Georgia Bulldogs open SEC play at Florida Gators
By John Buhler
The Georgia Bulldogs will play their first game of the 2016 SEC schedule when they take on the rival Florida Gators at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center at 8:00 PM ET tonight.
The Georgia Bulldogs enter SEC play at 7-3 on the season. They will face a familiar SEC rival in the 8-4 Florida Gators down in Gainesville this evening to begin conference play. Tipoff is at 8:00 PM ET at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville and the game will air on ESPN U.
Georgia has won its last three games, all at home, to Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Robert Morris to essentially close out their non-conference with an impressive 7-3 record. With Baylor still on the slate in the Big 12/SEC Challenge in February, the Georgia Bulldogs have lost their three games by a combined 11 points en route to the toughest strength of schedule in the country.
Through the non-conference part of their schedule, the Georgia Bulldogs have put together a strong string of games of late due to the team’s great field defense. Georgia is eighth in the nation in defensive field goal percentage at .366.
More from UGA Basketball
- Georgia Basketball: The Bulldogs Land Their Point Guard
- Amir Abdur-Rahim Strengthens Atlanta Flavor In Athens
- Georgia Bulldogs: The Problem And Promise Of Tom Crean In Athens
- Tom Crean New Head Man For Georgia Bulldogs Basketball
- Georgia Bulldogs: Mark Fox Dismissal Not Clear Cut
Opponents only make .415 of their two-pointers and only .286 of their threes when playing Georgia, 13th and 20th in the NCAA, respectively. The Georgia Bulldogs are also great at beating their opponent on the glass, allowing the second fewest defensive rebounds (224) and the eighth fewest total rebounds (357).
Georgia enters SEC play with nearly four players averaging at least 10 points per game. Sophomore power forward Yante Maten is averaging team-highs in both points per game (16.3) and rebounds per game (7.5). Junior guard J.J. Frazier averages 15.4 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, and a team high 4.0 assists per game. Senior guard Kenny Gaines is averaging 13.1 points per game and senior point guard Charles Mann averages 9.8 points per game.
This game will be only the Georgia Bulldogs’ second game away from Stegeman Coliseum this season. Their only road game this season before tonight’s contest was in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center where they lost a rough one to the Big East’s Seton Hall Pirates, 69-62 on November 28th.
Next: Yante Maten: Georgia Bulldogs' non-conference MVP
Florida is an improved team under first year coach Mike White, who replaces the Gators’ longtime great head coach Billy Donovan, now with the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. With both the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators playing respectable ball in the non-conference, starting out SEC play 1-0 would stand as a great first step in conference play to get the Dawgs to 20 wins for the third straight season and possibly into the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. Go Dawgs! Beat Florida!