Georgia’s non-conference schedule for the 2019-20 season is official, head coach Tom Crean announced Tuesday.
That includes a season-opening contest against Southern Conference member Western Carolina, the first of eight home dates prior to starting SEC play.
Eight of the teams Georgia could face in November and December reached postseason play a year ago, while two more topped the 20-win plateau.
“Our goal in building a non-conference schedule is always to challenge our team and prepare for the unbelievable competition we will see night-in and night-out in the SEC,” Crean said. “This schedule features some tremendous challenges for us at home, road and neutral sites. We’re going to be a young basketball team with nine newcomers, and we’ll need to grow up fast.”
A Nov. 20 contest against Georgia Tech also holds special meaning as it marks just the third time in 195 meetings that the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets have faced off prior to Thanksgiving and will take place with UGA students on campus. Of late, the game has usually been played during the Christmas break.
“I’m thrilled that the Georgia Tech game will be played on a weeknight when our entire student body is in town,” Crean said. “Our students were tremendous last season, and we’re going to need that enthusiasm and energy to grow to even a more fevered pitch this year.”
Other teams visiting Stegeman Coliseum will be The Citadel (Nov. 12), Delaware State (Nov. 15), North Carolina Central (Dec. 4), SMU (Dec. 20), Georgia Southern (Dec. 23) and Austin Peay (Dec. 30).
Road trips will take the Bulldogs to the Maui Invitational (Nov. 25-27), Arizona State (Dec. 14) and Memphis (Jan. 4).
The bracket will be revealed at a later date for the tournament which also features BYU, Dayton, Kansas, Michigan State, UCLA, Virginia Tech and tourney host Chaminade.
The Bulldogs’ 2019-20 home schedule will feature 17 home games – eight non-conference and nine SEC outings against Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
