Following what he admitted was a disappointing effort Saturday at Auburn, Anthony Edwards said there was no way he wasn't going to put in some extra work ahead of Wednesday night's game against Tennessee.
"I was here (in the gym) to 1:00 a.m. on Monday, and (Tuesday) I was here until 10:30 or 11," Edwards said. "That's when I've got the most energy because I've got nothing to do, except play the game or play with my dog."
The extra-effort paid off. The freshman enjoyed one of his better games, scoring a game-high 26 points. He combined with Rayshaun Hammonds to carry the Bulldogs past the visiting Vols 80-63 before a Stegeman Coliseum crowd of 10,313.
Hammonds followed Edwards with 21 points and five rebounds helping Georgia improve to 11-5, 1-2 in the SEC.
Bulldog fans certainly saw more energized and confident version of Edwards than the one who struggled in Georgia's 82-60 loss to Auburn where he only scored 18 points, including a measly 4 of 11 from the free throw line.
Against Tennessee (10-6, 2-2) Edwards rarely missed, making 5 of 10 three-point attempts and converting 7 of his 8 free throws.
He admitted Wednesday's effort was a lot more fun.
"Basketball is always business for me because I'm trying to make a lot of money playing this game," Edwards said. "But you never let the fun get taken away from you. That's why you play it, because it's fun"
Head coach Tom Crean agreed Wednesday might have been one of Edwards' better all-around games.
"I'm not a great judge of that kind of thing, but yeah, because of the way he attacked, there was a great mix," Crean said. "He's got a lot of pride. He didn't like the way he played the other day, he didn't like missing the free throws. He's very, very, serious about being a winner, he's very, very serious about learning how to be efficient and what all those things take."
The game was never in doubt.
Georgia led by as many as 26 points, and was never threatened in the second half as Tennessee only closed to within 16. This ultimately bringing on chants of "just like football" from the approximately 2,000 strong student section
"I was on the sideline dancing when they did that," Edwards said. "I was pretty happy."
Jordan Bowden scored 15, followed by Josiah-Jordan James with 11, to lead Tennessee.
The victory snapped a two-game losing streak to the Vols and allowed the Bulldogs to match their win total from a season ago.
"We got some stuff done in practice, just playing yard," Hammonds said. "The main focus was playing defense. We're not worried about the offense. We are giving up lots of points, so we've had to focus on that."
Against the Vols, Georgia did a magnificent job, holding Tennessee to 24 of 60 from the field (40 percent) and out-rebounding the Vols 36-34.
"There were too many soft plays," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. "Guys were going to the basket instead of moving their feet to make a play. We had ticky-tack fouls. That's soft, and when you make plays like that, you don't deserve to win."
An early 9-0 run by Tennessee was brought to an end by Edwards, who hit his first three-pointer. Then a steal and a layup by Donnell Gresham, Jr. put Georgia up 13-12 with 12:49 on the clock.
Tennessee wouldn't see the lead again. Instead, the Vols just fell farther behind.
Edwards wasn’t the only Bulldog making it tough on Tennessee. Back-to-back three-pointers by Hammonds pushed Georgia’s advantage to 13 with 7:44 left in the half.
The lead kept growing. A rare three-pointer by Sahvir Wheler put Georgia ahead by 22 until Tennessee’s Santiago Vescovi answered with a three of his own to send the teams into their respective locker rooms, with the Bulldogs up 47-28.
"Our offense made our defense better. You always want it to be that way, and that's always a lot better," Crean said. "The defense was able to sustain things. We challenged shots better, we got our hands up and our switching was better, and we were able to win the glass. We have to play that way."
Georgia returns to action Saturday at Mississippi State.
NOTES: Crean said Wheeler, who went down with an ankle injury late in the game is listed as day to day. ... Georgia's 80 points were the most scored against Tennessee this year. ... The Bulldogs went 8 of 13 from three-point range, their best percentage this year. .. Georgia improved to 9-1 at Stegeman Coliseum this year.
