WHERE: McCamish Pavillion
WHEN: Friday, 8 p.m.
RECORD: Georgia 3-0; Georgia Tech 2-1
TV/RADIO: ACC Network Extra (Wiley Ballard, Jon Babul); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie)
Like many of his teammates, RJ Godfrey will be playing in his first game against arch-rival Georgia Tech as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs.
However, he knows the Yellow Jackets well.
Godfrey and his former team Clemson played Georgia Tech in each of the past two seasons.
“I'm pretty familiar with Georgia Tech. They’ve got a really good staff and really athletic team. Especially with, you know, their bigs, the frontcourt with Baye Ndongo, and they got a couple of new transfer guards. I'm just excited to play there again. I love playing at McCamish. I love playing there and I can't wait to get over there on Friday.”
Already with two double-doubles in Georgia’s three games, Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudamire understands the challenge the 6-foot-8, 230-pound Godfrey will present to his Yellow Jackets (2-1).
“He gets on the boards pretty hard. That's the guy you're going to have to box out and keep away from. Let me tell you something,” Stoudamire said. “We got to keep everybody off. It's not about one guy. For me, it's about we're going to stick to our principles, our attention to detail, and the habits that we created.”
The Bulldogs are creating some positive habits of their own.
After struggling in the opener against Tennessee Tech, the Bulldogs dominated Texas Southern and North Florida, the later of which which defeated Georgia Tech, 105-93.
Led by Godfrey, and a pair of 6-foot-11 defenders in Asa Newell and Somto Cyril, the Bulldogs have dominated the boards, outrebounding their three opponents 136-78 over their first three games.
Six different players – Newell (17.7), Dakota Leffew (17.0), Silas Demary Jr. (13.3), Tyrin Lawrence (11.7), Godfrey (11.3), and former Tech commit Blue Cain (10.7) – are each averaging in double-figures for Georgia. The Bulldogs are shooting .492 percent as a team, compared to .429 by their opponents.
There will be challenges for Georgia as well.
“Playing on the road will be one factor but guarding their guards and blocking them out and sprinting back in transition, scoring against their different coverages that they show us will be the bigger factors, just the basketball side of it,” Georgia head coach Mike White said. “But we’re eager. I know it's a game that our fans are excited about.”
Eagerness aside, playing on the road is tough.
“We know we’re going to have to bring our own energy because at away games, there’s not many of our fans there,” Demary Jr. “But I think having been able to go through that exhibition on the road (at Charlotte), the way our bench brings energy, the coaches and everything else, I feel like it’s prepared us for this moment.”
Like Georgia, Georgia Tech is a brand-new team.
Of the current roster, only four players remain from last year and one of those redshirted.
The Bulldogs defeated Georgia Tech last year in Athens 76-62, a game that Stoudamire remembers well.
“You know, every school has a rivalry, but I think that, for me, after losing last year, going up to Georgia and losing, like, I don't want to lose. I just don't want to lose. I don't,” Stoudamire said. “I won't say I have a distaste for them because I haven't felt deep into the rivalry, but I got a distaste for losing, and I didn't like the way we lost last year when we went up there. You know, that bothered me. They kind of controlled that game from start to finish, and we got to get up to a better start, okay, and then we got to put ourselves in position to have success.”
