Three Names to Know Ahead of Tennessee Basketball vs. Georgia

These three Georgia Bulldogs have the chance to change the outcome of the Tennessee vs. Georgia game.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes during a NCAA basketball game between Tennessee and Texas A&M at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 13, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers are now set for one of their bigger games of the college basketball season. They are set to play on the road in Athens against one of the better teams in the SEC, as they will be playing against the Georgia Bulldogs.

This game was originally set for Tuesday, but will now be played on Wednesday night. Here is who you need to know entering the game.

Jeremiah Wilkinson

Jan 20, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (5) shoots a free throw against the Missouri Tigers during the second half of the game at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Wilkinson has been nothing short of electric this season, as he is one of the better players in the country at scoring. He has been averaging over 17 points while shooting around 37% from behind the arc. Wilkinson is one of the more natural prospects when it comes to shot selection, but Tennessee has shown they can play good defense with their guards. They will look to rattle the Sophomore early in the outing.

He isn't just a star this season, as he was a star last season with the California Golden Bears. Here is what he accomplished last season, according to georgiadogs.com.

• Logged playing time in 32 of Cal’s 33 games, including 14 starts.
• Named the ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year and to the ACC All-Rookie team after leading Cal offensively and scoring 17.0 points per game in 20 league outings.
• Tabbed the ACC Rookie of the Week three times – on Dec. 2, Jan. 27 and Feb. 10.
• Finished as the Bears’ second-leading scorer at 15.1 points while also contributing 1.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.8 steals in 27.4 minutes of playing time per contest.
• Recorded 25 double-figure scoring performances – including 18 of 20 ACC outings – and also produced 10 20-point outings and a pair of 30-point showings.
• Among ACC statistical leaders for all games finished the season ranked No. 16 in scoring (15.1 ppg) and No. 14 in 3-pointers (1.9 3FGpg).
• In stats for ACC leaders in conference games only, ranked No. 7 in scoring (17.0 ppg) and No. 11 in 3-pointers (2.1 3FGpg).• Among freshmen, finished the season ranked second in the ACC and 12th nationally in scoring average.
• Enjoyed one of the most productive campaigns ever by a Cal freshman, with the second-most 20-point outings ever by a first-season Golden Bear behind only Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Among Cal freshmen, also ranked No. 3 in scoring average (15.1), No. 3 in 3-pointers (60), No. 5 in free throws (110) and No. 6 in field goals (157).
• Recorded season highs of 36 points and four assists against Notre Dame and six boards and five steals versus Stanford.
|• After scoring just 11 points in Cal’s first four games, exploded for 23 against Air Force on Nov. 21.
• Over his final 28 outings after the Air Force outing, averaged 16.9 points.
• Named ACC Rookie of the Week on Dec. 2 after averaging 20.5 points and shooting 63.6 percent from the field against Sacramento State and Mercyhurst.
• Moved into the Golden Bears’ starting lineup on Jan. 22 against Florida State and started his final 14 outings, contributing 19.5 points during that span.
• Honored as ACC Rookie of the Week after averaging 24.0 points – including a 30-point outburst against Miami – in his first two starts of the season.
• Selected as ACC Rookie of the Week for a third time after contributing 17.5 points versus N.C. State and Wake Forest.
• Logged 52 minutes during Cal’s quadruple overtime setback at Notre Dame in the regular-season finale.
• Only DNP came against Stanford in the ACC Tournament due to a concussion.

Somto Cyril

Jan 14, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs center Somto Cyril (2) dunks behind Mississippi Rebels forward Corey Chest (1) during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Cyril is someone you don't want to test when it comes to trying to score down low. He is one of the better defensive players in the country and will likely bring home some personal honors at this rate. He is averaging around three blocks a game, which is ridiculous this late in the season. Cyril has an NBA future, and Felix Okpara will have his hands full against the talented prospect.

This has been his best season thus far, but last season was quite the showing as well. Here is what his 2024-2025 looked like, according to georgiadogs.com.

