Jacksonville at Georgia
WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum
WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Georgia 3-5. Jacksonville 4-2
TV/RADIO: SEC Network Plus (Jeff Dantzler, Mark Slonaker); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie)
Last Wednesday’s victory over a ranked Memphis team was a needed shot of confidence for the Georgia basketball team.
However, Jabri Abdur-Rahim questions, if the Bulldogs cannot follow it up with a victory Tuesday night (7 p.m., SEC Network+) against Jacksonville, what good did it actually do?
“I think that was good for us to get a really quality win like that against a talented team. I think the most important thing is that we can't be satisfied. It's just one game. As nice as it was, we want to move on and continue to build from that,” Abdur-Rahim said. “We want to go off the momentum, but we don't want to let it get to our head or anything. We just want to continue going in the long season. It was a good win, but we're going to try and move on and build off it."
Braelen Bridges said the energy in the gym since the victory has been noticeable.
“It’s definitely intense,” Bridges said. “Everybody is upbeat, cheering each other on. It’s a good vibe on the team right now.”
It certainly beats the alternative.
Georgia was in the throes of a four-game losing streak before topping previously No. 18 Memphis, 82-79.
Career-high scoring outputs from Kario Oquendo and Christian Wright led a quartet of Bulldogs in double figures.
Oquendo scored a season-high 24 points, while Wright added 17, as well as career-best tallies of six rebounds and 38 minutes. Abdur-Rahim scored 15 points, including a key 3-pointer that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good, while Bridges and Jailyn Ingram added 10 points each.
However, head coach Tom Crean knows you’re only as good as your next game. That includes Tuesday’s contest against Jacksonville.
"I think anytime you get a good win like that, people are going to be a little more excited to come in to practice and get better. We saw what we can do. We saw how good we can be. I think that just excited everybody,” Crean said. “We saw a little bit of our potential. We see flashes in other games, but for a full 40 minutes, we saw what we can do when we really come together. I think that's just been important for us. You can see it in practice. Everybody has a lot more energy, myself included. I feel better after getting a win like that. I think it was good for everybody's energy and spirit."
Abdur-Rahim’s 15-point effort was his second double-digit effort in as many games. The former Virginia player scored 20 prior to that in a loss to Wofford.
“I'm really just focused on other stuff besides putting the ball in the basket, and I think that's helped me figure out how I'm going to get my opportunities to score and help my team. I think just staying consistent and having the right approach and focusing on the team rather than myself has been the most important thing for me,” he said. “The shots just started to fall, which is great, but those will come and go. I'm just trying to help the team win in any way that I can."
NOTES: Aaron Cook entered the week ranked No. 2 nationally in average assists per game with a 7.0 apg mark. … Oquendo has appeared in ESPN SportsCenter’s Top10 dunks during two of UGA’s three Tuesday night games. … Jailyn Ingram is four steals shy for 100 in his career.
