margin (+11.2).

Rebounding wise, the Bulldogs won the board battle in all but one game, including two of the biggest rebound margins in program history. On Nov. 10, Georgia out-rebounded Texas Southern, 53-23, a school-record margin of +30. The Bulldogs' +25 effort against Alabama A&M on Nov. 19 tied UGA's seventh-biggest single-game edge.

Following a season-high five swats in back-to-back outings against Grand Canyon and Buffalo, freshman Somto Cyril now ranks No. 24 nationally at 2.1 bpg. Cyril and classmate Asa Newell both had four blocks when Georgia swatted 12 shots against Texas Southern on Nov. 10, the most in a single game since also blocking a dozen attempts by Vanderbilt on Jan. 9, 2019.

Of 364 Division I men's basketball teams, Georgia entered this weekend as one of two programs ranked among the top 20 nationally in both field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense...with Liberty being the other.

A Top-50 Team In...
Rk.	Category	Stat
4.	Blocked Shots	6.3
9.	Rebound Margin	+11.2
13.	3-Point FG Defense	.275
16.	FG Percentage	.504
17.	FG Percentage Defense	.384
19.	Scoring Margin	19.4
26.	Scoring Defense	63.5
30.	Effective FG Percentage	.572
37.	Rebounds Per Game	40.1
45.	Scoring Offense	82.9
49.	Bench Points	28.9

Dogs' Home Non-Conference Streak Hits 26

Georgia's victory over extended the Bulldogs' non-conference winning streak at Stegeman Coliseum to 26 games.

In fact, Georgia is perfect against non-conference opposition at home under Mike White, compiling an 8-0 record in 2022-23 and a 10-0 mark in 2023-24 before starting this season 8-0.

The Bulldogs have now won 10 consecutive games at Stegeman Coliseum dating back to a wins over Ole Miss in the final regular-season home outing and an NIT first-round win over Xavier last season. That equals the seventh-longest home winning streak for Georgia as outlined below.

Home Winning Streaks
Rk.	Season	No.
1.	1930-31 & '31-32	25
2.	1938-39 & '39-40	20
3.	1988-89, '89-90 & '90-91	15
4.	2001-02 & '02-03	13
5.	1997-98 & '98-99	12
6.	1984-85 & '85-86	11
7.	2023-24 & '24-25	10
	2023-24	10
	2022-23	10
	2007-08	10

* Final KPI as of selection Sunday...not updated after postseason.

White Is Stellar In Stegeman

Mike White's success at Stegeman Coliseum is not confined to his tenure with the Bulldogs.

White was 7-1 in the arena as a visiting head coach before arriving in Athens. He led Louisiana Tech to a 2014 NIT victory at Stegeman and was 6-1 against the Bulldogs in the venue at Florida from 2015-22.

With his 34-10 home mark since becoming Georgia's head coach, White is a combined 41-11 (.788) in Stegeman.

Bulldogs' "1-2" Punch Likes Shooting In Stegeman

Georgia's No. 1 (Dakota Leffew) and No. 2 (De'Shayne Montgomery) – transfers from Mount St. Mary's – certainly enjoy shooting in Stegeman Coliseum.

A year ago, Leffew and Montgomery put up 26 and 23 points, respectively, in the Mountaineers' 94-82 loss to Georgia on Dec. 20 in Athens.

In Leffew's nine games in Stegeman, he is averaging 16.2 ppg while shooting 52.5 percent (52-of-99) from the field, including 49.2 percent (32-of-65) from 3-point range, and 80.0 percent (12-of-15) from the free throw line.

In Montgomery's three outings in the arena, he is averaging 20.3 ppg with shooting percentages of 67.6 (25-of-37) from the field, 41.7 (5-of-12) from behind the 3-point arc and 85.7 (6-of-7) from the charity stripe.

"We sat in here about a year ago and knew both of them were SEC-level players," Mike White said after Leffew and Montgomery combined to score 41 points versus Charleston Southern on Dec. 22. "We recruited each one of them individually. They had a different, unique process that was about them. Both of these guys had hard decisions to make because they had a number of high-level programs that were after them. We're fortunate to get one. We're really fortunate to get both."

Bulldogs' Schedule Has "March Madness" Feel To It

Though the NCAA Tournament won't tip off until March 18, it is worth noting that Georgia joined the projected field for "March Madness" in ESPN's Nov. 26 edition Bracketology. This week, the Bulldogs are tabbed as a No. 8 seed by Joe Lunardi.

After splitting games against No. 15/15 Marquette and No. 22/20 St. John's at Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, Georgia moved into the bracket as the second of the "last four in" on Nov. 26.

