WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum

WHEN: Saturday, 1 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 11-8, 1-6; Texas A&M 10-9; 4-3

TV/RADIO: SEC Network (Dave Neal, Debbie Antonelli); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Tony Schiavone)

Tom Crean has been coaching long enough to know the patience of a fan base can wane when times are tough.

That’s certainly been true as it pertains to his Georgia basketball team.

With Georgia having lost six of their first seven SEC games, there’s definitely been some grumbling following blowout losses to Mississippi State and Auburn. Then came last Saturday’s home defeat to a mediocre Ole Miss squad, prior to the Bulldogs blowing a 20-point lead with just over 13 minutes to play last Tuesday at Missouri, 72-69.

“We’ve hit a rough patch, there’s no doubt about it,” Crean said before practice Friday. “The biggest thing for us is not to lose confidence, and we’ve got to get over the hump.”

Georgia (11-8, 1-6) gets another chance to break its recent skid Saturday afternoon against Texas A&M (10-9, 4-3). Tip-off is set for 1 on the SEC Network.

Under Crean, the Bulldogs are 3-22 in SEC play, a number that’s left some questioning the direction under the team’s second-year head coach.

“We’re smack dab in the middle of building a program. It’s the middle of Year 2. We’re building the program, and the best way you build it is you know you’re going to go through some tough stages, some tough steps and you’ve got to have your fan base all the way with you to go through it,” Crean said. “I’ve been through it everywhere I’ve been, numerous times. It happens every season, no matter where you’re at. You’re No. 1 in the country, you lose a game, and it feels like you lost eight in a row. It just happens, but we’ve got to dig through it.”

Seniors Jordan Harris and Donnell Gresham Jr. agree.

“I think the last game, we got a little complacent. We had the lead and started coasting a little bit,” Gresham Jr. said. “We just need to be tight more the whole game, just finishing plays, finishing at the rim a little better, and getting better shots.”

Added Harris, “We’ve got to learn how to play ahead.”

Fans don’t like to hear about the youth of the team, but Crean said it’s a fact about this year’s team that can’t be ignored.

“It’s Year 2. We’ve got nine freshmen. Look around the country and do a count on that; there can’t be very many. It is what it is,” Crean said. “We’re in the process of building a program. Change is painful, right? It’s hard. We’ve got guys out there who are trying to change the way they see the game. We’ve got a bunch of guys trying to learn how they see the game."

Georgia's nine-man freshman class ranks as the third youngest in the country, behind Navy, TCU, and Utah with 11 each.

Air Force has 10, while Louisville, like Georgia, has nine.

Crean hopes Bulldog fans will just remain patient.

“I know this: there's no way you build it and build it up without that consistency of support—it just doesn’t happen," he said. "It’s not like we’re looking back on here and saying Georgia basketball was having multiple years of success, so people got spoiled with it. They didn’t. I’d like them to get spoiled with it, right? But it’s going to take some time to get spoiled with it. It’s going to take a little time.

"We’ve just got to stay where we’re at, get this thing built up. We need to build some traction and building some traction happens by getting some wins, getting our confidence up, and getting rolling.”

Was too much pressure placed on the shoulders of freshman Anthony Edwards?

When the former five-star performer, projected by some to be the top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, signed with the Bulldogs, many expected the McDonald’s All-American to carry the team back into the upper echelon of the SEC and beyond.

Although he remains the nation’s top freshman scorer, averaging 18.9 points per game, that hasn’t been the case.

Edwards has proven widely inconsistent, shooting right around 30 percent from the field. In his last two games, Edwards is a combined 6 of 22 on 3-pointers.

“It’s not fair for him, but he is a great player and that’s just what comes with it,” Harris said. “Every great player goes through it, no matter what age you are. It kind of sucks, but he’s built for it. He’ll be fine.”

Crean said Edwards understands he needs to improve.

“We need him to get better, we need him to grow. We’re trying to help him see what’s there and understand that,” Crean said. “It’s not that complicated at times. If the rim is there, go get it. If the shot is there, take it. If the next pass is there, make it. For him, sustain intensity, concentrate longer, and continue to play harder longer, that’s the biggest thing.”

Sahvir Wheeler remains questionable after suffering an upper-body injury last week.

Crean hopes he’ll be able to go against the Aggies.

“He did some yesterday and hope he does more today,” Crean said. “He’s definitely getting better.”

Edwards hasn’t been the only Bulldog struggling with consistency. So has junior Rayshaun Hammonds.

After going just 1 of 8 from the field with four points against Ole Miss, Hammonds missed his only field goal attempt against Missouri, despite playing 33 minutes.

“He’s just got to be more aggressive, and I think he will be,” Crean said. “That’s what he has to focus on. We have to focus on everything that makes him want to be aggressive, what keeps him moving and not over dwell on that.”

Crean’s message to Hammonds has been simple.

“Like I tell the players, too, you’ve got to be a participant in your own rescue,” Crean said. “When you fall out of a boat, don’t wait for someone to pull you back into the boat. You’ve got to do a good job of leverage to get back on it. That’s not just a metaphor for sports, that’s a metaphor for life. You’ve got to step back up and go, and I think that’s a huge thing. But I think he will.”

Anthony Dasher

There’s not a lot going right, and one has to wonder if Georgia’s issues are starting to have an effect on the team’s confidence, especially as it pertains to its younger players. The Bulldogs looked like they were going to end their recent skid after leading Missouri by 20 before collapsing in Tuesday’s loss to the Tigers. Texas A&M has won its last two SEC contests, including a 63-58 victory at Tennessee. There aren’t a lot of reasons to pick the Bulldogs right now, but on a hunch: Prediction: Georgia 67, Texas A&M 62.

Dan McDonald

This is a tale of two teams going in opposite directions lately. Texas A&M has been getting better and better in their first year under Buzz Williams, while UGA has struggled in SEC play after a 10-3 start. In this battle of former Marquette coaches, I think Tom Crean's team is able to hang on for a close win at home. Prediction: Georgia 68, Texas A&M 65.