LSU at Georgia

WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum

WHEN: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 13-5, 3-2; LSU 11-7, 3-2

TV/RADIO: SEC Network (Tom Hart, Carolyn Peck); Georgia Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie)

One of Mike White’s goals when becoming Georgia’s new basketball coach was not only to revive the program, but also to get the Bulldog community excited about what he was trying to do.

Heading into Wednesday night’s game against LSU (6:30 p.m., SEC Network) progress appears to be taking place on both ends.

With a record of 13-5, 3-2 in the SEC, the Bulldogs have at least placed themselves in the conversation for a postseason berth at the end of the year.

“When we went on that 10-game streak, it started to hit home a little bit that these guys are super-consistent, the way our guys responded to some of those early losses, how they responded in the Tallahassee in game, it showed the resiliency and competitiveness of this group,” head coach Mike White said Tuesday. “I don’t know where this group ends up in the final stretches of this season. We’ve got a ways to go, but I do know this group competes consistently, and it likes to work.”

Georgia is ranked 67th in the latest Pomeroy College Basketball rankings, which applies different mathematical formulas along with strength of schedule to rate the nation’s best team.

Although ranking services like Kenpom.com aren’t used to determine what 68 teams are chosen by the NCAA Tournament selection committee, they do offer excellent insight into what programs like Georgia need to do if they want to sneak into the Big Dance.

Junior RJ Melendez, who helped Illinois earn back-to-back bids to the NCAAs before transferring to Georgia, believes the Bulldogs have a chance.

“I definitely think this team will be in the tournament,” Melendez said. “We’ve got a lot of potential. A lot of people have seen what happens when we play top teams. There are some things we’re still figuring out, but I definitely think we’re going to be an NCAA team.”

White’s more worried about the present, specifically Wednesday’s game against LSU.

“If you win enough good things will happen. But it’s a waste of time for us to talk about it. That’s why we try to have these conversations on the front end, to get them out of the way,” said White, whose focus is solely on LSU. “Let’s focus on how we keep Jordan Wright off the foul line, how do we guard the big fella (Will Baker) in the post and (Jalen) Cook is tremendous at creating his own shots. This is a team that’s 3-2 in the league and we need to have a good practice today.”

But White also likes what he’s seen.

Georgia’s 17-point comeback at Florida State with just over seven minutes to play has been mentioned by White more than once.

Saturday’s rally against Kentucky also bears mentioning when Georgia roared back from 28 down with just eight minutes to left to lose by only nine.

“I think our in-game response kind of speaks for itself, as it did in Tallahassee. Obviously, as a game, it was ugly there for a little bit,” said White, when asked about his team’s resiliency. “But that in-game response is correct. If you look at the big picture with our team, it’s appropriate. We’ve responded after every loss the right way. We had a really good practice yesterday and anticipate another one day.”

Fans are starting to pay attention.

Last week’s home game against Tennessee saw a sellout crowd of 10,523 witness the game, creating an atmosphere White said was the loudest he’s witnessed during his brief time in Athens.

During the offseason, one of the changes to Stegemen – at White’s behest – was to paint the roof of the Coliseum black, and to move the student section closer to the floor.

“I suggested it. However, the credit goes to Jere (UGA president Jere Morehead), to Josh (Athletic Director Josh Brooks), and the administration for being open to it and making it happen. But also, for the openness to some of our fans. Some of our fans had to move seats,” White said. “Not everyone was super excited on the front end, but hopefully as we build this thing and we do our part, one day all of our fans will look back and say I’m excited about it regardless of where I used to sit compared to where I used to sit and where I’m sitting now. But we’re appreciative for their consideration because that’s the loudest I’ve heard Steg when we had Tennessee on the ropes.”

Pregame Notes

• Georgia entered the week ranked No. 19 nationally in bench points at 28.5 points per game. The Dogs’ reserves have won the bench point battle in 16 of 18 games and sport a scoring margin of +237 (+13.2 points per game).

• After compiling an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.93 (87-to-94) in the first eight games, Georgia’s effort has improved considerably to 1.35 (143-106) in the last 10 outings.

• Georgia is 10-1 at Stegeman Coliseum, improving to 23-5 (.821) under Mike White. White compiled a 7-1 record as head coach at La. Tech and Florida, making him 30-6 (.833) all-time at Stegeman.

• Jabri Abdur-Rahim leads Georgia offensively. The senior from South Orange, N.J. is coming off a career-high 34-point outburst at Rupp Arena that upped his season scoring average by a full point per game – from 12.9 to 13.9 ppg. Abdur-Rahim sports team-leading shooting percentages of .426 from 3-point range and .883 at the line. He entered this week ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 26 in the nation in 3-point percentage and No. 3 in the SEC and No. 37 in the nation in free throw percentage.

• Abdur-Rahim's 34 points also represented the most by a Bulldog versus a top-10 team since Anthony Edwards’ 37-point showing against No. 3 Michigan State on Nov. 26, 2019, in the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational.

Silas Demary Jr.’s 22 points at Kentucky represented the most by a Georgia freshman against a top-10 team since Edwards’ 37-point showing against the Spartans in Maui.

• Noah Thomasson also is scoring at a double-digit pace for the Bulldogs at 12.1 ppg, while Silas Demary Jr. and RJ Melendez are literally within a single bucket of double-figure averages at 9.9 ppg. Justin Hill is contributing 9.4 ppg and is the best Bulldog at assisting others’ scoring. He is distributing 3.50 assists per game with an extremely solid assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.52.

LSU sports records of 11-7 overall and 3-2 in the SEC entering Wednesday’s game in Athens.

The Tigers are one of five teams Georgia will play twice during the 2023-24 regular season along with Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, and South Carolina.

Jordan Wright paces the Tigers in virtually every statistic, including scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (5.6 rebounds per game), assists (2.6 assists per game), steals (2.2 steals per game) and playing time (31.0 assists per game). Jalen Wilson, a two-time transfer who became eligible in mid-December, is averaging 14.9 ppg in eight outings. Will Baker provide LSU with a third double-digit scorer at 11.4 ppg.

Wilson and Cook have upped their contributions in SEC playing, averaging 19.0 ppg and 15.2 ppg, respectively, in league action.