Bulldogs Back In Stegeman To Host Tennessee

Wednesday, January 28

Athens, Ga.

7:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

Tennessee

Tickets From $17 - $33

January 27, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

GEORGIA MEN'S BASKETBALL VIDEOS

Coach White

M. Millender

J. Wilkinson

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (16-4, 4-3 SEC) vs. Tennessee (13-6, 3-3 SEC)
Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Location: Athens, Ga.
TV: SEC Network (John Schriffen, play-by-play; Daymeon Fishback, analyst)
Streaming: SECN+
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Network; Sirius 162 (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer)
Tickets: www.georgiadogs.com/mbbtix
Game Giveaway: The first 750 UGA students will receive a free t-shirt and Papa John's pizza.

The Starting 5

Georgia will host Tennessee on Wednesday at Stegeman Coliseum, where the Bulldogs are 11-1 this season and 52-14 (.788) during Mike White's four seasons in Athens.
The "Dunkyard Dawgs" entered this week leading the nation in percentage of FGs that are dunks at 19.7 percent, with 133 slams. Individually, Somto Cyril's 55 dunks ranked No. 2 nationally.
Georgia is No. 2 nationally in scoring (93.5 ppg) and is producing 47.2 percent (44.1 ppg) of its scoring either in a hurry – No. 1 in fastbreak points (23.1 ppg) – or standing still – No. 1 in FT makes (21.0 ppg).
Somto Cyril joined Georgia's top-10 single-season leaders in blocks at Texas. The sophomore from Enugu, Nigeria now as 57 rejections this season, 37 shy of Charles Claxton's record of 94 in 1994-95.
Marcus "Smurf" Millender topped 1,000 career points last Saturday at Texas. The Houston native scored 309 points at South Alabama, 461 at UT San Antonio and the final 230 at Georgia.

Keeping An Eye On…

Entering Today's Game - Among UGA's Career Leaders

Blue Cain is...
• 1 3-pointer from No. 19 Sundiata Gaines
• 3 3-pointers from No. 18 Rashad Wright
• 6 3-pointers from No. 17 Turtle Jackson
• 11 3-point attempts from No. 18 Ty Wilson
Somto Cyril is...
• 2 blocks from No. 13 Terry Fair
• 4 blocks from No. 12 Derek Ogbeide
• 10 blocks from No. 11 Trey Thompkins

Entering Today's Game - Among UGA's Season Leaders

Somto Cyril is...
• 1 block from No. 9 Charles Clayton ('94)
• 3 blocks from No. 8 Antonio Harvey ('91)
• 4 blocks from No. 7 Yante Maten ('16)
• 19 blocks from No. 6 Lavon Mercer ('80)

The Opening Tip

Georgia returns to the friendly confines of Stegeman Coliseum a day later than initially planned on Wednesday when the Bulldogs host Tennessee. The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was pushed back 24 hours due to the winter storm that blanketed Athens with a sheet of ice on Sunday.

Regardless of when, the Bulldogs are eager to return to Stegeman, which has developed into one of the SEC's best home court advantages. Georgia is 11-1 at home this season, with the lone setback being an overtime decision to Ole Miss.

Georgia's statistical data for the 2025-26 campaign has been incredibly impressive.

As of Monday, the Bulldogs were ranked in the top 25 nationally in 11 of the 28 statistics tracked by the NCAA, including leading all 365 Division I programs in fastbreak points (23.1 ppg), free throws made per game (21.0 ppg) and blocks (7.3 bpg).

Georgia has one of the nation's deepest rotations playing at a pace among the country's quickest.

Eleven Bulldogs are averaging double-figure minutes, and according to the oft-used metric KenPom.com, Georgia entered this week ranked No. 2 nationally in adjusted tempo (73.8) and No. 6 in average offensive possession length (14.8).

Georgia's depth is not just in numbers but also in its offensive production.

Ten of the 11 Bulldogs playing double-digit minutes have scored 10+ points in a game, combining to record 83 double-figure scoring outputs this season.

