Chattanooga at Georgia

WHEN: Wednesday, 3 p.m.

WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum

RECORDS: Georgia 8-3, Chattanooga 8-4

TV/RADIO: SEC Network+ (Kaleb Frady, Marcus Thornton); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie)

You’ve heard Georgia football coach Kirby Smart talk a lot about having the right culture. Bulldog basketball coach Mike White is singing a similar song.

Actually, he’s been doing that for a while.

It doesn’t matter what team sport you’re talking about, developing a positive culture where everyone buys into the message is paramount if you want to have a winning program.

So far, White likes what he sees.

"I like where we’re at in terms of culture, of guys sprinting out there when their number is called,” White said before practice on Tuesday.

Other steps are being taken.

The pressing White used to see from players anxious to make an impression is slowly beginning to fade away.

“We’ve actually come a long way there. Used to be it was like ‘I don’t know how many minutes I’m going to be out here, or ‘I’ve got to do something offensively before Coach takes me out,’” White said. “That’s something I think we’ve overcome to a certain extent. Our flow offensively, our role definition, is closer to where it needs to be.”

Per Jabri Abdur-Rahim, that’s all been part of the buy-win.

“The overall culture is something all the coaches have emphasized since Day 1. Obviously, with time, it’s going to grow,” he said. “Now that we’re at a point where we’re out of non-conference, we’ve definitely embraced it. We’re kind of a defensive-minded, selfless team. There’s a togetherness and family atmosphere, which is something we have all embraced."

Newcomer Terry Roberts says one aspect is becoming clear about the Bulldogs (8-3), who entertain Chattanooga (8-4) Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum (SEC Network+).

“We’re a hard-fighting team. Coach White really stresses staying together and when times get tough, just look to the next play,” Roberts said. “We’re starting to gel together more and understand what it all means.”

Results are starting to show.

Sunday’s 77-62 win over Notre Dame was Georgia’s first non-conference victory over a Power 5 opponent since the Bulldogs defeated Georgia Tech in 2019.

“That was huge. It gives us something to build upon. Without question it’s got to give our guys added confidence and buy-in to what we’re doing,” White said. “There was buy-in, in terms of how we’re trying to play offensively and schematically, buy-in to each other as well

Pregame Notes

White typically does not make a big deal about players who earn in-season awards like Braelen Bridges did Monday when he was named the SEC Player of the Week.

However, this time, White made an exception.

“I don’t normally single guys out. At Florida, we had several guys who would win that award and I would never acknowledge it. It’s an individual award, an in-season award,” White said. “Post-season award, I’m quick but it’s move on. When somebody acknowledges you, it means there was somebody with him, somebody who did something for him, it was all of us. But this was a little bit different.”

The season did not start as Bridges had hoped after scoring just 10 points in Georgia’s first five games. In two of those contests – Bucknell and St. Joseph’s – he played only four minutes in each.

Since then, not only has the center seen a considerable uptick in minutes but he’s scored in double-figures in four of the last six. Against Notre Dame, Bridges hit all nine of his shots and finished with 18 points to become the first Bulldog to earn player of the week honors since Toumani Camara in 2020.

“I acknowledged Braelen yesterday because he deserved it. He’s had some ups and downs. He had some games where he didn’t play many minutes, and he has had I’m-going-to-make-Coach-play-me-more mentality,” White said. “I’m proud of him. He’s a great example of just keep working, keep grinding and good things will happen. He was the best player on the court. It was a big win, and I was happy for him.”

Chattanooga arrives in Athens with an 8-4 record under first-year head coach Dan Earl following an 83-79 overtime setback to Belmont last Sunday.

Much like Georgia, the Mocs feature an extremely deep playing rotation. No less than 13 players are averaging double-digit minutes, although four of those players have seen action in less than half of Chattanooga’s games.

Seven-foot center Jake Stephens paces the Mocs with an eye-catching average of 22.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.5 blocked shots per game. Among national leaders, he entered this week ranked No. 6 in scoring, No. 9 in rebounding, and No. 13 in blocks.

Jamal Johnson and Demetrius Douglas also are scoring at a double-digit rate for Chattanooga, averaging 11.3 ppg and 10.3 ppg, respectively.

Dalvin White is a single bucket off a double-figure scoring average at 9.8 ppg and led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio through games of Dec. 18 at 4.43.