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MBB: UGA Wraps Non-Conference Schedule with LIU

Date: Monday, December 29, 2025

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)

Location: Athens, Ga.

Streaming: SEC Network + (Jeff Dantzler, play-by-play; Litterial Green, analyst)

Radio: Georgia Bulldog Network – Sirius 385 (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer)

The Starting Five

• The Georgia Bulldogs – who reached Christmas with the highest scoring average of any Division I team in nine years (since 2016) – wrap up their non-conference schedule on Monday by hosting LIU.

• The Bulldogs, who are riding a 10-game winning streak at Stegeman Coliseum, are a perfect 35-0 against non-conference competition at Stegeman during Mike White’s four seasons in Athens and are 49-13 (.790) overall at home under White.

• Georgia entered last weekend ranked among the nation’s top-5 teams in seven statistics, including No. 1 in scoring offense (99.8 ppg), fastbreak points (28.6 ppg) and blocks (7.8 bpg).

• As of last Friday, the Dunkyard Dawgs were scoring a nation-leading 23.0 percent of their field goals on dunks this season. Somto Cyril’s 34 dunks led the SEC and ranked No. 2 nationally.

• Georgia topped the 100-point plateau in six of its first 12 games, already breaking the program’s single-season program record of five century mark tallies during the 1990-91 campaign.

The Opening Tip

The Georgia Bulldogs conclude the non-conference portion of their regular-season slate on Monday by hosting Long Island University at Stegeman Coliseum in the second half of a day-night doubleheader that also features UGA’s Lady Bulldogs facing Charleston Southern at noon. 

The Bulldogs are 11-1 and, with a victory, would match their third-best start ever.

Georgia is riding a 10-game winning streak at Stegeman Coliseum dating back to last season’s victory over Florida on Feb. 25, the fourth span of double-figure home wins under Mike White. By contrast, the Bulldogs posted eight double-digit home winning streaks in their first 117 seasons of hoops before White’s arrival.

Georgia also owns a 35-game win streak against non-conference opposition at Stegeman, a stretch that coincides with White’s arrival in Athens.

It would be hard to fathom a better beginning to the 2025-26 campaign for Georgia, at least statistically speaking.

As of last Friday, the Bulldogs were leading all 365 Division I teams in scoring offense (99.8 ppg), fastbreak points (28.6 ppg) and blocks (7.8 bpg). Among the 28 statistics tracked by the NCAA, Georgia ranked in the top 10 in 11 and in the top 25 in 15. 

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

Eleven Bulldogs are averaging double-figure minutes, and according to the oft-used metric KenPom.com, Georgia entered last weekend ranked No. 2 nationally in average offensive possession length (14.1 seconds), as well as No. 3 nationally in adjusted tempo (76.3).

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 53 double-figure scoring outputs this season. Jeremiah Wilkinson is averaging a team-high 18.0 ppg, while Blue Cain is contributing 16.0 ppg and Marcus “Smurf” Millender is chipping in 10.3 ppg, including 12.9 ppg over the last seven outings.

Scouting The Sharks

LIU is an even 6-6 on the season entering Monday’s contest and is looking to snap a two-game losing skid of road losses at Mississippi State and Florida International.

The Sharks have been a popular pick to win the Northeast Conference this season and as of Saturday were featured in 28 of 36 NCAA Tournament projections on the website www.bracketmatrix.com.

Malachi Davis, Jamal Fuller and Greg Gordon give LIU a balanced scoring trio, averaging 16.0 ppg, 15.3 ppg and 14.3 ppg, respectively. 

Series History With LIU

Georgia is 2-0 all-time against LIU. Monday’s matchup will be the first meeting between the Bulldogs and the Sharks in precisely 27 years and one day.

Most recently, the Bulldogs defeated the Sharks, 73-59, on Dec. 28, 1998, led by a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds from Jumaine Jones. A complete box score from that contest is below.

The other contest, a 106-69 decision on Dec. 6, 1991, came in the opening round of the Mile High Classic in Boulder, Colo. 

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