Georgia basketball game notes
Georgia (9-5, 2-5 SEC) x South Carolina (3-5, 1-3 SEC)
Wednesday, January 27, at 7 pm ET
Colonial Life Arena (18,000) in Columbia, SC
Series history: Series tied, 58-58
Last meeting: SC, 94-90 at OT, on February 26, 2020
To watch: ESPN2 (Tom Hart, play by play; Jimmy Dykes, analyst)
I hear: Flagship of the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network: 960 the Ref-AM, Athens; 103.7-FM, Gainesville (Scott Howard, play by play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer)
The initial five
• Sahvir Wheeler average career 5.44 bp is better than any SEC player is averaging this season. Scotty Pippen Jr. is second in the SEC with 5.27 bp.
• Andrew Garcia led UGA offensively in each of the last two games, averaging 16.5 ppg, while connecting 76.2 percent (16 of 21) of his FGs.
• KD John-son’s 21 points against Auburn were the third most scored by UGA, a freshman in the debut, behind only Dominique Wilkins (26) and Anthony Edwards (24).
• Eight different Bulldogs scored in double digits during the 2020-21 season, combining to produce 56 double-digit performances in 14 UGA games.
• The UGA list features eight newcomers with a representative in each class – two freshmen, a sophomore, two juniors and a trio of transferred senior graduates.
The opening tip
Georgia takes a hike to the Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday night to face South Carolina in the first of two Bulldogs and Gamecocks clashes this season.
Georgia is currently 9-5 overall and 2-5 in the SEC. The Bulldogs started the 7-0 season, their best start in 38 years … since UGA’s 1983 Final Four team opened the season 9-0.
Georgia is trying to recover after a 92-84 setback in Florida last Saturday. Before that, the Bulldogs won last-minute and second wins in their two previous matches.
At Ole Miss on January 16, Georgia posted the highest pitch percentage of the season from all places on the ground – overall (0.587), 3-point reach (0.600) and free-throw line (0.882) – on the way to 78 -74 victory over the rebels.
Last Wednesday, PJ Horne’s layup with 1.3 seconds left gave Georgia a 63-62 victory over Kentucky, the Dogs’ first victory over the Wildcats since 2013 and ending a skid of 14 games lost to the United Kingdom.
Georgia remains one of the most balanced offensive teams in the country. Five Bulldogs are scoring at a double-digit pace, while two others are contributing 9.8 ppg and 8.9 ppg.
Keeping An Eye. . . Entering tonight’s game:
Justin Kier is …
• 1 rebound of 600 for your career
• 40 points out of 1,300 for your career
Andrew Garcia is …
• 69 points out of 1,000 for your career
• 20 rebounds out of 500 for your career
Sahvir Wheeler is …
• 26 points out of 500 for your career
• 18 assists from No. 20 Rod Cole (1989-90) among the leaders of UGA’s unique season
• 19 co. Assists.- No. 19 Gino Gianfran-cesco (1972) and Barry Cohen (1971) among the leaders of the UGA’s unique season
• 30 assists by Gino Gianfrancesco, nº 18, among UGA’s career leaders
Series history with South Carolina
The historic series between Bulldogs and Gamecocks is tied, 58-58; however, South Carolina has a 36-19 lead in games played in Columbia.
In the most recent clash of last season on February 26 in Columbia, Anthony Edwards scored 36 points – and went to second place among the best scorers of all time in Georgia – but the Bulldogs still suffered a 94-90 setback in the extension.
The competition was as balanced as possible, with 21 draws and 17 leadership changes. Of the 45 minutes of action in the dispute, Georgia led by 17:28, South Carolina won by 17:56 and the score was tied by 9:36.
Gamecocks took the lead forever with 58 seconds remaining in overtime on a stickback from Keyshawn Bryant.
Exploring Gamecocks
South Carolina is currently 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the SEC this season.
The Gamecocks schedule was dramatically impacted by COVID. So far, South Carolina has canceled three games and postponed four more due to the pandemic.
AJ Lawson is the top scorer for Gamecocks with 17.4 ppg. He is one of three players who start every game along with Jermaine Couisnard and Justin Minaya. Keyshawn Bryant has been one of the best SEC players lately, stepping off the bench to contribute 23.0 ppg in the last three games in South Carolina.
Last Time
Five Bulldogs scored in double digits and Sahvir Wheeler scored his fifth double-double of the season, but Georgia still lost a 92-84 decision to Florida last Saturday.
Andrew Garcia led Georgia’s offensive for the second game in a row with 17 points. Stony Brook’s graduate transfer averaged 16.5 ppg, while shooting 76.2 percent off the ground against UK and UF.
Florida led 42-39 at the break, after the opening 20 minutes that saw five draws and nine changes in leadership. The Gators took control after the break, opening the second stanza with a 16-3 run.