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MBB: Bulldogs Ranked No. 23 in AP, Coaches Polls

Following back-to-back wins over ranked teams before sellout crowds at Stegeman Coliseum last week, the Georgia Bulldogs joined the Associated Press and coaches polls on Monday. Georgia was ranked No. 23 in both polls.

Last week, Georgia defeated No. 6/7 Kentucky, 82-69, on Tuesday and topped No. 17/16 Oklahoma, 72-62, on Saturday to improve to 14-2 overall. The Bulldogs also own a victory over then-No. 22/20 St. John’s on Nov. 24.

Georgia last appeared in the Associated Press poll on Jan. 10, 2011, when the Bulldogs were No. 24. The Bulldogs improved to 12-2 overall by defeating No. 10 Kentucky in the SEC opener on Jan. 8. Within that week’s coaches poll, Georgia was No. 29 among teams receiving votes. The Bulldogs split road games at Vanderbilt and Ole Miss the next week and slipped out of the AP poll. 

The last time the Bulldogs were featured in both national polls was March 10, 2003, when Georgia was No, 21 and No. 22 in the AP and coaches polls, respectively. The Bulldogs were ranked during 13 weeks throughout the 2002-03 season, topping out on Jan. 27 when Georgia was ranked No. 15 by the AP and No. 17 by the coaches.

BSB: UGA at No. 8 in preseason D1Baseball.com Top 25 rankings

The Georgia Bulldogs check in at No. 8 in the preseason D1Baseball.com Top 25 rankings, the website announced Monday.

Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson enters his second year with most of the rotation returning from a year ago in Charlie Goldstein (4-1, 3.72 ERA), Kolten Smith (9-3, 5.56 ERA), Leighton Finley (6-1, 4.14 ERA) and Zach Harris (5-2, 6.87 ERA). The starting lineup welcomes back Tre Phelps (.353-12-40), Slate Alford (.300-17-69) and Kolby Branch (.267-17-58), and a newcomer class that has been ranked as high as No. 7 (Baseball America).

The Bulldogs were one of six Southeastern Conference teams in the D1Baseball.com top 10 that included Texas A&M (1), LSU (3), Tennessee (4), Arkansas (5) and Florida (10). In 2025, the Bulldogs will play host to the Razorbacks in April and close out the regular season against the Aggies here in May.

Georgia’s best 2025 preseason ranking to date has been No. 4 by Perfect Game. The Bulldogs are coming off their finest season since 2008, finishing in the top 10 with a 43-17 record and an appearance in an NCAA Super Regional.

The 2025 season opens on Valentine’s Day, and the Bulldogs will be on the road at UNC Wilmington. Georgia’s home opener is slated for Feb. 20 as part of a four-game series with University of Illinois Chicago.

MBB: Asa Newell Named SEC’s Freshman of the Week

Georgia’s Asa Newell was named the SEC’s Freshman of the Week by the league office in Birmingham, Alabama, on Monday after leading the Bulldogs to victories over No. 6/7 Kentucky and No. 17/16 Oklahoma last week.

Newell was Georgia’s leading scorer in both outings, putting up 17 points against the Wildcats and 15 versus the Sooners. On the week, he averaged 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. He played a career-most 34 minutes against Kentucky and followed that with 33 MP versus Oklahoma.

Newell led the Bulldogs to their first back-to-back victories over ranked opponents since Jan. 2007. He scored 17 points, grabbed seven boards and equaled his season high with two assists in the Bulldogs’ 82-69 win over Kentucky, the highest-ranked opponent Georgia has defeated since Jan. 2004.

Newell then posted 15 points against Oklahoma, including converting a trio of old-fashioned 3-point plays during a perfect 5-of-5 night at the charity stripe.

Last week, Newell notched his 14th and 15th double-digit scoring performances of the season and led the Bulldogs offensively for the eighth and ninth games.

Newell has now been named SEC Freshman of the Week three times this season. He was selected on Nov. 18 after he averaged 13.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 assists in wins over Georgia Tech and North Florida and on Dec. 9 after posting game-high tallies of 20 points and 11 rebounds in Georgia’s 69-48 win over Notre Dame in the SEC/ACC Challenge. 

Newell is one of 10 Bulldogs who have earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors a combined 16 times since the award’s inception in 1988. He is the first Georgia player to claim the accolade multiple times since Anthony Edwards earned four certificates during the 2019-20 campaign.

Georgia’s game against No. 1 Auburn at Stegeman Coliseum this Saturday is already a sellout; however, tickets remain for the Bulldogs’ other six home outings – Jan. 28 vs. South Carolina, Feb. 5 vs. LSU, Feb. 8 vs. Mississippi State, Feb. 15 vs. Missouri, Feb. 25 vs. Florida and March 8 vs. Vanderbilt. Tickets are available via www.georgiadogs.com/mbbtix.

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