Preview: Georgia returns home to play Ole Miss
Georgia (11-7) is playing a rough schedule in the month of January. Coming off of the blowout loss to Mississippi State last week, the Bulldogs played a tight game on the road versus Kentucky this past Tuesday. Georgia fell just short, losing 89-79, but the Bulldogs will have a shot at finishing 4-4 this month. That will have to start with a win over Ole Miss (9-9) on Saturday.
If you thought Georgia has hit a brick wall, Ole Miss has hit one even harder. After the 9-3 start to their season, the Rebels have lost their past 6 games.
Georgia is seen as a 7-point favorite in this game and has been given a 69.7% chance to win by ESPN's Basketball Power Index. Georgia also stands at 9-1 inside Stegeman Coliseum this season.
The Bulldogs somewhat found their offensive touch against Kentucky, scoring 79 points on a decent 43.5% night of shooting. The problem for Georgia seemed to be the ineffectiveness in three-point shooting, shooting 6-for-25 from deep. Though, the Bulldogs were able to find open looks, which is a positive take away from a poor night of three-point shooting. Their offensive showing will be the biggest determinant in the possibility of a win over Ole Miss.
Toumani Camara contests E.J. Montgomery's layup.
Statistical leaders:
Points: Anthony Edwards (UGA) - 18.9 PPG, Breein Tyree (MISS)- 18.9 PPG
Rebounds: Rayshaun Hammonds (UGA)- 8.2 RPG, K.J. Buffen (Miss)- 6.4 RPG
Assists: Sahvir Wheeler (UGA)- 4.5 APG, Devontae Shuler (Miss)- 3.7 APG
Projected Starting Lineups:
Georgia:
G- (Grad.) Donnell Gresham Jr.
G- (Freshman) Sahvir Wheeler
G- (Freshman) Anthony Edwards
F- (Freshman) Toumani Camara
F- (Junior) Rayshaun Hammonds
Ole Miss:
G- (Junior) Devontae Shuler
G- (Senior) Breein Tyree
F- (Sophomore) Blake Hinson
F- (Sophomore) K.J. Buffen
F- (Junior) Khadim Sy
Keys to the game:
1. Get Anthony Edwards going early into the game.
The majority of Georgia's offensive production is decided upon how Anthony Edwards performs on the offensive side of the ball. When he's off, Georgia generally fails to find any other offensive outlet to lean on. But when he's making his shots, it makes everyone around him better. Take a look at Edwards' 20 first-half points versus Tennessee. His production led to 47 points in the first half for Georgia, and the Bulldogs cruised to an 80-63 win. Georgia needs to make sure Anthony Edwards gets shots early to get the team as a whole to be productive with the ball in their hands.
2. Prevent scoring droughts.
The easiest way a UGA scoring drought is to have Anthony Edwards score 20+. But even when he's not putting up those numbers, Georgia has to stop having the scoring droughts that they've had in recent losses to Kentucky, Auburn, and Mississippi State. Outside of Edwards, find Rayshaun Hammonds in the post, or on the perimeter, as he has emerged as a consistent three-point shooter.
In addition, Jordan Harris, Sahvir Wheeler, and Tye Fagan can get to the basket to score, or draw a foul at any given time. The Bulldogs have the offensive talent, but they have to start using all of it.
3. Tighten up on defense.
Georgia has given up a combined 180 points in their past two outings. They can't continue to give up those kinds of numbers if they're hoping to make a run at an NCAA Tournament bid. The Bulldogs have had some success on defense by mixing in a zone defense from time to time. Against a team that is only scoring 68 PPG, the Bulldogs have a great chance to tune the defense to be more consistent for the remainder of the season.
