ATHENS – Georgia basketball seems to recover in South Carolina at a 7pm tip at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC
The Gamecocks won the last meeting 94-90 in overtime, and Wednesday night’s battle numbers were so contested with the all-time series between programs tied at 58-58.
South Carolina (3-5, 1-3 SEC) was delayed by breaks triggered by Covid-19 within its program three times, and had three league games postponed.
The Gamecocks lost their last three games to LSU (85-80), Missouri (81-70) and last Saturday at home against Auburn (109-86).
Coach Frank Martin overcame the COVID-19 virus twice and will be on the sidelines for Gamecocks.
https://www.thestate.com/sports/college/university-of-south-carolina/usc-mens-basketball/article248589550.html
Georgia, meanwhile, seems to be back on track after a 92-84 home setback at Florida.
Coach Tom Crean knows how South Carolina is a tough fight with his physical style of play, especially on the road.
Gamecocks have had a streak of 8 straight wins against the Bulldogs since the 2015-16 season, when Georgia scored a 65-64 win at the SEC Tournament in Nashville.
Crean knows what UGA needs to do to win on Wednesday night.
“We have to recover better and protect the ball better ”, said Crean. “We have to stick to the game plans of how we defend our opponent’s forces.
“We have to continue to understand how much basketball has to move and the longer we stand or the more the ball is dribbled or held, the worse for us.
“We need to play with real confidence during the ups and downs of the game and not lose our team’s communication on the ground during the ups and downs.”
If it seems a lot, it is because it is.
Georgia’s lack of size leaves little room for error, especially on the road, where local teams tend to receive a more favorable whistle.
GeorgiaDogs.com Did You Know
Sahvir Wheeler drives the bus at crossing points to Georgia. Its average of 7.6 bps is 2.3 bps more attractive than any other in the SEC (Scotty Pippen Jr. of Vanderbilt is the second with 5.3 bps).
In fact, Wheeler’s career average of 5.44 bp is higher than any other player in the league this season.