Bulldogs To Take On No. 22 Mississippi State At Stegeman

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (16-7, 4-6 SEC) vs. No. 22/RV Mississippi State (16-6, 4-5 SEC)
Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Location: Athens, Ga.
Game Giveaway: The first 1,000 UGA students receive a Hairy Dawg squishy.
TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal, play-by-play; Jon Sunvold, analyst)
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Network – Sirius 84 (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer)
Tickets: www.georgiadogs.com/mbbtix

The Starting 5...

Georgia host No. 22 Mississippi on Saturday, continuing a stretch of three out of four games in the friendly and increasingly raucous confines of Stegeman Coliseum.
Georgia is 13-1 at home this season with a scoring margin of +20.4 that includes double-digit decisions in 11 of 13 wins – including all four SEC victories at Stegeman.
After playing six of eight games against top-25 teams in January, the Bulldogs flipped the calendar to February to find...six of seven outings versus teams ranked this week.
With UGA at No. 23 on Jan. 13, Mike White has now led three programs with losing records the year before he arrived to the AP top-25 in less than three seasons...also doing so at La. Tech and Florida.
Georgia's ascension 308 spots in kenpom.com's defense efficiency – from No. 328 in 2021-22 to No. 20 as of Friday – is the second-largest three-season jump since the metric's inception in 1997.

The Opening Tip

The Georgia Bulldogs continue a stretch of three home dates over four games on Saturday evening when they host No. 22 Mississippi State at historic Stegeman Coliseum.

That span is part of a grueling SEC slate for Georgia. After playing six of eight games against top-25 opponents in January, six of the Bulldogs' seven contests in February are against teams ranked this week.

The Bulldogs improved to 16-7 overall and 4-6 in SEC play with an 81-62 victory over LSU on Wednesday. With that, Georgia matched its regular-season win total (16 Ws) in each of Mike White's first two seasons in Athens. White now has 52 victories with the Bulldogs, already the most ever by a UGA coach in his first three seasons at Georgia.

The Bulldogs are projected as an NCAA Tournament team by virtually everyone predicting a bracket, including a No. 10 seed by ESPN.com on Friday. In fact, bracketmatrix.com, which tracks every bracket prediction published, confirms that Georgia is currently part of 91 of 93 prognostications for "March Madness."

Georgia's balanced offense features seven players who have led the Bulldogs in one or more games. Two more players have posted double-figure scoring outputs. All told, those nine Bulldogs have produced 83 double-digit performances.

Asa Newell, who has been named SEC Freshman of the Week three times, leads a trio of Bulldogs averaging double figures at 15.3 ppg and also paces UGA on the boards at 7.0 rpg. Among league leaders, Newell is ranked No. 14 in scoring and No. 11 rebounding. He also is No. 3 in the SEC and No. 44 nationally in field goal percentage (.552).

Silas Demary Jr. and Dakota Leffew are scoring at double-digit paces of 11.0 ppg and 10.7 ppg, respectively, for the Bulldogs. Demary Jr. also sports team-high averages of 3.0 apg and 1.8 spg.

Scouting State

Mississippi State arrives in Athens with an overall record of 16-6 and a 4-5 mark in SEC play. The Bulldogs, who enjoyed an open date midweek, are ranked No. 22 by the Associated Press and are the first team out of the top 25 in the coaches poll.

Josh Hubbard lead the Bulldogs offensively, averaging 17.6 ppg. He also sports a eye-catching 3.10 assist-to-turnover ratio. Between his made field goals (124) and assists (65), Hubbard has had a hand in 189 of State's 635 makes from the field this season – 29.8 percent.

KeShawn Murphy and Claude Harris Jr. also are scoring at a double-figure clip, contributing 11.0ppg and 10.4 ppg, respectively, while Riley Kugel is just shy of double digits at 9.7 ppg.

Series History With State

The all-time series between the SEC's Bulldogs is currently tied, with both UGA and MSU owning 59 victories.

State won last season's matchup, a 75-62 decision in Starkville on Feb. 7.

State build a 10-point lead with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half and expanded that margin to 56-43 with 9:29 left in the contest. Georgia used a 10-0 surge to pull within 56-53 at the 6:21 mark before State answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to regain a nine-point advantage just 54 seconds later.