Jeremiah Wilkinson is averaging a team-high 17.7 ppg, while Blue Cain is contributing 13.6 ppg and Marcus "Smurf" Millender is chipping in 11.7 ppg, including his 1000th career point last Saturday at Texas.

Two more Bulldogs – Kanon Catchings and Somto Cyril – are knocking on the double-digit door at 9.8 ppg. Cyril leads the Bulldogs in rebounding (6.1 rpg), blocks (2.9 bpg) and field goal percentage (.762...yes .762, that's not a typo).

Scouting The Volunteers

Tennessee improved to 13-6 overall and 3-3 in the SEC with an impressive 79-73 victory at No. 17 Alabama on Saturday night.

Ja'Kobi Gillespie leads the Volunteers and ranks among SEC leaders in no less than eight stats – No. 5 in scoring (18.8 ppg), No. 2 in playing time (33.4 mpg), No. 3 in assists (5.5 apg), No. 5 in 3-pointers (2.8 3FGpg), No. 6 in 3-point percentage (.351), No. 9 in steals (1.7 spg), No. 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.14) and No. 11 in free throw percentage (.827).

Freshman Nate Ament also scores at a double-digit clip of 16.2 ppg.

Series History With Tennessee

Despite Georgia's 40-35 edge in games played in Athens, Tennessee enters Wednesday's matchup with a 100-61 lead in the all-time series between the Bulldogs and Volunteers.

In the most recent contest last Jan. 15 in Knoxville, No. 23 Georgia built a 26-21 lead late in the first half before No. 6 Tennessee rallied for a 74-56 victory.

In the Vols' last trip to Stegeman Coliseum on Jan. 13, 2024, Georgia led by as many as 11 points in the second half; however, No. 5 Tennessee rallied for an 85-79 win before a boisterous sellout crowd.

The Volunteers gradually built a 14-point first-half lead before the Bulldogs exploded on a combined 15-0 run over the last 3:47 of the first half and the opening 34 seconds of the second stanza to go up 43-42.

Georgia's lead maxed out at 11 points twice, lastly at 75-64 at the 6:24 mark. Tennessee then closed out the contest on a 21-4 surge.

Last Time Out

Texas rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat No. 21/22 Georgia, 87-67, last Saturday at the Moody Center in Austin.

Somto Cyril scored 11 first-half points to lead the Bulldogs to a 37-30 advantage at the intermission before the Longhorns opened the second stanza with an 8-0 run and used that momentum to upset Georgia.

"They played the same way," head coach Mike White said. "We were totally different team. It's on us. Texas was terrific in the second half. We had a couple defensive miscues that led to and-one at the rim and a dunk where we were hogging on the weak side. It came a little disconnected defensively and struggled to defensive rebound the entire second half."

A "Stegtacular" Home Court Advantage

Georgia's home court advantage? It's real and it's Stegtacular.

The Bulldogs are 11-1 this season and have compiled a 52-14 (.788) home mark under Mike White, including a perfect 36-0 versus non-conference competition in Stegeman over his four seasons at UGA.

White's success at Stegeman is not confined to his UGA tenure. He was 7-1 in Athens as a visiting head coach, leading Louisiana Tech to a 2014 NIT victory and compiling a 6-1 mark at Florida. That makes White is a combined 59-15 (.797) as a head coach in Stegeman.

After producing just eight double-digit home winning streaks in their first 117 seasons of basketball, the Bulldogs have produced four double-digit winning streaks at Stegeman during White's four seasons alone.

Dogs Off To Third Best 20-Game Start

Despite Saturday's setback, Georgia matched its third-best 20-game start in 121 seasons of basketball. The Bulldogs equaled their best record 20 games into a season in 24 years, since 2001-02.

A Family Reunion for Mike White

Mike White is the older brother of Tennessee's Athletics Director, Danny White.

The White family has produced an impressive list of athletic administrators.

Mike's dad, Kevin, retired as the Director of Athletics at Duke in 2021 following a career that also included stints as AD at Notre Dame, Arizona State, Tulane, Maine and Loras College.

Mike's other brother, Brian, is the AD at Florida Atlantic and his sister, Mariah (Chappell), was previously an assistant AD at SMU.

