Grand Canyon vs Georgia
WHEN: Saturday, 6 p.m.
WHERE: State Farm Arena, Atlanta
RECORDS: Georgia 8-1, Grand Canyon 6-2
TV/RADIO: SEC Network (Dave Neal, Richard Hendrix); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie)
Unless you pay close attention to college basketball, Grand Canyon may not be a team that grabs your attention.
That is until you dig a little deeper.
Georgia’s opponent Saturday afternoon at State Farm Arena may be one of the best two or three teams the Bulldogs have played all year.
Considering the Antelopes have played in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments before losing to Alabama in last year’s second round is a good indication of why.
"You know, a lot of people, I think, would call us crazy to play the game, but we did it because we wanted an opportunity to play another quality opponent,” Georgia head coach Mike White said. “They're not a power program. They're not a high major, but they've got high major players, and they've got a high major staff. We've got to be prepared.”
For Grand Canyon, the feeling is mutual.
The Bulldogs will be the highest-ranked opponent that GCU (6-2) has played this season. Georgia (8-1) is No. 22 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings with wide-ranging statistical excellence. Georgia also ranks nationally in rebound margin per game (plus-13.2), fourth in blocked shots per game (6.1), 22nd in field goal percentage (49.9 percent), and 25th in scoring margin per game (plus-17.9).
"Georgia is really big around the rim," said GCU head coach Bryce Drew. “They've dominated the paint. Obviously, that's a major concern going in with how dominant they've been. They have a really good combination of bigs, who finish at an elite level, protect the rim, and are really physical, but it’s a great opportunity for us.”
For Georgia, Saturday’s contest marks its first in 11 days since taking off for final exams.
The last time out, Asa Newell’s double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds led Georgia to a 69-48 win over Notre Dame last Tuesday at Stegeman Coliseum as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Bulldogs helped the SEC secure a 14-2 edge in matchups between the two leagues.
Dakota Leffew added 16 points, Silas Demary Jr. chipped in 11 points in an efficient 5-of-7 shooting night, and Tyrin Lawrence dished out a career-high seven assists with no turnovers.
Newell scored 11 points in the final 5:45 of the first half as Georgia pushed a five-point lead to 12 at the break. Notre Dame closed within 47-41 before the Bulldogs ended the night on a 22-7 surge.
In that game, the Bulldogs committed only five turnovers, their fewest since a 78-62 SEC Tournament win over Vanderbilt on March 7, 2018, when the Commodores were coached by Drew.
“I love how we shared it,” White said. “We had 19 assists to five turnovers. That’s two games in a row where we’ve completely flip-flopped our turnover-assist ratio (43-to-17) to what it had been up until that point (99-to-107). So, we’re getting better in that category. We defended the three at a really high rate. I like the way we moved it. It wasn’t perfect but, man, I’m very, very proud of the effort.”
It remains to be seen if the Bulldogs will have transfer guard DeShayne Montgomery for the team.
Montgomery was not eligible for the first nine games due to some non-transferrable credits from his former school at Mount Saint Mary’s.
Per sources, Montgomery is on track to play, but it’s unclear if his grades will be posted in time for Saturday’s game. If not, look for Montgomery to make his Bulldog debut next week when Georgia returns to Stegeman Coliseum against Buffalo.
Once he does, look for an impact to be made.
“Pressure on the rim, effort, intensity, a high-level competitive spirit, pressure on the basketball,” White said. “We talked about Silas's (Demary Jr.) ability to get deflections, to create havoc defensively. He's as good as anyone on our team in those areas. He’s a good teammate. Just ultra-competitive. Anxious for him to be able to showcase his abilities and to be able to coach him in a real game.”