In State's last trip to Athens on Jan. 11, 2023, Braelen Bridges scored his 1,000th point and grabbed his 500th rebound in his 100th career outing to lead Georgia in a 59-58 victory.

Bridges finished the night with 11 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double of the season. His last two points to reach 1,000 were critical, a pair of free throws with 25 seconds remaining that gave the Bulldogs a two-possession lead.

In second stanza that featured four ties and 10 lead changes, Georgia secured the win with clutch free throw shooting. After leading 46-45 at the 3:09 mark, UGA converted on 12 straight trips to the line down the stretch.

Last Time Out

Blue Cain posted his second career double-double – and flirted with a triple-double – to lead Georgia in an 81-62 win over LSU on Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.

Cain finished the night with 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists – twice his previous career high – with no turnovers. Asa Newell added a game-high 17 points, his 21st double-figure output and the 15th contest when he led the Bulldogs offensively this season.

Georgia outscored the Tigers 10-4 over the final 7:19 of the first half to grab a 37-31 advantage at the intermission and pushed that margin to double figures on a three-point play from Cain at the 13:16 mark.

"As a freshman, (Blue) was a talented player that could make shots and was developing in other areas," head coach Mike White said. "As a good SEC player, who had a whale of a game, only made one three. That's arguably his biggest strength, definitely last year and maybe early this year. He's just rounding out his game, eight assists and zero turnovers. He rebounded well. He played really hard. I'm proud of him."

Bulldogs' Defense Improves At Historic Level Under White

The season before Mike White arrived, Georgia finished the year ranked No. 328 nationally in defensive efficiency according to kempom.com. As of Thursday, these Bulldogs were No. 19 in that same metric.

Georgia's almost unfathomable ascension of 308 spots over three seasons is the second-largest leap ever during the kenpom era, which began in 1997. Only UCF, which climbed 311 positions nationally – from No. 319 in 2015 to No. 8 in 2018 – has a larger three-year improvement than the Bulldogs during those 29 years.

Georgia's climb has been steady, moving from No. 328 in 2021-22 to No. 132 in White's first season to No. 58 during the Bulldogs' NIT semifinal campaign a year ago.

The Bulldogs and Knights are the only two programs to make a 300-spot leap over three seasons. In fact, between 1997-2025 only 11 programs have managed to climb 250 positions over three years as outlined below.

D-Up, D-Up, D-Up
School	Yr.	Rk.	Yr.	Rk.	Diff.
UCF	'15	319	'18	8	311
Georgia	'22	328	'25	20	308
Grand Canyon	'15	336	'18	50	286
Wofford	'07	324	'10	45	279
Harvard	'09	302	'12	29	273
Little Rock	'22	336	'25	67	269
Manhattan	'11	310	'14	46	264
McNeese	'21	353	'24	89	264
S. Utah	'17	349	'20	86	263
N. Colorado	'15	349	'18	94	255

The Dogs' Home Court Advantage? It's Real and It's Stegtacular

Georgia is 13-1 at Stegeman Coliseum this season, improving to 39-11 (.780) at home under Mike White.

The Bulldogs sport a scoring margin of +20.4 at Stegeman this season, with 11 of 13 victories – including those over No. 6/7 Kentucky and No. 16/17 Oklahoma – coming by double figures.

The Bulldogs' 13-game home winning streak dating back to last season was snapped with a 70-68 setback to No. 1 Auburn on Jan. 18. That matched the fourth-longest home winning span ever for UGA.

In fact, after producing just 11 double-digit home winning streaks in Georgia's first 116 seasons of intercollegiate competition, the Bulldogs have now produced three double-digit winning streaks at Stegeman during White's three seasons alone as outlined below.

White Has Always Been Stellar In Stegeman

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

White was 7-1 in Athens as a visiting head coach before coming to UGA. He led Louisiana Tech to a 2014 NIT victory at Stegeman and was 6-1 while at Florida from 2015-22.

With his 39-11 home mark since becoming Georgia's head coach, White is now a combined 46-12 (.793) in Stegeman. He is a perfect 27-0 versus non-conference competition in home games while with the Bulldogs.

