Georgia at Florida

WHERE: O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.

WHEN: Saturday, noon

RECORDS: Georgia 14-5, 4-2; Florida 13-6, 3-3

TV/RADIO: ESPN2 (Roy Philpott, Brooke, Weisbrod); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie)

RJ Melendez is Georgia’s version of the Energizer Bunny.

He keeps going, and going, much to the delight of head coach Mike White.

Every team needs a spark, somebody with the ability to come off the bench and inject some immediate juice into the rotation.

For the Bulldogs, Melendez fits that description perfectly.

“He’s an energy guy. When we tip it in our first competitive drill, he’s going to be competing his butt off,” White said. “That’s who he is. He’s had some good games for us. He’s got a high ceiling, and he’s got a chance potentially, perhaps as much as anybody on our team, to finish strong, to maybe impact as much or more than he is right now."

His numbers tell the story. Heading into Saturday’s game at Florida (Noon, ESPN2), the Illinois transfer has been a key part of Georgia’s bench success, finishing in double-figures in four of the last five games and nine of the past 13. During that stretch, Melendez averaged 10.9 points per contest.

A starter in Georgia’s first five games, Melendez has been coming off the bench to make better use of the energy he provides.

"Coach (White) was talking to me whenever the change happened, and I mean, I'm not going to get frustrated about it. It's a coach's decision and I'll do whatever it takes in my role to win games and help the team win,” Melendez said. “If that's what I got to do, me coming off the bench and giving a little more energy coming off the bench, then that's what I'll do to get more wins."

So far, it’s a formula that’s worked.

The Bulldogs ranked 20th nationally in bench points at 29.7 points per game, with Melendez certainly playing a key role.

"Many people make a big deal about coming off the bench more than it is. Sometimes coming off the bench, you can help or see things that sometimes the starters might not see at the beginning of the game,” Melendez said. “That really helps a lot with the energy coming in because you know how the other team is playing, and you know what you need to do whenever your name is called."

With the ability to run the floor as well as any guard, Melendez brought the crowd to its feet during Wednesday night’s win over LSU when he capped a fastbreak following a Tiger turnover with a thunderous dunk to push Georgia’s lead to 41-33.

“You know, he's got good length. He's got the ability to run through passes. He's really, really fast, so his first few steps there whether he gets the ball or he receives a pitch ahead—especially off of turnovers or long rebounds, he's just out,” White said. “He's a fast player. He's got a nose for the rim in transition. Had a drive into half-court as well where he drew fouls. He's converting at a high level at the foul line. He's a guy like Justin Hill that, you know, plays starter minutes and produces like a starter.”

News and notes

• Georgia entered the weekend ranked No. 20 nationally in bench points at 29.7 ppg. The Bulldogs’ reserves have won the bench point battle in 17 of 19 games to date and currently sport a scoring margin of +245 (+12.9 ppg).

• Georgia is one of three teams with a higher-scoring offense in SEC games over non-conference play. Three Bulldogs have upped their production significantly in league outings–Silas Demary Jr. from 8.5-13.8 ppg (+5.3), Justin Hill from 8.5-10.3 ppg (+1.8) and Jabri Abdur-Rahim from 13.2-14.8 ppg (+1.6).

• 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 1.20 (149-124) in the last 11 outings.

Florida enters Saturday’s matchup sporting records of 13-6 overall and 3-3 in the SEC following Thursday’s victory over Mississippi State.

The Gators sport one of the SEC’s most productive and balanced offenses, with five players scoring at a double-digit pace. Walter Clayton Jr. leads Florida at 15.8 ppg, followed by Zyon Pullin at 14.6 ppg and a team-most 4.6 assists per game, Tyrese Samuel at 13.5 ppg and a team-high 8.3 rpg, Will Richard at 11.4 ppg and Riley Kugel at 10.9 ppg.

Like Georgia, the Gators played a Power Conference-heavy non-conference slate, with five outings against other Power 6 opponents. UGA and UF also have played four of the same six SEC opponents to date. All told the Bulldogs and Gators have had six common opponents: Arkansas, Florida State, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wake Forest.