WHERE: Exatech Arena at the O’Connell Center

WHEN: Wednesday, 7 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 12-9, 2-6; Florida 13-8, 5-3

TV/RADIO: ESPNU (Tom Hart, Andy Kennedy); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie)

Anthony Edwards gets most of the attention, but it’s difficult to fathom where Georgia would be without the continued good play of point guard Sahvir Wheeler.

Don’t believe it? Just ask Edwards. Whenever he fields questions from the media, Edwards becomes Wheeler’s biggest fan. Take the Bulldogs’ 63-48 win over Texas A&M last Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum, for example.

“I am thankful for the best point guard in the country,” Edwards said. “He finds me whenever I’m open.”

Dishing out assists is what the 5-foot-10 Houston native does best. Entering Wednesday night’s game at Florida, Wheeler ranks 7th in assists with 4.4 per game.

He’s on pace to become the first Bulldog in 10 years to have 100 or more assists.

“I think its decision-making on the break, and we need a lot from him defensively. But really the speed, the change of speed, not trying to make plays that aren't there,” head coach Tom Crean said. “If he doesn't have a pass, if he doesn't have a basket, he’ll keep the ball alive, keep it, dribble it, get it back out. He has such an infectious energy that I think guys really enjoy playing with.”

His performance against Texas A&M was one of his more well-rounded this year.

One game after missing Tuesday’s contest at Missouri with an upper-body injury, Wheeler not only scored nine points and dished out five assists in 31 minutes, but grabbed four rebounds and came up with two steals.

“Then the parts of his improvement—continue to work on his shooting, which he is, continue to work on his changes of speed, change of pace, like he is, and continue to move without the ball, which is something that he can continue to get better and better at. Because once he gives it up, we'd like to get it back to him—but he's got to be able to move,” Crean said. “Because sometimes defenders will sag into the paint, and the more he moves without it, the harder he is to find, and that's better for us.”

Ultimately, Crean believes Wheeler will become even more of an offensive threat.

“I think it's just a matter of experience,” Crean said. “There's no question that we missed him, you know, when he was out. But that speed and that ability to pass the ball—it really makes a difference, and he's just going to keep getting better and better as a shooter.”

The way Edwards has played in each of Georgia’s past two games, there hasn’t been much time for breathers.

After playing all 40 minutes in last Tuesday’s loss at Missouri, Edwards was in for all but one minute in Saturday’s win over Texas A&M.

“It’s not anything in particular that he's playing well inside of it. We're trying to get in breaks here and there. We really didn't get him any against Missouri, but the fatigue level is not there,” Crean said. “I try to watch the fatigue level of it, but the other day, the way he was playing, you don't want to take it off the court. But I'm conscious of making sure we get into blow, so it's not really about playing ‘X’ amount of minutes.”

If Edwards keeps playing the way he has, he won’t be getting many more breaks.

Back-to-back double-doubles have been the result, including Saturday’s effort that saw him score 29 points and pull down a season-best 15 boards.

For his efforts, Edwards, who Tuesday’s was named one of 10 finalists for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, was named the SEC Player of the Week.

“We’re at that point in the season where he can do more of those types of things. The other day, it was a shorter bench; a very, very physical game. And we had to match up to that physicality of the Texas A&M game, and the way he rebounded. He matched up excellent, inside of that,” Crean said. “There's no real special part of that, other than just really the pace and flow of the game.”

Although he continues to rank as Georgia’s second-leading scorer with 12.5 points per game, the last three outings for junior Rayshaun Hammonds have been anything but consistent.

After going just 1 of 8 from the field against Ole Miss, Hammonds’ game against Missouri produced one of the more unusual stat lines you’ll ever see: one field goal attempt in 33 minutes on the court.

Hammonds responded with eight points against the Aggies, although that’s obviously still well below his season average.

During Monday’s interview session, Crean was asked how he’s dealing with Hammonds’ inconsistencies.

“We just tried to have solutions as much as possible, and I think that’s the biggest thing you do with any of your guys, but especially in the case like that,” Crean said. “It's not about pointing out the obvious. it's not about doing a deep dive, as much as it's giving him solutions that he can go to, and because he can do a lot of different things.”

Keeping Hammonds focused on as many positives as possible remains Crean’s biggest plan of action.

“There's a lot of different ways to use him, keeping that energy high, but the bottom line for him is mindset,” Crean said. “I think a lot of times when guys struggle, the last thing you want to do is focus on the struggle. You want to focus on the solution and you want to focus on something they can get energy from. I think that's a huge part of trying to push the right buttons with your guys as you go along.”

Anthony Dasher

Florida bounced back with a 61-55 win at Vanderbilt after dropping the previous three games, but one of the Gators’ victories this year was a 69-47 win at Auburn, snapping the Tigers’ unbeaten streak.

The Bulldogs did a better job on the glass during their win over Texas A&M, but 6-foot-10, 241-pound Kerry Blackshear Jr. promises to be hard to handle. I’m just not sure if the Bulldogs will have an answer. Prediction: Florida 79, Georgia 71.

Dan McDonald

Georgia ended its losing streak with a really strong second half against Texas A&M, and equally as important is that Anthony Edwards had a great week for the Dawgs. He’s the key to Georgia’s success this year. Florida has been a disappointing team this year, but the Gators still have the talent to beat anyone on any night. Gainesville has been a tough place for Georgia to come away from with victories over the years, and I think that trend continues with Kerry Blackshear Jr. being too much for the Bulldogs to handle inside. Prediction: Florida 75, Georgia 66.