Millender Tops Millennium Mark; More Dogs Approaching 1,000

Houston native Marcus "Smurf" Millender reached 1,000 career points with approximately 30 family and friends on hand for his return to the Lone Star State. Millender ascended to the millennium mark with a 3-pointer from the right wing with 15:22 left in the game at Texas.

Millender scored his 1000 points at three different schools, with 309 as a freshman at South Alabama, 461 as a sophomore at UT San Antonio and 230 in his junior campaign as a Bulldog.

Blue Cain and Jeremiah Wilkinson all are on pace to reach 1,000 career points this season.

Cain and Wilkinson have scored 863 and 837 points, respectively. At their current scoring averages, both Bulldogs would reach 1,000 points in 10 games (March 3 against Alabama).

Cain would become the first player to score 1,000 points exclusively for Georgia since Yante Maten reached that plateau on Jan. 4, 2017.

Dunkyard Dawgs Leading The Nation In Slams

According to BartTorvik.com, Georgia entered this week leading the nation in percentage of its field goals this season on dunks at 19.7 – 133 of 632 the Bulldogs' total FGs – as outlined below.

As of Monday, Somto Cyril led the SEC and ranked No. 2 nationally with 55 dunks followed by Kareem Stagg with 17; Jake Wilkins with 16; Justin Abson and Jeremiah Wilkinson both with 11; Blue Cain and Kanon Catchings with nine apiece; and Dylan James with five.

Dunking It
Rank	Team	Pct.
1.	Georgia	19.7
2.	N. Carolina	19.3
3.	Arkansas	16.9
4.	Duke	16.5
5.	Indiana	15.9
6.	Kentucky	15.7
7.	Kansas	15.3
8.	Wake Forest	15.2
9.	Florida	14.9
10.	Michigan	14.8

Bulldogs Among Nation's Top Offensive Teams

Georgia entered this week ranked No. 2 nationally in scoring offense at 93.5 points per game.

Much of Georgia's production has come either in a hurry or while standing still, as the Bulldogs lead the country in both fastbreak points (23.1 ppg) and free throws made (21.0 ppg). That equates to roughly 47.2 percent (44.1 of 93.5 ppg) of Georgia's offensive output.

Georgia's scoring has been consistent.

In 40 halves of hoops, the Bulldogs scored 40 or more points 33 times, with 11 50-point periods and three segments of 60 or more points.

Georgia played 102 games in Mike White's first three seasons in Athens. The Bulldogs reached 90 points nine times and 100 points twice. In 20 games this season, Georgia has topped 90 points in 12 outings and surpassed the century mark in a school-record seven contests.

Georgia Among Nation's Top-10 In Six Stats

Peruse the NCAA's statistical leaders and you'll find a multitude of categories featuring the Georgia Bulldogs at or near the top.

As of Monday, Georgia was ranked in the nation's top-25 teams in 11 of the 28 stats the NCAA measures, including six in the top 10 as outlined below.

Top-10 Stats
Statistic	Rk.	No.
Fastbreak Points	1	23.1
Blocks Per Game	1	7.3
FTs Made Per Game	1	21.0
Scoring Offense	2	93.5
FTAs Per Game	5	27.7
Bench Points	8	36.2

Double-Digit Dogs' Have Hit Double Figures

No less than 10 different Georgia Bulldogs recorded double-figure scoring outputs in the first five games of the season.

Those Bulldogs have now combined to produce 83 double-digit performances. Jeremiah Wilkinson leads that pack with 17, followed by Blue Cain with 16; Smurf Millender with 13; Kanon Catchings and Somto Cyril with nine; Jordan Ross with six; Jake Wilkins with five; Justin Bailey and Dylan James with three; and Kareem Stagg both with two.

Seven of the aforementioned Bulldogs scored in double digits against Morehead State on Nov. 9. That marked the first time seven Bulldogs hit the 10-point plateau in a single game since a 99-72 decision over Tennessee Tech on Dec. 29, 1994 – a span of 979 contests.