Asa Newell Named To The Athletic's Freshman All-America Team

Asa Newell joined some elite names on The Athletic's Freshman All-America squad announced on Wednesday (Jan. 29).

The five-player ledger also featured Cooper Flagg from Duke, Dylan Harper from Rutgers, Kasparas Jakucionis from Illinois and Tahaad Pettiford from Auburn. The quintet was chosen by a panel of eight of the outlet's college basketball experts.

"Newell has been a model of consistency for a modern big in college basketball, which is tough and rare as a freshman," Justin Williams wrote. "His athleticism and versatility have helped defensively, where Georgia ranks top 20 in KenPom."

Among freshmen, Newell entered this weekend ranked No. 10 in scoring (15.3 ppg), No. 11 in rebounding (6.9 rpg), No. 3 in field goal percentage (.552) and No. 8 in double-doubles (five).

In Commit To The G, The "G" Is For Grades

The basketball Bulldogs enjoyed their strongest academic semester ever during the fall, producing a team grade point average of 3.28. That was not only the program's highest mark ever, but also the second-highest GPA among UGA's nine men's athletic programs last fall.

All told, 12 Georgia players posted a 3.0 or higher in the fall. Tyrin Lawrence led the way with a 4.0, followed by four players between a 3.50-3.99 and seven between a 3.0-3.49.

No Matter How You State It, Dogs' SEC Slate Is Daunting

Since Georgia's Southeastern Conference schedule is so testing, here's a multiple choice question about the Bulldogs' slate. Which of the following is true?

A. Georgia opened SEC play by facing five straight top-25 opponents. Prior to this season, the Bulldogs had only played three consecutive ranked foes four times. Georgia had never played ranked opposition four outings in a row, let alone five.

B. During an 18-day span between Jan. 15-Feb. 1, Georgia faced four top-10 teams – No. 6/6 Tennessee, No. 1/1 Auburn, No. 5/6 Florida and No. 4/4 Alabama – with three of those matchups being on the road.

C. Georgia's February schedule includes six of seven games against teams ranked in the top-25 when the month began, including three top-10 foes.

D. Of Georgia's 18 SEC games, 14 are against featured in the latest published edition of ESPN.com's Bracketology, including six road outings at top-5 seeds – No. 1 Alabama, No. 1 Auburn, No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Florida, No. 2 Texas A&M and No. 5 Ole Miss.

E. All of the above.

Georgia Alters Starters For First Time

After sending the same quartet onto the court for tipoff for the first 20 games, the Bulldogs changed their lineup against South Carolina.

Dakota Leffew got the nod in place of Tyrin Lawrence. Leffew responded with a team-best "+17" against the Gamecocks, with 14 points, a team-high four assists and season-best tallies of three steals and 35 minutes.

Georgia was one of six Division I programs to use the same starting lineup for the first 20 games of the season.

"Every Day Dyl" Comes Up Big For Bulldogs

Mike White often refers to Dylan James as "every day Dyl," a nod to the sophomore's consistency in practice on a daily basis.

James gave the Bulldogs major boosts in their victories over South Carolina and LSU.

After combining to score 10 points and grab five rebounds in Georgia's first seven SEC dates, the Winter Haven, Fla., native matched those totals with 10 points and five boards in a season-high 21 minutes of PT against the Gamecocks.

James single-handedly provided the Bulldogs with separation on the scoreboard late in the first half. A banked-in 3-pointer at the 4:54 mark began a 68-second span when James scored eight straight points for Georgia, pushing a five-point advantage to 11.

Against LSU, James knocked down a hook shot and a 3-pointer in a span of 45 seconds on consecutive possession to push the Bulldogs' lead from 30-27 to 25-27.

"My mindset is to maximize every opportunity," James said after the Carolina contest. "Every chance I get, I go 100 percent. Coach (White) tells me every day 'Just be the same guy every day. Go out there, play hard, and then opportunities are going to come.' I feel like today was that day."

Mike White, Quickly Taking Losing Programs To The Top 25

When Georgia appeared at No. 23 in the Jan. 13 AP poll, it represented the third program Mike White has taken a program from a losing record the season before his arrival to a top-25 ranking in less than three years.

