Georgia Bulldogs host Mizzou for SEC home opener
By John Buhler
The Georgia Bulldogs look to avenge their SEC opener loss at Florida Saturday when they host the Missouri Tigers for the Dawgs’ first home game of 2016.
The 7-4 Georgia Bulldogs will play their first home game of SEC play when they take on the 7-6 Missouri Tigers at Stegeman Coliseum Wednesday night. Tipoff is at 6:30 PM ET and the game will air on the SEC Network.
Georgia looks to move past a tough SEC road loss in their conference opener to the Florida Gators down in Gainesville Saturday night, falling 77-63 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. While the Dawgs have not fared well in their two road games this year, they have won seven of their nine home games at Stegeman, losing to only Chattanooga and Kansas State each time on a last-second bucket.
Though Missouri isn’t likely bound for the NCAA Tournament in 2015-16, this team is already significantly better under second-year head coach Kim Anderson, as Mizzou went only 9-23 in 2014-15.
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The last time Mizzou finished with less than 10 wins in a season on the hardwood, the Tigers played in the Big 8 and it was 1966-67, where Missouri went 3-22 under then head coach Bob Vannatta. The next year legendary head coach for the Tigers Norm Stewart took over and coached the program until 1998-99.
Where the Georgia Bulldogs have to play better on Wednesday night is in defending the perimeter. Florida shot .409 from three-point land to nearly always have a 10-point cushion on the Dawgs. Opponents shoot .297 from beyond the arc against Georgia on average, the 28th best mark in the country.
Expect head coach Mark Fox to have his players literally rebound in this game by working hard on the glass to dictate possession and the game’s tempo. Georgia was off rhythm against Florida, but should the Dawgs play with more composure, they should have no problem knocking off Missouri to move to 8-4 on the year and 1-1 in the SEC.
Look for sophomore sensation Yante Maten to lead the Georgia Bulldogs in both points and rebounds. He averages a team-best 16.6 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game. Junior guard J.J. Frazier will do a bit of everything for the Dawgs on Wednesday night, as he averages 15.1 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game, and 4.0 assists per game.
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The worst loss on the season so far for the Georgia Bulldogs came on Saturday. Look for the Dawgs to play better coming off their tough 14-point loss to the Florida Gators by playing a better defensive game against the Missouri Tigers on Wednesday night. Go Dawgs!