WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum
WHEN: Friday, 9 p.m.
RECORDS: Georgia 2-1, Georgia Tech 2-1
TV/RADIO: SEC Network (Tom Hart, Daymeon Fishback); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie).
The flu bug that’s been biting the Georgia football team is apparently taking aim at Tom Crean’s basketball squad.
Georgia entertains arch-rival Georgia Tech Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum (9 p.m., SEC Network) and Crean indicated Thursday that’s a bit of a concern.
“Potentially. Potentially,” Crean said. “We’re waiting on that a little bit, but there’s certainly the potential of it. We dodged that bullet the other night, but I’m not sure we will this time.”
Although no specifics were given on which players could be affected, Crean acknowledged having a plan to deal with any absences will be crucial.
In Tuesday’s 76-60 win over South Carolina State, Crean said the fact he did not substitute as frequently as normally made it harder for his team to get his second wind.
Although his Bulldogs (2-1) were never truly threatened or the outcome in doubt, any similar failure against Georgia Tech (2-1) would be problematic.
“That may be the case (Friday) as we’re dealing with some illness issues right now that we’re going to have to work through. That just becomes part of it; it becomes part of how you prepare. You just do the best you can,” he said. “But the bottom line is, we've got to do a better job of guarding the ball, challenging shots and keeping our foot on the gas on both ends of the floor throughout a game, even when we get up."
Friday’s contest will mark the first contest between the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets since 2019, when Georgia claimed an 82-78 victory—the program’s sixth straight in the series. Last year’s game was canceled due to scheduling conflicts brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, the first time since the 1923-24 season that the game was not played.
This year not only was the game added back to the schedule but it was also set for a time when the students were still on campus, a priority for both Crean and Yellow Jacket head coach Josh Pastner.
“You want your students to be able to see the game. It’s important to me, and I’m sure it was important to Josh,” Crean said. “That’s the biggest thing. It’s hard to have a rivalry if your students are not going to be there; it really is. You can still have it, but it’s not the same level.”
Although graduate Jailyn Ingram from nearby Madison will be experiencing his first game against the Yellow Jackets, it’s a rivalry in which he’s well-versed.
Ingram said he used to come to games at Stegeman as youngster. He also has a cousin, former Georgia Tech, standout and fellow Madison native B.J. Elder, who is a coach for the Yellow Jackets.
“Just growing up, obviously he was one of the most well-known basketball players out of my hometown,” Ingram said. “Growing up, we just heard a lot of stories about him and what he did at Tech. It's a blessing for him to be back there coaching now.”
Naturally, Ingram would love to go one up on cousin B.J. Despite the fact that most of the team is new to rivalry, Ingram said players are very aware of what getting a victory would mean.
“All the guys and coaches have been more focused and more dedicated to this game, just because of the simple fact it’s a rivalry—the two biggest schools in Georgia,” Ingram said. “Since I've been here, I've been hearing from family members and people of the Athens community how important this game is, so I've been able to sense how big this rivalry is.”
Atlanta native Braelen Bridges has as well.
“Obviously, we know this game is very important,” Bridges said. “We know the value that it has, and we are very locked in to get the win (Friday) night.”
Crean obviously hopes so.
“We’ve got to come in and play well. There's no doubt about that. There are a lot of things that go into the pageantry of college basketball, and the game atmosphere and things like that, and I try to have my hand on that,” he said. “The bottom line is, we have to prepare to play a really good team that's won over a period of time, has a lot of guys back, and we have to do a great job. That's where my focus is more than anything else."
