UGA Back at it Against Vanderbilt Tonight
Nashville, TN – The Georgia Bulldogs are back on the road tonight at 8:30 PM EST, favored by 1.5 points against the Vanderbilt Commodores. After their sixth loss in a row last week (this time to Florida), the Bulldogs dropped to 14-1, 4-8 in the SEC, and remain ranked 11th in the conference. The Bulldogs stand only above Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and Missouri. The Commodores are 7-18 overall and 2-10 in the SEC.
In last Saturday’s game against Florida, the Dawgs led for 21:11, including all of the first half, before Florida stole and kept the lead within the first six minutes of the second. During the Florida game, graduate student guard Noah Thomasson had a season-high 26 points. The 6’4” Niagra transfer has been one of three Bulldogs to have started in every game this year and the second-highest scorer of the season with an average of 12.5 points per game (ppg). Senior guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim is the Bulldog above Thomasson and averages 12.7 ppg. Junior guard R.J. Melendez follows Adur-Rahim and Thomasson and is the only other Bulldog averaging double-digits per game with 10.2 ppg. Georgia’s bench has also been a productive scoring threat this season; the Bulldogs’ nonstarters are currently recording 29.3 ppg, and UGA is ranked No. 17 nationally in bench scoring. Senior guard Justin Hill is the leading distributor for the Dawgs with 3.7 assists per game and is 1 assist away from getting 400 career assists.
Graduate student Russel Tchewa has been a big factor in the Dawgs’ defensive attack; the 7’0” center leads the team in rebounds, picking up 6.6 per game. Melendez trails Tchewa with 4.4 rebounds per game and freshman guard Sailas Deamry Jr. follows Melendez with 3.8 rebounds. Demary Jr. and Tchewa are the other two Bulldogs to have started every game this season; Demary Jr. is the only freshman in the SEC to do so.
In their most recent outing, the Commodores lost to No. 8 Tennesse, but before that, they recovered one of their two SEC wins with a buzzer-beater win over Texas A&M. Vanderbilt has three players averaging double-digits each game: senior guard Ezra Manjon (14.1 ppg), senior guard Tyrin Lawrence (13.4 ppg), and sophomore forward Ven-Allen Lubin (11.0 ppg). Manjon is shooting 43.0% from field goal range (he hit the buzzer-beater against A&M) and seems to be the Commodores’ overall offensive guy, as he also leads the team in assists, 3.6 per game. Lubin and Lawrence are performing defensively as well. Lubin is averaging 5.6 rebounds per game, and Lawrence is averaging 5.0.
Under Mike White’s two seasons presiding over the Bulldogs, Georgia is 24-1 when keeping its opponents to less than 7 points; Vanderbilt is currently averaging 66.3 ppg. Meanwhile, UGA is averaging 74.4 points allowed and 76.1 points scored.
Georgia guard Noah Thomasson during Georgia’s game against South Carolina at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Kari Hodges/UGAAA)
A win on the road tonight is of the utmost importance for the Dawgs to snap the six-game losing streak they have been riding since late January. A win on the road would also be important in continuing Georgia’s home fan presence. Head Coach Mike White commented, saying he was “really impressed” with the atmosphere in Stegeman as of late.
Other Georgia News:
- Bulldogs Add Sixth Game to Losing Streak After Being Up over Florida
- UGA Suffers Fourth Consecutive Loss after Falling to Mississippi State
- In a Game of Physicality, Georgia Loses their Third Straight to South Carolina
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