Three things to know about the Georgia Bulldogs

Kentucky basketball's next game is against the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday in Rupp Arena.

Jan 3, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs center Somto Cyril (2) reacts after Georgia defeated the Auburn Tigers in overtime at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats were seen as a 13-point underdog heading into their game against #14 Florida, but they ended up leaving with a nine-point loss, coming within five points with 30 seconds left. But, there are no morale victories as they came up short and now, turn their attention to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Georgia is a team that was looking like one of the best in the SEC early in conference play. The Bulldogs even debuted in the AP Poll at #21 back on Jan. 12 following the first full week of conference games. Georgia even pulled out wins against Arkansas and Auburn. But since starting out in the SEC at 4-2, things have taken a turn for the worst.

The Bulldogs have now lost five of their last six games and are coming off of a 16-point loss to Oklahoma, who is one of the worst teams in the conference right now. It is worth noting as we approach this game that Georgia's leading scorer, Jeremiah Wilkinson, has not played the last two games. He is the highest-used offensive player by far, averaging 17.1 points as well as taking 31 percent of the team's shots. But, enough about recent trends. Let's look at three things you should know about this Georgia team.

One of the best teams at creating turnovers

Jan 28, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Nate Ament (10) dribbles against Georgia Bulldogs guard Blue Cain (0) at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Despite all of their areas of weakness through SEC play, the Georgia Bulldogs are actually the best team in the country at creating turnovers. In fact, Georgia ranks as the #1 turnover defense in the country, making teams turn the ball over at a 16.9 percent rate, the highest in college basketball. There has been no drop off there, though, in conference play. The Bulldogs are still one of the top teams at forcing turnovers over the last month. In their last win, they forced LSU to commit 14 turnovers, That's a big key for their offense, getting out in transition when they can.

Georgia has one of the best shot-blockers in college basketball

Jan 14, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi Rebels guard AJ Storr (2) dribbles against Georgia Bulldogs center Somto Cyril (2) during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Somto Cyril is easily the best rim-protector in the SEC, but he is also one of the top shot-blockers in the entire sport. Kentucky just faced the one of the best rebounders in college basketball and now will face an elite shot-blocking big man. Cyril not olny ranks first in the SEC in block percentage, he is also 8th in college basketball in that category. He is blocking shots at a very high rate of 11.7 percent of opponents shots around the rim. Cyril has game-highs of eight, six, four and three blocks this season. He has eclipsed three blocks or more in twelve of his 25 games played.

Shooting, defensive rebounding have been consistent struggles

Feb 11, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Kanon Catchings (6) is defended by Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee (1) during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Georgia Bulldogs are not excellent in any area other than creating turnovers, but there are two areas in particular where they have been really bad in for the majority of the season. Georgia has not shot the ball well this season, as they have been shooting it at a 31 percent clip, not just in SEC play alone, but really for the entirety of the season, but their volume of shots has been high. On the season, the Bulldogs rank 290th in three-point percentage, including 11th among SEC teams in conference play. There is a correlation with their losses. In many of their losses, Georgia has shot the ball poorly, but in their wins, the three-ball has gone in at a higher clip. The Bulldogs do shoot it at a high volume from there, so contesting shots will still be important.

Then, there is defensive rebounding, which has been a major killer for them. Aside from the offensive end, where they are 32nd in the country on the season and 6th in the SEC during conference play, the defensive end is a different story. Georgia ranks 16th among the conference in that category, while being 339th overall on the season.

Teams are killing the Bulldogs on the glass with second-chance opportunities and making them continue to shoot at a poor clip. If Georgia struggles to create turnovers and the ball is not going in from deep, there is not much they are able to do against opponents, as you can tell from this rough stretch they have been on.