Georgia tries to extend winning streak at Vanderbilt

Georgia’s victories final week gave the staff solely its second winning streak of SEC play. If the Bulldogs need to extend that streak, they’re going to have to win tonight on the street towards a top-25 staff.

Georgia (19-8, 7-7 SEC) will play at No. 25 Vanderbilt (21-6, 8-6 SEC) in a 7 pm ET recreation that will probably be televised by SEC Network. The Bulldogs are recent off a 91-80 victory over Texas. Vanderbilt, in the meantime, hopes to flip the web page after a 69-65 loss to Tennessee.

The Bulldogs returned dwelling on Saturday off a huge win at Kentuckyand they didn’t disappoint.

Georgia got here out firing towards a red-hot Texas staff, and by the primary half’s finish the Bulldogs had shot simply in need of 60% from the sphere and constructed a 10-point lead. The Longhorns fought their method again with slightly below eight minutes to go, however essential performs by Justin Abson, Blue Cainand Kanon Catchings sealed the Georgia victory.

Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 19 factors off the bench for the second straight recreation, and Smurf Millender put up 15. Five Bulldogs — Wilkinson, Millender, Catchings (13), Somto Cyril (13), and Blue Cain (12) — ended the afternoon in double figures.

“I just thought we played really hard early, and we were able to sustain it offensively,” Georgia coach Mike White stated after the win. “They made plays, tied the game. We responded in a big, big way. Just did enough defensively, but that said, they’re really tough to defend. They drew fouls. They scored from mid-range as well as most teams in the country along with Ole Miss and a couple other teams in our league.”

Georgia’s offense was once more powered by Wilkinson and Millender, who’ve thrived regardless of Wilkinson now not beginning and Millender being elevated from the bench. The guards shot the ball with confidence from 3, particularly early within the recreation. The duo went 5-of-7 from 3-point vary within the first half and was chargeable for all however two of the staff’s makes from deep throughout that stretch.

Neither participant put up as many 3’s within the second half, however they nonetheless wound up capturing 60% from 3-point vary.

“We have a lot of guys who can go, and we know how well we shoot the ball. We watch all the reps that our teammates put in. I watch all the reps that everybody puts in. It just comes out of taking the ones we want,” Wilkinson stated. “I feel like if we’re taking the 3’s that we want, taking the shots that we want, they’re going to go in. We have a bunch of guys who can shoot the ball really well. Today we all took the shots that we wanted, and we ended up going over 50% from 3 on the game.”

Wilkinson and Millender can have to ship comparable capturing success on the street to ensure that the Bulldogs to beat the Commodores.

Vanderbilt has fared nicely in Mark Byington‘s second season as head coach, although the Commodores enter this recreation on a two-game shedding streak. The ‘Dores are among the many SEC’s best possible in a number of statistical classes. They are fourth in scoring protection (73.7), fifth in scoring offense (87.2), fourth in subject objective share (48.0%), fourth in opponent subject objective share (41.6%), 1st in opponent 3-point share (30.2%), fourth in 3-point share (36.2%), third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.71), and fourth in blocked photographs (5.11).

Tyler Tanner (18.5 ppg, 47.4 FG%, 141 ast.) enters the sport because the fifth-leading scorer within the SEC. Other notable Commodores embody Duke Miles (16.4 ppg, 43.8 FG%, 52 stl.), Tyler Nickel (14.3 ppg, 47.8 FG%, 42.9 3PT%), Devin McGlockton (10.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 55.8 FG%), and AK Okereke (9.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 51.6 FG%).

Georgia strengthened its resume final week because it tries to make the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years for the primary time since 2001-02. Tonight’s recreation is the very best resume booster left on the schedule, however winning means beating a harmful Commodores staff on its dwelling ground.