UGA Ready for Last Regular Season Test: A Rematch Against Auburn on the Road
Auburn, AL – For their final regular season test, the Georgia Bulldogs will take on the No. 13 Auburn Tigers in a rematch at 6:30 PM EST. The Tigers are favored by 14.5 points and are tied for second in the SEC with a 12-5 conference record (23-7 overall). The 16-14 Bulldogs are tied for 11th in the SEC with Arkansas and have a conference record of 6-11.
Auburn and Georgia last met on February 24th of this year in Athens, where the Tigers slammed down a 97-76 win. After taking a 9-7 lead within three minutes, Auburn never trailed. The Dawgs took the game within three points twice: 60-57 with 1:49 remaining and 61-64 with 9:29 left in the game, but Auburn survived the UGA rally and outscored the Dawgs 52-42 in the second to close the game. Junior guard Chad Baker-Mazara led the Tigers with 25 points; junior guard Chaney Johnson and junior forward Johni Broome each had 16, and freshman guard Aden Holloway grabbed 15. Broome also collected 13 rebounds, and Baker-Mazara led with four assists. Graduate student guard Noah Thomasson led the Dawgs with 18 points; he was followed by freshman guard Silas Demary Jr. and graduate student center Russel Tchewa, who had 16. Tchewa was key to UGA’s defensive attack, contributing seven rebounds.
Last Tuesday, the Bulldogs played the Ole Miss Rebels and came out with a win in their last home game of the season. In the 69-66 victory, the Dawgs held the lead for 36:37. Georgia shot well from field goal range but struggled from behind the arc, going 43.9% on field goals and 19.% on three-pointers. Thomasson led the offensive attack with 15 points. Thomasson was one of five Bulldogs to reach the double-digit range; Tchewa and senior guard Justin Hill each had 11, and junior guard R.J. Melendez and senior forward Dylan James both picked up 10. Tchewa also grabbed his third double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Thomasson is the leading scorer for UGA, with an average of 12.8 points per game (ppg). Senior guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim follows Thomasson with 12.2 ppg; however, Abur-Rahim missed the Ole Miss game due to an ankle injury, and it is unknown when he will return. The Dawgs’ bench has also been productive throughout the entire season, averaging 28.6 ppg and ranking No. 22 nationally in bench points. Hill has been the consistent lead distributor for UGA, with 3.3 assists of the Dawgs’ average of 11.6 assists per game.
Auburn has won three of its last four, including its previous win over UGA and a loss to No. 4 Tennessee on the road. Broome leads the Tigers in several different categories, including points (16.4 ppg), rebounds (8.5 rpg), and blocks (2.3 blocks per game). Forward Jaylin Williams and Baker-Mazara are two other Tigers in the double-digit range with 12.9 and 10.4 ppg, respectively. Sophomore forward Tre Donaldson leads in assists for the Tigers with 3.3 assists per game.
The Dawgs are picking up and averaging 35.6 rebounds per game, and Tchewa is a big part of this defensive effort, leading with 6.7 rpg. In contrast, the Tigers are grabbing 38.1 rpg. The Tigers are also averaging 6.0 blocks per game, which is 2.8 more than the Dawgs’ 3.2 blocks per game.
This is the last regular season test for both teams before they enter the SEC tournament; a win could be critical to each team's gaining momentum for the tournament. For UGA, a win over Auburn would be its first and last of the regular season.
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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