Regardless of the current forecast, the Bulldogs will have plenty of chances for quality wins from now until March. Georgia will play 17 of 31 regular-season games – 54.8 percent – against teams pegged to receive bids by ESPN this week.

Three of Georgia's non-conference foes are listed in the most recent bracket – Marquette as a No. 2 seed, St. John's as a No. 7 and Grand Canyon as a No. 12.

The Bulldogs will face the other 12 SEC teams predicted to make the field a total of 14 times, including home-and-homes with Auburn, a No. 1 seed, and Florida, a No. 3 seed. The remaining SEC teams and their seeds are: Tennessee (No. 1), Alabama (No. 2), Kentucky (No. 2), Mississippi State (No. 4), Texas A&M (No. 4), Oklahoma (No. 5), Ole Miss (No. 6), Arkansas (No. 9), Texas (No. 10) and Missouri (No. 11). In addition, Vanderbilt and LSU are the second of the "first four" and "next four" out, respectively, meaning an almost unfathomable 15 of 16 SEC teams are mentioned in this week's NCAA Tournament prognostication.

Asa Again Earns SEC FOTW Honors

Asa Newell was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Dec. 9 – his second certificate in the first five weeks of the season – after posting game-high tallies of 20 points and 11 rebounds in Georgia's 69-48 win over Notre Dame in the SEC/ACC Challenge.

Newell was also tabbed SEC Freshman of the Week on Nov. 18 after he averaged 13.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 assists in wins over Georgia Tech and North Florida.

Newell is one of 10 Bulldogs who have earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors a combined 15 times since the award's inception in 1988. He is the first Georgia player to claim the accolade multiple times since Anthony Edwards earned four certificates during the 2019-20 campaign.

Lots Of Bulldogs Leading The Way

No less then six Georgia players have led the Bulldogs offensively during the first 11 games of the season, while six Dogs have topped Georgia's rebounding count in outings to date.

A different Bulldog topped 20 points to lead Georgia's scoring efforts in first three games of the campaign. Asa Newell put up 26 points in the opener against Tennessee Tech, Dakota Few notched 23 digits versus Texas Southern and RJ Godfrey poured in 21 points against North Florida. Silas Demary Jr. was the Bulldogs' leading scorer at Georgia Tech but fell a bucket shy of extending the 20-point scoring streak with 18 points.

Georgia was one of only four Power conference programs with a different 20-point scoring leader in each of the season's first three games along with Butler, Maryland and Stanford.

Since then, Blue Cain joined the leading scoring list with 17 points against No. 15 Marquette and De'Shayne Montgomery did so with 16 points versus Buffalo.

On the boards, Somto Cyril, Demary Jr. and Newell have led Georgia three times and Cain, Godfrey and Tyrin Lawrence have produced the Bulldogs' most boards once each (including ties).

North Florida Victory Supplies Several Superlatives

The fourth-best shooting performance in school history topped a list of stellar stats Georgia posted in a 102-56 victory over Jacksonville on Nov. 30 at Stegeman Coliseum.

The Bulldogs:
• Scored their most points during Mike White's three seasons in Athens;
• Connected on 34-of-54 shots from the field, a red-hot 66.7 percent effort that matched the No. 4 effort in school history;
• Knocked down 14 3-pointers, matching UGA's sixth-most ever;
• Shot 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from behind the arc, their best percentage under White.

Georgia's overall field goal percentage (.667) and 3-point percentage (.583) are currently the best efforts by any SEC team during the 2024-25 season.

Asa Equals UGA Freshman Mark

Asa Newell's 26-point outburst against Tennessee Tech tied Dominique Wilkins for the highest offensive output ever by a Bulldog freshman in their collegiate debut as outlined below.

Wilkins also put up 26 points in his initial outing for Georgia against Troy State on Nov. 30, 1979.

Newell started quickly, scoring his first 10 points over the opening 7:10 of the contest. He reached 20 points with 15:09 left in the contest and then garnered his first double-double with a rebound at the 14:13 mark of the second half. Newell matched Wilkins' tally with an offensive rebound and putback with 2:20 remaining.

When asked by media postgame if he knew of Wilkins' legacy, Newell quickly replied: "Yes, for sure. The human highlight reel. I've got a jersey of Dominique back at the crib."

