Coming off wins against then-No. 2 ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL last Saturday and Arkansas on Wednesday, the No. 1 ranked Tigers have stood their ground as the best team in college basketball. However, the Bulldogs will look for revenge when they enter the Jungle on Saturday.
Previously, the Tigers escaped a scare in Stegeman Coliseum back in January 70-68 without their star player Johni Broome. In the final seconds, the Dawgs were able to come in striking distance after missed throws from the Tigers, leading to quick, easy points for the Dawgs, Asa Newell could not tap in the game-tying shot, however, leading to a heartbreaking loss.
The Dawgs were ranked No. 24 that game. Since then, they have only won two of their last eight games. Georgia is desperate for more wins to keep themselves alive for the NCAA Tournament, especially a huge upset in Neville Arena this Saturday.
Asa Newell is still projected to be a top-10 NBA Draft pick this year, and is doing all he can to lead the Dawgs to success. The freshman forward is averaging 15.3 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game so far this season.
Of course, the Dawgs will need other players from their roster to step up to push them into an upset victory on Saturday. Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. will have to shoot the 3-ball well, while Somto Cyril and RJ Godfrey must be aggressive on the paint.
For the Tigers to survive and stand their ground, they must shoot better from deep than they did this past Wednesday in that scare against Arkansas. They must also keep up their high rebounding numbers and control the basketball well without too many turnovers.
Broome has now total 16 double-doubles this season, making him closer to potentially become the Naismith Player of the Year. He must not slow down his play and possibly tail another double-double to help his team win.
Chaney Johnson has also been gradually improving this season. He must be in for another good game on Saturday while dominating the paint with the other bigs. Miles Kelly, Denver Jones, and Tahaad Pettiford must also improve their 3-point shooting to keep Auburn from a close game against Georgia.
Even with the Tigers win last Wednesday, head coach Bruce Pearl was not too happy with his team’s effort and expects much better going into Saturday.
“We knew this was going to be a battle because Arkansas was so good defensively and such a good rim-protecting team,” said Pearl. “Our execution wasn’t very good. I don’t think our shot selection was great. When you have 11 assists and 12 turnovers, I don’t think we shared it as well as we have been.”
Overall, the Tigers need to put their troubles they had last Wednesday to the side and play a better-quality game when a hungry, desperate Georgia Bulldogs team comes into Neville Arena on Saturday.
The game will tip off on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. CST with broadcasted on ESPN.
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Albert Osorio is a senior from Hoover, Alabama, who is majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2024.
