WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum

WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 9-4, 2-4; Florida 6-4, 4-3

TV/RADIO: ESPN2 (Jon Sciambi, Dan Dakich); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie); XM/Internet (191/192)

It's too soon to tell whether Georgia’s basketball team has turned some sort of corner after back-to-back wins over Ole Miss and Kentucky. Even so, the Bulldogs enter Saturday’s contest against visiting Florida with a fresh supply of energy.

"More relaxed" might be a good description, too.

"I think we had to take that huge breath and settle down. These last two games, we may not have shot the ball well, but we've moved the ball a lot more,” graduate transfer Justin Kier said. “We've played a team game. And the games we've lost—not that we didn't play a team game, but defensively and offensively, we had some individualism. We know we can compete with anybody when we play as a team.”

Sophomore Toumani Camara knows it will be important for the Bulldogs to keep their momentum going.

After Saturday’s 2 p.m. contest against the Gators (7-4, 4-3), Georgia embarks on a five-game run that will see the Bulldogs play South Carolina, Ole Miss, Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M. These are games in which Georgia should theoretically be competitive, leading up to a road game at league-leader Alabama on Feb. 13.

"For us, it’s just keeping that mindset and being able to keep the same speed and motivation we've had in the last two games,” Camara said. “It's easier for us to go to another game after a win than after a loss. I think it's going to start a trend for us."

Head coach Tom Crean certainly hopes so.

"We went right back to work yesterday. We didn't do a lot yesterday. We haven't been on the court a lot either of the last two days, with the short week we have now with Florida,” he said. “But I thought our preparation has been good. We went right to work on Florida. Whether it was the film sessions, the court, getting ourselves ready with what we want to do offensively and defensively game-plan wise—I think their attitudes and energy levels have been outstanding.”

Florida promises to be another huge test for the Bulldogs (9-4, 2-4).

The Gators are coming off a 75-49 thumping of No. 6 Tennessee on Tuesday. Florida defeated the Vols short-handed, playing without three Gators who started every game they’ve seen action in this season. Keyontae Johnson, the preseason SEC Player of the Year, has been out of action since early December; Scottie Lewis missed this third straight outing for “health and safety” reasons, and Colin Castleton was held out due to an ankle injury.

Lewis is expected to return. Castleton is more uncertain.

“Their spacing is as good as anybody’s spacing. I’d put their spacing up there with Alabama and Arkansas. They just do a great job of really staying true and committed to their spacing. With Scottie Lewis back, we can’t be in a position where we’re over-helping or over-playing, because he can back-cut you to death,” Crean said. “So, I think that stuff is important. It really goes back to the same things. It’s the rebounding, the movement without the ball—it’s not letting Tre Mann get really comfortable in the game.”

Crean said his fingers are crossed that sophomore Christian Brown will be able to play after missing the win over Kentucky with a lower body injury.

“Christian Brown practiced more today,” Crean said. “So hopefully he'll be available to us tomorrow."

• Sahvir Wheeler leads the SEC in assists at 7.4 apg. His career average of 5.34 apg is better than any SEC player is averaging this season. Scotty Pippen Jr. is second in the SEC at 5.30 apg.

• Georgia is No. 18 nationally in steals at 9.0 spg, and three Dogs are among the SEC’s top-10 leaders: No. 1 Justin Kier, No. 6 Sahvir Wheeler, and No. 7 Toumani Camara.

• Eight different Bulldogs have scored in double figures during the 2020-21 season, combining to produce 51 double-digit performances in UGA’s 13 games.

• UGA’s roster features eight newcomers with representatives in every class—two freshmen, a sophomore, two juniors, and a trio of senior graduate transfers.

Tre Mann is the Gators’ top active scorer, putting up 13.8 ppg. Castleton and Lewis are chipping in 12.6 ppg and 11.0 ppg, respectively. Noah Locke (10.1 ppg) and Tyree Appleby (10.0 ppg) also are producing points as a double-digit clip for Florida.

Georgia travels to South Carolina on Wednesday.