Though the Wyoming game didn’t go as smoothly as some may have hoped, the Tar Heels did get the win and Sayon Keita announced himself to the world with 13 points, eight rebounds, six blocks, and three steals. Can he duplicate that performance as North Carolina takes on Georgia for just the second time ever?
Georgia Bulldogs
All-time Record
1,537–1,423, 7–14 (some books say 5-12 as games played in 1985 and 2002 have been vacated by the NCAA, but they happened nonetheless) in 14 tournament appearances including a Final
Four appearance in 1983, last appearance 2026 (second in a row).
Best Former Player
It is possible by the end of his career the answer to this one will be Anthony Edwards who has had an impressive start to his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but until then and maybe even not then the answer is Dominique Wilkins. The Hall of Famer Wilkins, whose 26,668 points is nineteenth all-time, is a nine-time All-Star, a seven-time All-NBA selection, and a two-time NBA dunk champion, which earned him the nickname “the Human Highlight Film”.
Head Coach
Mike White. White, a former Ole Miss point guard, is at his third head coaching stop with the Bulldogs after having previously coached at Louisiana Tech and Florida. White is in his fifth season with Georgia where he has compiled a 81-57 record (he is 324-185 overall). a 29-42 SEC record (his overall SEC record is 101-94), and a 0-2 NCAA record in two appearances (he is 6-7 overall in six appearances).
Last Season
Last season, Georgia went 22-11 and 10-8 in the SEC finishing seventh after starting the season an impressive 12-1. The Bulldogs rose as high as 18th in the AP Poll and secured impressive wins over ranked Arkansas and Alabama squads. Georgia’s season ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament with a 102-77 beatdown to the nine seed, St Louis Bilikens.
This Season
This Season, the Bulldogs are currently 3-0 with wins over North Carolina Central, Presbyterian, and Florida Gulf Coast. This will be Georgia’s first game outside of Athens, Georgia where they are averaging 83 ppg.
Players of Note
One player the Tar Heels should absolutely be focused on stopping is guard Blue Cain. Cain is in his fourth year at Georgia providing coach White a reliable option. Cain has taken advantage of that familiarity leading the team in scoring (16 ppg), field goal percentage (58.8%, min 10 attempts), and three point percentage (41.7%, min 5 attempts). Cain is also second on the team in rebounding and third on the team in assists and steals.
UNC should also be aware of senior James Scott, who grew up in Fayetteville, NC (former North Carolina player going off on UNC alert). Scott, a transfer from Ole Miss, leads the team with 6.7 rebounds and one block per game and is the only player over 6’9 who plays more than ten minutes for the Bulldogs.
As mentioned before this is only the second time ever these two team will have met on the hardcourt with the first time also coming in Chapel Hill back in November of 1998 in a 65-58 UNC win. Will history repeat itself or will the Bulldogs pull the series even and hand the Tar Heels their first loss of the season?
What do you think about the Tar Heels’ next opponent? Let us know in the comments below.
