Georgia Bulldogs Host High Point Panthers Wednesday
By John Buhler
The Georgia Bulldogs (1-1) will host the High Point Panthers (3-1) at Stegeman Coliseum the day before Thanksgiving. Will UGA move to 2-1 on the year?
The Georgia Bulldogs were able to get to their first victory of the 2015-16 NCAA season last Friday when SG Kenny Gaines exploded for a career 35 points against the Murray State Racers, winning 63-52. Though Georgia didn’t shoot particularly well against Murray State, their improved rebounding and defensive prowess were enough to support the hot game of Gaines.
Perhaps it was a wise decision of HC Mark Fox to bring Junior Guard J.J. Frazier off the bench and start RS Senior Forward Houston Kessler down low. While starting Gaines, Frazier and Senior Point Guard Charles Mann seems to give the Georgia Bulldog more explosiveness than most teams in the backcourt, it’s possibly a bit too volatile to start the year out with it.
-= Related: Kenny Gaines Leads Dawgs over Racers, 63-52 =-
Hopefully the three-guard backcourt with Junior Forward Kenny Paul Geno out on the wing and Sophomore Forward Yante Maten down low could give the Dawgs even more bite in conference play. However, maybe it is wise to go a little bigger with Kessler down low as well to help the Dawgs remain a strong rebounding team. In the last two plus years, rebounding has been a pillar of the team’s success as they won at least 20 games in back-to-back seasons.
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Though Georgia is doing well with their point differential of +4.5, the abysmal shooting percentage from inside the perimeter (.397) and turnovers (31) in their first two games aren’t trends we would want to see continue.
One area of UGA’s game that has been remarkable and hopefully is a sign of good things to come from the backcourt is three-point percentage. Entering tonight’s game versus the High Point Panthers, the Georgia Bulldogs are shooting .429 from three-point range, 12th best in the nation. Most of this is due to Kenny Gaines shooting .500 from the outside in two games (10-20). That won’t continue, unless he’s the next Kyle Korver.
Next: Charles Mann: Early Shooting Struggles a Concern?
While it’s still a ways away from the Georgia Bulldogs’ important SEC schedule of games, perhaps it is equally important for the Dawgs to do well in the non-conference. That is usually a good indicator of NCAA Tournament worthiness. Look for UGA to use their muscle on the glass and hopefully shoot better from the field. There is too much experience in the backcourt this year to not have a good shooting team. Tonight’s game tips off at 5:00 PM ET and the game will air on ESPN U. Go Dawgs!