• One of only five Bulldogs to log playing time in all 33 games and led Georgia in both blocked shots (1.5 bpg) and field goal percentage (57-of-91=.626).• Blocked 51 shots, equaling the No. 11 effort among Georgia’s all-time single-season swats leaders (Donte’ Williams’ 2011-12).
• Contributed 4.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 14.0 minutes of action per game.
• Recorded three or more blocks in seven games – five twice, four twice and three thrice.
• Finished the season ranked No. 6 in the SEC and No. 69 nationally – No. 6 among freshmen – in blocked shots (1.5 bpg).
• Helped Georgia finish No. 15 nationally in blocked shots, accounting for more than 30 percent of the Bulldogs’ total swats as a team (51-of-169=30.2 percent).
• Averaged 7.0 points and 6.5 boards in exhibition wins over Charlotte and UCF.
• Swatted four shots against Texas Southern, helping the Bulldogs record 12 blocks on the night...their most since also blocking a dozen shots against Vanderbilt on Jan. 9, 2019.
• Enjoyed a stellar outing at Georgia Tech, scoring seven of his nine points and collecting all four boards in just 5:26 of first-half action.
• Notched his first double-digit scoring output (11 points) and came within a single board of his first double-double against Alabama A&M.
• Upped his scoring average by 1.2 ppg – from 3.7 to 4.9 ppg – during his career-high 13-point outing against Jacksonville when he was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field.
• Produced the No. 4 play on SportsCenter’s top-10 plays on Dec. 14, a monstrous dunk against Grand Canyon.
• Recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds – and matched his season high with five blocks – against Buffalo.
• After averaging 3.7 ppg and 1.9 bpg over the first seven games of the season, upped those contributions to 10.0 ppg and 3.0 bpg during the next four contests.
• An all-around “presence” in a victory over LSU win with eight points, 10 boards and three blocks.
• Scored nine points in nine minutes in a key late-season win at South Carolina.
• Wrapped up his freshman campaign with an impressive 10-point performance (on 4-of-6 FGs) in 16 minutes of action against Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament.

Blue Cain

Jan 10, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Blue Cain (0) attempts a three point basket against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Cain is someone who can easily be detailed as a sniper from downtown. He will be entering this game as a top option in the sense that he is going to take many shots off the pass. He is a catch-and-shoot specialist with a chip on his shoulder against his hometown team.

Cain had a solid season last year as well. Here is how his season went last year, according to georgiadogs.com.

• One of four Bulldogs to start all 33 games and finished as Georgia’s third-leading scorer (9.6 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (4.2 rpg) while averaging 27.0 minutes of PT per contest.
• Connected on a team-best 84.1 percent (58-of-69) of his trips to the line, which also ranks No. 13 among Georgia’s all-time single season leaders.
• Recorded 18 double-figure scoring performances and a pair of double-digit rebound outings, leading to the first two double-doubles of his collegiate career.
• Upped his scoring in SEC play, going from an 8.2 ppg scoring average in non-conference play to 10.2 ppg in league action.
• Posted double-digit scoring tallies in both exhibition outings, including a team-high 20 points against UCF.
• Notched his first career double-double against Texas Southern, grabbing more defensive boards (9) than his previous best overall rebound count (8 at Ohio State in the 2024 NIT quarterfinals).
• Equaled his career high with five 3-pointers en route to a team-high 17 points against No. 15 Marquette.
• Broke out of an 0-for-9 slump from 3-point range to supply UGA’s first points of the night against No. 6 Kentucky and eventually finished with 15 points against the Wildcats.
• Flirted with a triple-double against LSU, securing his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 boards and also doubling his previous career high for assists with eight (while committing 0 turnovers).
• His eight assists against LSU also represented the most by any Bulldog during a single-game of the 2024-25 campaign.
• Scored a season-high 17 points at No. 8 Texas A&M, with 15 of those coming in the first half.
• Knocked down a 3-pointer with 48.1 seconds left to ignite a 10-3 surge to close out the Bulldogs’ 88-83 upset of No. 3 Florida in Athens.
• A double-digit scorer in six straight games from Feb. 11-March 4, the longest streak of his career.
• Equaled his season-high scoring output (17 points) and collected a career-most five steals against Oklahoma in the SEC Tournament.

---