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MBB: Dawgs Return To Stegeman To Face Ole Miss

Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)

Location: Athens, Ga.

Game Giveaway: The first 750 UGA students will receive a free insulated water bottle

TV: ESPNU (Tom Hart, play-by-play; Dane Bradshaw, analyst)

Radio: Georgia Bulldog Network – Sirius 84 (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer)

The Starting Five

• Georgia returns to the friendly confines of Stegeman Coliseum – where the Bulldogs have a 12-game winning streak and are 51-13 (.797) under Mike White – to host Ole Miss on Wednesday evening.

• The Bulldogs are No. 21 and No. 22 in this week’s AP and coaches polls, respectively. Georgia has been ranked for five consecutive weeks, its longest span since being in 11 straight polls in 2002-03.

• Georgia entered the week leading the nation in scoring offense (96.4 ppg), fastbreak points (25.4 ppg), blocks (7.8 bpg) and percentage of FGs that are dunks (21.2 pct).

• Somto Cyril is shooting a sterling 82.3 percent (65-of-79) from the field, 18.0 percent better than UGA’s current season record. In SEC games, Cyril has connected on 93.8 percent (15-of-16) of his FGAs.

• Blue Cain’s 91.1 percent (51-of-56) at the free throw line this season is the best ever by a Bulldog, and his career 83.6 percent (127-of-152) is No. 2 only to J.J. Frazier’s 84.1 percent.

Entering Today’s Game:

Among UGA’s Career Leaders

Blue Cain is…

• 3 3-pointers from No. 19 Sundiata Gaines

• 4 3-pointers from No. 18 Rashad Wright

• 8 3-pointers from No. 17 Turtle Jackson

• 1 3-point attempts from No. 19 Rashad Wright

Somto Cyril is…

• 1 block from No. 15 Rashaad Singleton

• 6 blocks from No. 14 Albert Jackson

Among UGA’s Season Leaders

Blue Cain is…

• Currently No. 1 in UGA history at .911. No. 2 is .907 by Channing Toney (‘05)

Somto Cyril is…

• 1 blocks from co-No. 19s Terry Fair (‘83), Marcus Thornton (‘14) and Yante Maten (‘15)

• 3 blocks from No. 18 Charles Claxton (‘93)

• 4 blocks from No. 17 Charles Claxton (‘92)

• 5 blocks from co-No. 14s Willie Anderson (’87 & ’88) and Yante Mateo (’18)

The Opening Tip

No. 21/22-ranked Georgia opens a two-game homestand on Wednesday by hosting Ole Miss. The Bulldogs will also face Arkansas at Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday.

Georgia is ranked No. 21 by the AP and No. 22 in the coaches poll this week. The Bulldogs are 14-2, matching their second-best 16-game record in 121 seasons of basketball. 

Georgia’s statistical start to the 2025-26 campaign has been equally impressive.

As of Monday, the Bulldogs were leading all 365 Division I teams in scoring offense (96.4 ppg), fastbreak points (25.4 ppg) and blocks (7.8 bpg). Among the 28 statistics tracked by the NCAA, Georgia ranked in the top 5 in six and in the top 20 in 11. 

Georgia has one of the nation’s deepest rotations, playing at a pace among the country’s quickest.

Eleven Bulldogs are averaging double-figure minutes, and according to the oft-used metric KenPom.com, Georgia entered this week ranked No. 2 nationally in adjusted tempo (75.3) and No. 3 in average offensive possession length (14.3 seconds).

Georgia’s depth extends beyond the numbers to its offensive production. 

Ten of the 11 Bulldogs playing double-digit minutes have scored 10+ points in a game, combining to record 69 double-figure scoring outputs this season. Jeremiah Wilkinson is averaging a team-high 16.0 ppg, while Blue Cain is contributing 14.8 ppg, Marcus “Smurf” Millender is chipping in 11.7 ppg and Somto Cyril adds 10.0 ppg. Cyril also paces Georgia in rebounding (6.1 rpg), blocks (2.8 bpg) and field goal percentage (.823 – that’s not a typo, it’s .823).

Scouting The Rebels

Ole Miss improved to 9-7 overall with a 76-69 victory over Missouri on Saturday in Oxford, handing the Tigers their first loss in SEC play. Six of the Rebels’ setbacks have been by single-digit decisions.

Malik Dia sports team-best averages of 15.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. In addition, AJ Storr and Illas Kamardine are scoring at double-figure clips of 12.3 ppg and 11.1 ppg, respectively. Kamardine also leads Ole Miss in assists at 4.1 apg.

Series History With Ole Miss

Georgia is 78-48 all-time versus Ole Miss, including a 43-16 advantage in outings played Athens.

Last season on Jan. 4 in Oxford, No. 23/24 Ole Miss rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Georgia, 63-51, despite a double-double from Asa Newell in his SEC debut.

After the Bulldogs led 28-26 at the intermission, Ole Miss opened the second stanza with a 15-2 surge. Georgia countered with an 11-1 run and pulled within 45-43 at the 7:30 mark but could not complete the comeback.

In the Rebels’ most recent trip to Athens on March 5, 2024, five Bulldogs posted double-digit scoring outputs as a balanced offensive attack secured Georgia a 69-66 win. 

Georgia led for 36:37 of the contest, but the outcome wasn’t decided until the final 30 seconds. The Bulldogs built their largest lead of the night at 65-54 with 2:45 remaining before Ole Miss used an 8-0 surge to pull within 65-63 with 49 seconds left. Georgia scored four straight to push the margin back to six points before a three-quarter court heave at the buzzer cut the final margin in half.

Last Time Out

Kanon Catchings’ season-high 20 points and Somto Cyril’s career-high 18 points led No. 18/20 Georgia to a 75-70 victory over South Carolina at Colonial Life Arena last Saturday.

The back-and-forth contest featured nine ties and 11 lead changes before the Bulldogs surged ahead for good on a pair of free throws from Cyril with 5:27 remaining.

“Incredibly tough to come by, and that was the last message I just gave our guys,” head coach Mike White said. “There are things you talk about after wins and losses, and you try to harp on some positives after losses. You’ve got to make sure, at least that’s just my philosophy, after some big wins, let’s talk about some of the negatives, too. It’s a good time to learn because we’re all feeling good, we’re all locked in, and we’re all connected and cheering about the win.”

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