Georgia at Mississippi State

WHERE: Humphrey Coliseum

WHEN: Saturday, 8:30 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 11-5, 1-2; Mississippi State 10-6, 1-3

TV/RADIO: SEC Network (Mike Morgan, Pat Bradley); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Tony Schiavone); XM/Internet (381.971

The Georgia Bulldogs challenge Mississippi State Saturday night in Starkville with a question Tom Crean currently can't answer: Will point guard Sahvir Wheeler be able to play?

Wheeler suffered an ankle injury in the second half of Wednesday’s 80-63 win over Tennessee, and Friday the Bulldogs' head coach wasn’t sure if he’d be available.

“Hopefully. We didn't practice him (Thursday),” Crean said. “He walked through all the stuff we did yesterday, but we'll see more after today.”

Tip-off at Humphrey Coliseum is set for 8:30 p.m., and the game will be shown on the SEC Network.

Although Anthony Edwards (19.1 points per game) continues to garner most of the attention, it can be argued that Wheeler has made the second biggest impact among the Bulldogs’ freshman.

Initially, Wheeler came off the bench for Georgia. He has started the past two games, starting in place of Tyree Crump.

Crean admits that if Wheeler is forced to miss the game, it would be a significant blow.

“Well, I think it’s pretty clear. You just have to deal with it, and if he can't, it is what it is. You just go, right?” Crean said. “That's why you try to develop multi-dimensional, versatile guys. Obviously, he's a huge factor in this, and we'll see how it goes today and how he feels tomorrow.”

The 5-foot-10 Wheeler may not be the biggest Bulldog, but he’s the team’s third-leading scorer at 8.2 points per game, while leading Georgia in assists with 79.

In Mississippi State, Georgia will be playing a Bulldog squad that walloped Missouri 72-45 for its first SEC win, after three straight losses to Auburn, Alabama, and LSU.

Reggie Perry is the only SEC player averaging a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds per game), with teammates Tyson Carter (13.6 ppg), Nick Witherspoon (13.5 ppg), and Robert Woodard II all averaging in double-figures.

Georgia, meanwhile, will be looking to keep its momentum going after beating Tennessee for its first conference win.

Saturday night’s contest in Starkville is the first of two straight road games for the Bulldogs, who travel to Kentucky Tuesday night. They return home against Ole Miss next Saturday.

Crean said his team won’t be looking ahead.

“It’s not that hard. It's really not, and I think when you're in a league like this, they understand that. I mean, they've been in every game in this situation we've had in the last couple of weeks—really the entire season,” Crean said. “But when you look from the Memphis game to the SEC schedule, every game has been a huge battle. So, I think you start to figure out that there's no way you can look ahead, look beyond, look back. You better stay square in the moment, and that's what we're trying to make sure they can all do.”

NOTE: Crean said freshman Jaykwon Walton has been cleared to play after missing the past two games due to concussion-like symptoms. ... Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankley has publicly reprimanded and levied a fine of $25,000 to Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland for his comments about private communications with the Conference office related to officiating. The comments were made during a press conference on Monday following Mississippi State's game with LSU on January 11.