Top Debuts By Bulldog Freshmen
Pts.	Player	Opponent	Date
26	Asa Newell	Tennessee Tech	11/4/24
26	Dominique Wilkins	Troy State	11/30/79
24	Anthony Edwards	W. Carolina	11/5/19
19	Sahvir Wheeler	W. Carolina	11/5/19
19	Terry Fair	Troy State	11/30/79
18	Jeremy Price	Jacksonville St.	11/9/07
18	D.A. Layne	Mercer	11/13/98
17	Rayshaun Hammonds	Bryant	11/10/17
17	Sundiata Gaines	W. Kentucky	11/23/04
15	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	Woffford	11/11/11

Trio Posts First Double-Doubles

RJ Godfrey, Asa Newell and Blue Cain both recorded the first double-doubles of their collegiate careers in the first two games of the season. Godfrey and Newell did so in the season opener, while Cain followed suit in the next contest against Texas Southern.

Godfrey put up 10 points and 10 boards against Tennessee Tech and then posted career highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds versus North Florida. After not recording a double-double in 69 GPs as a freshman and a sophomore, Godfrey did so in two of his first three outings as a Bulldog.

Newell reached double figures in scoring in just 7:10 into his college career and took all of 25:47 to secure his double-double.

Cain grabbed a career-most 11 rebounds to go with his 12 points against TSU.

Six Dogs Were Top-100 Prospects

Georgia's 15-player roster includes no less than a half-dozen Bulldogs who were ranked among the nation's top-100 prospects in their recruiting classes.

Blue Cain, Silas Demary Jr. and Dylan James all were tabbed among the top 100 players in the Class of 2023. Their highest The highest rankings featured Cain at No. 53 by On3.com, Demary at No. 56 by Rivals.com and James at No. 78 in the 247Sports.com composite.

As a class, they 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.

Somto Cyril, Savo Drezgić and Asa Newell were featured among the top 100 prospects in the Class of 2024, with highs of No. 11 for Newell by On3.com, No. 43 for Cyril by 247Sports.com and No. 53 for Drezgić by On3.com.

Newell finished No. 14 in the 247Sports.com composite rankings, placing him alongside from impressive names. Newell is the fourth-highest signee for Georgia since the website began its composite ledger in 2003, trailing only Anthony Edwards (No. 2 in 2019), Lou Williams (No. 6 in 2005 before declaring for the NBA Draft) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (No. 11 in 2011).

Georgia Staff Inks Third-Straight Top-15 Recruiting Class

Mike White announced on Friday, Nov. 15 that high school standouts Jackson McVey, Kareem Stagg and Jacob Wilkins inked papers to join the Bulldogs next season.

The trio was ranked No. 11 nationally by Rivals.com, as well as No. 12 by 247Sports.com, giving Georgia its third straight top-15 recruiting class of prep prospects. The Bulldog signees in the Classes of 2024 and 2023 were ranked No. 10 and No. 15, respectively, by both outlets.

McVey, is a 7-1, center from Ellijay, Ga., who is playing at Overtime Elite this season. Nationally, McVey is rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN.com, and he has been ranked as one of the nation's top-25 center prospects in the On3.com composite and by ESPN.com.

Stagg, is a 6-8, power forward from Chesapeake, Va., who is in his second season at the IMG Academy. A consensus four-star prospect, Stagg is ranked among the nation's top-100 prospects by 247Sports.com (No. 73), Rivals.com (No. 86) and On3.com (No. 92).

Wilkins, a 6-9, small forward from Loganville, Ga., and Grayson High School is the son of former Bulldog and hall-of-famer Dominique Wilkins. Jacob is a four-star recruit ranked among the nation's top-50 players by every major recruiting service – No. 35 by Rivals.com, No. 45 by ESPN.com, No. 49 by On3.com and No. 50 by 247Sports.com.

Dominique Wilkins, a two-time All-American and 1981 SEC Player of the Year, led Georgia to its first-ever postseason bids with the 1981 and 1982 NITs. Though he played only three seasons at Georgia, Wilkins departed Athens as the Bulldogs' career scoring leader with 1,688 points, a 21.6 ppg average over 78 outings. He was the No. 3 overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft before enjoying an illustrious career primarily with the Atlanta Hawks that included being a nine-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA selection.

Bulldogs Produce Points In Exhibitions

Georgia averaged exactly 100 points in the Bulldogs' two preseason exhibition victories, putting up 86 at Charlotte and 114 versus UCF.

Equally impressive as the point production was Georgia's efficiency. The Bulldogs shot 61.3 percent from the floor, including 48.9 percent from 3-point range, against the 49ers and Knights.

COMPLETE GAME NOTES PDF

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Players Mentioned

Justin Abson

Blue Cain

Silas Demary Jr.

RJ Godfrey

Dylan James

Tyrin Lawrence

Dakota Leffew

De'Shayne Montgomery

Asa Newell