What Went Right and Wrong In Georgia's Loss to Oregon
Georgia's season opener on Monday was less than ideal as it lost to Oregon 82-71 in the Naismith Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas.
The team made mostly of newcomers looked the part at times as Oregon maintained a double-digit advantage for most of the contest. However, two of those newcomers combined for 24 points, while one of the few returning players had a breakout performance.
The 82-71 loss leaves a lot to be desired, but it wasn't all bad and Georgia showed glimmers of hope and promise throughout the game. Here are the biggest areas Georgia succeeded and struggled Monday night.
Nov 6, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Jalen DeLoach (23) shoots against Oregon Ducks center Nate Bittle (32) during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Wrong: Uncharacteristic Shooting
Going into the year, this Georgia team was billed as the best group of shooters Athens has seen in a long time, and they looked the part in last week's exhibition against Eastern Kentucky. However, the Bulldogs were ice cold from the field against Oregon; shooting 33.8 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 56.7 percent from the free throw line.
The struggles started with the opening tip-off. Georgia had a chance to make a big splash early when Jabri Abdur-Rahim was fouled while shooting a three-pointer. Instead of giving the Bulldogs a quick 3-0 lead in the first minute, he made just one of his three free throws. Oregon responded with an 11-0 run over the next three minutes.
To Abdur-Rahim's credit, that wasn't the only time he was fouled behind the arc. He broke Oregon's run by sinking all three shots at the line at the 16:33 mark of the first half. He finished the game with a team-high 18 points, with all of his made jumpers coming from three-point land.
R.J. Melendez and true freshman Blue Cain joined Abdur-Rahim in double figures by scoring 12 points each, but both also shot less than 50 percent from the field.
Right: Resiliency
With 8:17 left in the first half, Oregon's Kwame Evans Jr. sunk a three-pointer to give the Ducks a commanding 28-11 lead. A young, newly built team playing 2,000 miles away from home could've crumbled, but Georgia showed some fight.
Noah Thomasson responded with a three-pointer at the other end to start a 17-4 run which saw the Bulldogs cut the lead to 32-28 with 3:59 left before the break. Abdur-Rahim made a pair of three-pointers during the run, while Cain sunk one of his own.
The run ended after a Frank Anselem-Ibe foul led to a commercial break, gifting Oregon a free timeout to regroup. Georgia only scored once more before halftime and the Ducks extended their lead to 40-30.
Oregon had a similar run in the second half to take a 20-point lead, but Georgia fought back again to get the final score to a more respectable margin.
Wrong: Unable to hang with the big man
Oregon beat Georgia on the boards 73-45 and a big reason for that was Oregon center N'Faly Dante. The Bulldogs just couldn't stop the 6-11, 210-pounder as he led both squads with a whopping 21 rebounds. If he wasn't getting the boards, the 7-footer Nate Biddle (also a starter) was. Biddle finished the game with nine.
Dante led a dominant performance in the paint. He shot 6-of-12 from the field and made four free throws to complete a double-double with 16 points. As a team, Oregon scored 48 points in the paint.
Dante's big game certainly overshadowed Russel Tchewa's Georgia basketball debut. The 7-0, 275-lb. grad transfer, and starter of 60 games at South Florida, finished with just nine boards and five points against Dante.
