The biggest question about Georgia going into Sunday’s season-opener against Florida A&M was that nobody—not even head coach Tom Crean—had any idea what to expect.

While one game obviously doesn't make a season, there were certainly some positives to take from the Bulldogs’ 85-75 win.

“I thought there were a lot of positives,” Crean said. “This gives us something to really study. Instead of watching last year’s film or watching other guys we've had over a period of time, now we get to watch ourselves, and I think that'll be very beneficial to them.”

Junior Tye Fagan, sophomore Sahvir Wheeler, and grad transfer Andrew Garcia provided three of Sunday’s biggest storylines.

The longest-tenured Bulldog on a team that features eight newcomers, Fagan contributed his first career double-double, scoring 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds.

As for Garcia, the grad transfer from Stony Brook came off the bench to lead the Bulldogs with 22 points, while Sahvir Wheeler scored 12 points and dished out a career-best 12 assists, three shy of the Georgia single-season record set by Gino Gianfrancesco in 1972.

“I won’t take any credit, but Sahvir creates a lot of excitement with his ball-handling, because he can find guys,” Fagan said. “I just give a lot of credit to my teammates and my coaches for putting me in the right spot to make plays.”

Holding a scant one-point lead at the half, Fagan opened the second half by scoring seven of Georgia’s first eight buckets for the Bulldogs, who outscored the Rattlers (0-3) 47-38.

Give Garcia a large share of the credit, too.

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound grad transfer scored 11 points in each of the two halves, with much of his work coming down in the paint.

“I take that (being a physical presence) 100 percent to heart,” Garcia said. “I put in 100 percent of my effort, and I try to use my athleticism the best I can. If I have to guard bigger guys, or if I'm involved in a mismatch, I just want to help this team. I want to win. That’s what it’s about.”

Down by five late in the first half, Georgia went on a 9-2 run to go 34-33 with 1:25 left, a spurt that included a four-point play by Brown.

The Rattlers surged back in front, but the Bulldogs were able to go into the half up one on a bucket just before the buzzer by Garcia.

Wheeler’s effort was one of the best of his young career. But according to Crean, it's his development as it pertains to understanding exactly what Crean wants that is truly starting to stand out.

“He and I are starting to think a lot more alike. He had some ideas today inside of the game that he might not have had a year ago, in the sense of what actions could work and where we could put certain people,” Crean said. “I think that’s a growth thing for him, as he really, really wants to be a good leader. He really wants to be a floor general.”

Boxscore

After the game, Crean revealed that freshman K.D. Johnson will be unavailable to the team for an undetermined amount of time while he deals with some NCAA certification issues.

“He did not play because we’re dealing with some NCAA certification issues, academically,” Crean said. “He’s been involved in every basketball-related activity since he’s arrived here in campus, so it’s none of that. But right now, we are working with our compliance staff to revisit his eligibility status with the NCAA and remain hopeful that he will be able to play this season.”

A native of Atlanta, Johnson averaged 26.2 points last year for Hargraves Military Academy and was going to be counted on to play a significant role this season.

“It’s not an amateurism issue, it’s a certification issue, an eligibility issue that we’re working with,” Crean said. “The most important thing he can do is control what he can control, just like everybody else. I appreciate his attitude. He has worked very, very hard in this, and if he were able to play, you would see from the beginning or you would see him real early.”

• Wheeler, is also the first Georgia player to have more than 10 assists since G.G. Smith had 12 against Vanderbilt on Feb. 3, 1999.

• The last time Georgia had two double-doubles in one game was Nicolas Claxton and Derek Ogbiede on March 9, 2019 against South Carolina.

• Garcia, scored 22 points which is higher than his season average at Stony Brook where he averaged 13. 4 last year. This was also his sixth career 20 plus point game. • Georgia’s field goal percentage in the first half was 38.7 percent and in the second half it was 58.1 percent.

• Nine different players scored a point in tonight’s game, and 10 different players had a rebound.

• Georgia’s starting lineup consisted of Sahvir Wheeler, Tye Fagan, Toumani Camara, Justin Kier and P.J. Horne.

• The Bulldogs are expected to announce an opponent for Wednesday night to fill the void left by last week’s cancellation with Columbus State due to positive Covid tests on the Cougars.