Smurf's Game Gets Bigger In Last 15 Outings

Marcus "Smurf" Millender's season-high 24-point outing against Auburn in the SEC opener headlines a strong series of performances over the Bulldogs' last 15 contests.

The stretch includes two dramatic game winners. Millender canned a clutch 3-pointer with 11 seconds left against Xavier in the opening round of the Shriners Children's Charleston Classic on Nov. 21 and converted a three-point play with 5.5 seconds left at Missouri on Jan. 20.

Millender has now put out double-digit scoring tallies in 12 of 15 games and distributed six or more assists in four of those contests. After averaging 6.8 points in Georgia's first five games, he is contributing 13.3 ppg in the Bulldogs' last 15 outings.

Millender's efficiency from the field also has increased dramatically. After shooting 26.2 percent (11-of-42) from the field and 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from 3-point range in the first five games, Millender has connected on 51.6 percent (65-of-126) of his field goals, including 46.4 percent (32-of-69) of his 3s, thereafter.

Somto Surging On UGA Swatting Ledgers

Sophomore Somto Cyril is quickly climbing on Georgia's single-season and career leaders lists for blocked shots.

In 33 games last season, Cyril swatted 51 shots, which was then the 11th-best tally ever by a Bulldog and the second-most by a Georgia freshman.

In 20 contests this season, the Enugu, Nigeria native has already blocked 57 shots. That's the new No. 10 season mark by a Bulldog. Cyril's numbers are bolstered two career-high outputs in SEC play – six swats against Auburn and an eight-block outing versus Arkansas.

Cyril's 108 total rejections currently ranks No. 14 among Georgia's career leaders, just 10 shy of the top-10.

Wilkinson Putting Up Big Numbers For Bulldogs

Jeremiah Wilkinson leads Georgia with eight 20-point outputs this season, including a pair of 30-point performances.

Wilkinson has three 20-point tallies in SEC play, popping for 31 against Auburn; putting up 32 versus Ole Miss, the single-game high of any Bulldog this season; and scoring 20 against Arkansas.

Big numbers have been a big part of the Powder Springs product's game.

Last season at Cal, he notched 10 20-point tallies and a pair of 30-point efforts for the Bears en route to winning ACC Sixth Man of the Year honors. Wilkinson's 10 20-point games for Cal were the second most in program history by a freshman behind only Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Dogs' Dishing, Ball Control Considerably Better

Mike White has called the 2025-26 Bulldogs one of the better passing teams he's coached.

A year ago, the Bulldogs ranked No. 262 nationally in assists per game at 12.5 and No. 298 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 0.96. This season, Georgia entered this week a much improved No. 123 in assists (15.1 apg) and No. 118 in assist-to-turnovers (1.32).

A large part of that is the performance of the four guards Georgia added via the transfer portal during the offseason – Justin Bailey, Marcus "Smurf" Millender, Jordan Ross and Jeremiah Wilkinson. That quartet has delivered a combined 173 passes-to-points while committing just 93 turnovers – equating to 8.7 apg and a stellar ratio of 1.86 assists-to-TOs.

Abson, Cyril Supply Top Shot-Swatting Duo

Georgia is leading the nation in blocks per game entering this week, largely due to two Bulldogs also being among the top-30 shot swatters in the country.

As of Monday, Somto Cyril led the SEC and was No. 2 nationally at 2.9 bpg and Justin Abson was at No. 3 in the league and No. 27 in the country at 2.0 bpg.

Georgia entered this week ranked No. 3 nationally in defensive blocks percentage according to KenPom.com, swatting away 16.6 percent of the opponents' shots from the field.

White Quickly Takes Losing Teams To The Top 25

When the Bulldogs climbed into the polls last January, it represented the third program Mike White took from a losing record the season prior to his arrival to a top-25 ranking in less than three years.

Georgia was 6-26 in 2021-22 and joined both editions of the Jan. 20, 2025, polls after improving to 14-4 with wins over No. 6/7 Kentucky and No. 17/16 Oklahoma.

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 in 2013. Florida, 16-17 in 2014-15, topped out at No. 12 during the Gators' 2017 "Elite Eight" campaign during White's second season.

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