NASHVILLE — Georgia’s first take a look at within the SEC Tournament can be against the group that dealt the Bulldogs their worst lack of the season.
Georgia (22-9, 10-8 SEC) will tackle Ole Miss (13-19, 4-14 SEC) at 7 p.m. ET in a second-round recreation that can be televised by SEC Network. Georgia earned a first-round bye because of securing the 7-seed. Ole Miss, in the meantime, superior by beating 10-seed Texas 76-66 on Wednesday.
Mike White did not know Georgia’s opponent when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday morning, however he and his gamers understood that both group has what it takes to beat the Bulldogs.
“Both of these opponents have our guys’ attention for sure. Ole Miss came into our building and beat us. Texas, we had two really competitive games and obviously took one very much on the chin in the second half in Austin,” White stated. “Both teams will be prepared, and both teams will have a day under their belts of SEC Tournament action. So that’s really a toss-up. You’d hope we’d be more fresh, right, than the other two teams, but those guys have the advantage, of course, of having played a game already.”
Georgia completed the common season sturdy by successful 5 of its ultimate six video games. If the Bulldogs need to preserve that momentum going, they’re going to need to avenge what was an unpleasant early loss in SEC play.
Georgia’s protection let it down in its 97-95 overtime loss to the Rebels on Jan. 14. Ole Miss shot 51.4% from the sector in Stegeman Coliseum, which doomed the Dawgs throughout an evening by which they hit 15 3-pointers. The Bulldogs and Rebels fought previous regulation that night time earlier than Patton Pinkins‘ late putback despatched Ole Miss residence a winner.
That outing stands as Georgia’s solely Quad 3 lack of the season.
Ole Miss entered the convention event having misplaced 13 of its previous 14 video games, however that did not cease the Rebels from ruining the Longhorns’ journey to Nashville. Ole Miss ahead Malik Dia gave Texas all it might deal with on his solution to 23 factors on 9-of-18 taking pictures. The Rebels delivered 50 factors within the paint and by no means trailed the Longhorns on their solution to victory.
Notable Rebels embody Dia (14.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 45.2 FG%), Pinkins (9.2 ppg, 46.2 FG%, 42.1 3PT%), guard AJ Storr (15.1 ppg, 44.1 FG%, 35.5 3PT%), and guard Ilias Kamardine (11.2 ppg, 42.3 FG%, 121 ast.)
The excellent news for Georgia is it comes into the convention event crimson sizzling. Their current stretch of play has not solely featured a number of wins but in addition improved 3-point taking pictures. The Bulldogs shot 47.2% from 3 previously three weeks, which guard Jeremiah Wilkinson attributed to the gamers taking the photographs they need to take.
“Everybody’s getting comfortable,” stated Wilkinson, who’s taking pictures 35.7% from 3 this season. “As we said earlier in the year, we know this team has great talent. We know this team can really shoot the ball. We’ve just got to make shots when the time comes and get the ones we want, and we’ve been doing a better job of that lately.”
Wilkinson sidestepped the concept that Georgia was enjoying its greatest basketball, as an alternative saying that each recreation is a chance to get higher. Center Somto Cyril took the same method by acknowledging that the Bulldogs are enjoying higher however that there are areas that must be shored up.
“I don’t think it is our best basketball yet because we have some stuff we have to clean up defensively,” Cyril stated. “Offensively, we’re getting there, but defensively our ceiling is still high. We still have some stuff to clean up — defensive rebounds and getting stops.
“Overall it is higher than what we did two months in the past. We’re getting there. We’re getting higher daily. We do what we’re presupposed to do in apply, shoot-around, no matter it’s.”
Georgia was one-and-done in last year’s SEC Tournament, and Cyril said that experience taught him whoever wants the game more will win. The Bulldogs hope to be the aggressor on Thursday night in what they hope is the start of a conference tournament run.
