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Georgia Bulldogs to play Ole Miss at the Pavilion

By John Buhler

Feb 25, 2015; Oxford, MS, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard J.J. Frazier (30) handles the ball against Mississippi Rebels guard Stefan Moody (42) and guard Martavious Newby (1) during the game at C.M Tad Smith Coliseum. Georgia Bulldogs beat Mississippi Rebels 76-72. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2015; Oxford, MS, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard J.J. Frazier (30) handles the ball against Mississippi Rebels guard Stefan Moody (42) and guard Martavious Newby (1) during the game at C.M Tad Smith Coliseum. Georgia Bulldogs beat Mississippi Rebels 76-72. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Georgia Bulldogs will get their first opportunity to play at Ole Miss’ new basketball arena, The Pavilion at Ole Miss, Saturday night in Oxford, MS.

The Georgia Bulldogs are fresh off their first SEC win of 2016, by defeating Missouri at home Wednesday night, 77-59. With that win over Missouri, the Dawgs moved to 8-4 (1-1) on the year and are still in the mix for another NCAA Tournament bid.

However, the Georgia Bulldogs will have to take on an 11-3 (1-1) Ole Miss Rebels team on the road on their brand new court. The Rebels have begun playing at The Pavilion at Ole Miss at the start of 2016 to open up SEC play. Tipoff for Saturday night’s game in Oxford is at 8:30 PM ET and the game will air on the SEC Network.

Georgia has not won a game away from Stegeman Coliseum, dropping both road games to Seton Hall in Newark and to Florida down in Gainesville. Since Ole Miss has only played one game at The Pavilion, a 74-66 win over Alabama on Thursday, the Rebels have never lost a game at the Pavilion at Ole Miss.

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For Georgia to stand a chance at getting back into the NCAA Tournament, the team has to start figuring out how to win games away from Stegeman Coliseum. Both road games this season have been the Dawgs’ two worst-played games of the year, getting dominated inside by the Seton Hall Pirates and couldn’t accurately defend the Florida Gators from beyond the arc.

Ole Miss is one of six teams, including the Georgia Bulldogs, that can conceivably make the NCAA Tournament this year. They are a well-coached team under Andy Kennedy and have a star player in senior guard Stefan Moody. With 11 wins already, unless Ole Miss struggles mightily in SEC play, the Rebels should get to 20 wins this year easily. Georgia needs to play well in conference play to get to that win threshold in 2015-16.

To win in Oxford, the Georgia Bulldogs will need to bring their A game. Sophomore sensation Yante Maten needs to again be the go-to on the inside, so that his strong play in the post can open up better looking shots from outside for the backcourt trio of J.J. Frazier, Kenny Gaines, and Charles Mann.

Next: Georgia Bulldogs get first SEC win, beat Mizzou 77-59

Should UGA stay competitive on the glass, limit turnovers, and sink a couple of transition threes, then UGA can get its first road win of 2015-16 and can move to both 9-4 on the year and 2-1 in SEC play. Let’s Go Dawgs!

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