The Bulldogs, who were 6-26 in 2021-22, joined the AP poll after improving to 14-4 with back-to-back wins over No. 6/7 Kentucky and No. 17/16 Oklahoma the previous week.

White took less than two seasons to earn a top-25 ranking at his previous two head coaching stops. Louisiana Tech was in 12-20 in 2010-11 before White had those Bulldogs ranked No. 25 during the 2012-13 campaign. White inherited a 16-17 team from 2014-15 at Florida. Two seasons later, the Gators topped out at No. 12 in the AP poll during their 2017 "Elite Eight" campaign.

Some More Stuff On The Polls

The Bulldogs were ranked No. 23 in both the AP and coaches polls released on Monday, Jan. 13.

That was Georgia's first appearance in the AP poll in just over 14 years....since Jan. 10, 2011, when the Bulldogs were No. 24. The last time prior to that when Georgia was featured in both polls was nearly 22 years ago...on March 10, 2003, when the Bulldogs were listed at No. 21 and No. 22 in the AP and coaches polls, respectively.

A pair of wins over ranked foes pushed the Bulldogs into the week's polls.

Georgia's 82-69 win over No. 6 Kentucky on Jan. 7 represented the Bulldogs' highest over a ranked foe since defeating No. 5 Kentucky, 65-57, on Jan. 17, 2004. It was also UGA's highest over a ranked opponent at Stegeman Coliseum since beating No. 3 Georgia Tech, 83-80 in double OT, on Jan. 3, 2004.

The Bulldogs then topped No. 17 Oklahoma on Jan. 11, securing their first back-to-back victories over ranked opponents since beating No. 25 Kentucky and No. 21 LSU in January 2007.

The "Dunkyard Dawgs" Attack The Rim

With a nod to the awesome website barttorvik.com, we know that Georgia entered this week scoring the nation's sixth-highest percentage of its made FGs on dunks – 14.8 percent.

Freshman Asa Newell's 44 slams represent the eighth most among all Division I players as outlined below.

Top Dunkers - Team Leaders
Rk.	Team	Pct. of FGs
1.	Creighton	17.2
2.	Cincinnati	17.0
3.	Utah	16.9
4.	Tennessee	16.2
5.	Duke	15.8
6.	Georgia	14.8
Top Dunkers - Individual Leaders
Rk.	Player, School	No.
1.	R. Kalkbrenner, CU	65
2.	J. Scott, UofL	52
3.	D. Mitchell, UC	50
4.	A. Bandaogo, UC	49
5.	R. Castro, GWU	47
6.	D. Cardwell, AU	45
7.	F. Okpara, UT	45
8.	A. Newell, UGA	43

Bulldogs' Beginning Among Their Best Ever

Georgia's 12-1 start to the 2024-25 campaign was the Bulldogs' third-best ever and their best in 94 seasons as outlined below.

Georgia also opened 1930-31 at 12-1 and eventually extended that to a 23-1 record before losing to Maryland in the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament and finishing 23-2. That campaign was the last of Coliseum namesake Herman Stegeman's 12 seasons as the Bulldogs' head coach.

Bulldogs' Best Beginnings
Rk.	Season	Rec.
1.	1930-31	23-1
2.	1923-24	13-1
3.	2024-25	12-1
4.	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

Asa Equals Nique's Mark For Debuting Dogs

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

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 a 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."

Wilkins wasn't the only elite company Newell joined among the best Bulldog initial outings. Georgia's top-10 list of freshman debuts also includes current NBA stars Anthony Edwards and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as outlined below.

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	Wofford	11/11/11

Six Dogs Were Top-100 Prospects

Georgia's 13 scholarship players includes a half-dozen Bulldogs who were ranked among the nation's top-100 prospects in their class.

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.

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 247 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.

COMPLETE GAME NOTES PDF

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Bulldogs To Take On No. 22 Mississippi State At Stegeman

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Blue Cain

Silas Demary Jr.

Dylan James

Tyrin Lawrence

Dakota Leffew

Asa Newell

Bulldogs To Take On No. 22 Mississippi State At Stegeman

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Blue Cain

Silas Demary Jr.

Dylan James

Tyrin Lawrence

Dakota Leffew

Asa Newell

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