North Florida at Georgia
WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum
WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Georgia 2-0, North Florida 3-0
TV/RADIO: SEC Network+ (Jeff Dantzler, Marcus Thornton); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie)
The Game
When Georgia’s basketball schedule was released, not many folks gave Tuesday night’s opponent North Florida much thought.
Perhaps they should.
Two weeks into the season, the Ospreys have been one of the surprise teams in college basketball. Of North Florida’s three wins, one was a 74-71 victory at South Carolina. Another was a 105-93 win Sunday at Georgia Tech.
Boasting a roster built similarly to Georgia’s with five returning players and eight newcomers (four freshmen, four transfers), the later group has made a big impact with the team.
The Ospreys feature a quintet of players averaging double digits in the scoring column. Jasai Miles paces the Ospreys at 16.7 points per game. In addition, Josh Harris adds 16.3 ppg, Liam Murphy chips in 14.3 ppg, Jaylen Smith contributes 14.0 ppg and Nate Lliteras puts up 13.3 ppg.
“We'll learn a lot for sure, but I'm not worried about next week at all. I'm really not even worried about that North Florida game. I'm really locked in on our preparation (Monday),” Georgia head coach Mike White said after Sunday’s 92-64 win over Texas Southern. “We'll continue to learn about this team and about these guys throughout the year. Really good tests for us for sure. The opponents just continue to get better for us. We've got a chance to be good, but we've got a ways to go.”
But so far, so good.
After scuffling with Tennessee Tech (83-78) despite being a 20-plus point favorite, the Bulldogs put it together in Sunday’s victory over Texas Southern, dominating the Tigers on the board 53-23 with 12 blocked shots while placing five players in double figures, led by Mount St. Mary’s transfer Dakota Leffew with 23 points.
Freshman Asa Newell has lived up to his hype, scoring 26 and 14 points in his first two games.
Sophomore Blue Cain recorded his first career double-double (12 points and 11 boards), while Vanderbilt transfer Tyrin Lawrence (13 points against Texas Southern), Silas Demary Jr. (17 points against Texas Southern), RJ Godfrey (seven rebounds against Texas Southern) and Somto Cyril (seven blocks in the first two games).
“It’s going to be quick for us, quick for them. No excuses,” White said after Sunday’s game. “We’ve just got to rest, we’ve got to prepare, and we’ve got to get some sleep.”
