UGA Set to Play Florida in a Rematch in Athens
Athens, GA – After having a much-needed off day on Wednesday, the Georgia Bulldogs return home for a rematch against the Florida Gators at 1 PM EST tomorrow, Saturday, February 17th. Right now, Georgia is 14-10 and 4-7 in the conference, while Florida is 17-7 and 7-4 in the conference, winning six of its last seven games. The Bulldogs are currently riding a five-game losing streak, which started in Gainesville on January 27th at the first meeting between the two teams.
In their previous battle, the Gators came out strong, leading by 13 by the end of the first half, and continued this success for a good portion of the second half, where they led by 21 points on four occasions. The Bulldogs, however, outscored the Gators 24-8 over the last 7:47 to tie the game 85-85 at the end of regulation. Despite the 21-point comeback, Florida put up 13 points to UGA’s 7 in overtime to win the game 102-98. Junior guard R.J. Melendez had a career-high 35 points, going 13 for 19 field goal attempts, during the Dawgs’ devastating defeat. Graduate transfer Russel Tchewa recorded another double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Two Bulldog reserves followed behind Melendez and Tchewa with double-digit points: freshman guard Blue Cain (14) and senior guard Justin Hill (11). On the Flordia side of the ball, four Gators put up 18 or more points: sophomore Micah Handlogten (23), senior guard Zyon Pullin (20), junior guard Will Richard (18), and junior guard Walter Clayon Jr. (18). Handlogten also led the team defensively with 17 of the Gators' 48 total rebounds during the contest.
Georgia’s last game was against Arkansas, where they lost 78-75. After being down 12 in the second, UGA went up 1 (66-65) with 3:57 left. The Razorbacks and the Bulldogs then traded baskets for the next two minutes until Arkansas made a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers to go up two with less than a minute left. Despite Hill making three straight free throws, Arkansas pulled out the narrow win. Freshman Silas Demary Jr. led the Dawgs offensively in this contest with 19 total, while Hill and Tchewa followed with 18 and 10, respectively.
Georgia’s offensive season leader can be found in senior guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim, who averages 12.8 points per game (ppg). Abdur-Rahim has been shooting 37.5% from field-goal range, 37.7% from behind the arc, and 87.3% from the line. Two other Dawgs are also averaging over double digits per game: graduate student guard Noah Thomasson with 12 ppg and Melendez with 10.3 ppg. Demary Jr. is one point away from crossing the double-digit threshold with 9.9 ppg. Both Melendez and Demary Jr. are part of the four Bulldogs who have seen higher scoring averages in SEC play than in non-conference play. Demary Jr. has gone from 8.5 ppg to 11.5 ppg, Melendez from 9.8 to 10.9, Hill from 8.5 to 9.5, and Tcheawa from 6.1 to 8.6. Georgia’s bench has also been quite productive; the Bulldogs enter this week ranked No.18 nationally in bench scoring, averaging 29.4 ppg. Hill has consistently been UGA’s leading distributor, averaging 3.7 assists per game.
Georgia guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim (1) during Georgia’s game against South Carolina at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Cassie Baker/UGAAA)
Defensively, Tchewa has been an asset for Georgia; the 7’0” center averages 6.7 rebounds per game. Melendez and Demary Jr. follow behind with 4.5 and 3.9 rebounds, respectively. While the Bulldogs average 36 rebounds per game, they have performed under this marker in four of their last five games (Arkansas, 27, Mississippi State, 33, No. 15 South Carolina, 28, and Florida, 27).
The Gators have five players in the double-digit range when it comes to scoring. Clayton Jr. leads the pack (16.3), and he is followed by Pullin (15.5), senior forward Tyrese Samuel (13.1), Richard (11.1), and sophomore guard Riley Kugel (10.8). Clayton Jr. is coming off a 21-point game in a close 82-80 win against LSU. With the exception of Kugel, each of these Gators averages above 40% from field goal range, and as a team, Florida is shooting 45.5% on field goals. Pullin also leads the team in assists with 4.9 assists per game.
Florida averages 44.4 rebounds per game and has performed around this number in all six of their recent wins (the Gators only recovered 36 in their loss to Texas A&M two weeks ago). Leading this defensive effort is Samuel with 8.0 rebounds per game, but Handlogten follows closely behind with 7.6, and freshman forward Alex Condon is behind him with 6.7 per game.
After their first match against Florida, the Dawgs have lost two at home (No.15 Alabama and No.11 South Carolina) and two more on the road (Mississippi State and Arkansas). Right now, Florida stands 5th in the SEC, while UGA is 10th. Florida is also the third SEC opponent Georgia has played in two games so far. Against the other two teams (South Carolina and Arkansas), UGA fell short in the second meeting. This game is not only critical to improving the Bulldogs’ conference standing but also to snapping the losing streak they’ve been on for three weeks. A win would give UGA some confidence and momentum for when the Dawgs return to the road to play 13th in the SEC Vanderbilt next Wednesday.
Other Georgia News:
- UGA Suffers Fourth Consecutive Loss after Falling to Mississippi State
- In a Game of Physicality, Georgia Loses their Third Straight to South Carolina
- After Leading the Majority of the Game, Georgia Falls to No. 24 Alabama
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