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NIT:  Georgia (17-19, 6-12 SEC) vs. Xavier (16-17, 9-11 Big East) – Georgia’s first postseason tourney in seven years tips tonight

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Venue: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)

Location: Athens, Ga.

Series History: XU leads, 3-1

Last Meeting: XU, 70-56, on 11/25/11

TV: ESPN (Roy Philpott, play-by-play; Richard Hendrix, color analyst)

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

The Starting Five

• The Bulldogs and Musketeers are meeting for fifth time and the second occasion in postseason. Xavier defeated Georgia in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament following the Bulldogs’ improbable run to win the SEC “Tornado” Tournament.

• Georgia is 8-8 in games that were one-possession contests in the final 5:00 and 6-5 in matchups that were separated by three points or less in the final 30 seconds of regulation.

• The Bulldogs are 27-2 (.931) in games when they have held their opponents under 70 points during Mike White’s first two seasons in Athens. Georgia is 6-30 when allowing opponents to reach the 70-point plateau. 

• Georgia is ranked No. 20 nationally in bench scoring at 28.6 ppg. The Bulldogs’ bench has outscored its opponents in 26 of 33 games with a season scoring margin of +318…or +9.6 ppg.

The Opening Tip

Georgia returns to postseason basketball for the first time in seven years on Tuesday when the Bulldogs host Xavier in the opening round of NIT action at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia enters the contest at 17-16 after reaching the second round of the SEC Tournament last week. 

The Bulldogs’ outings in Nashville displayed a common theme of numerous games this season.

On Wednesday, Georgia topped Missouri, 64-59; however, the Bulldogs were up just 60-59 with 15 seconds remaining before Justin Hill hit both ends of a one-and-one and Blue Cain added two more free throws.

Twenty-five hours later – delayed approximately an hour because the first game of the session featured 36 second-half fouls – Georgia dropped an 85-80 decision to Florida. The Bulldogs had possession down three with 19 seconds left but could not convert and then saw the Gators make 6-of-6 free throws to close out the night.

All told, sixteen of Georgia’s 33 games – 48.5 percent – were one-possession contests in the final 5:00. Georgia is 8-8 in those. Eleven outings were still within three points in the final 30 seconds of regulation. The Bulldogs are 6-5 in those. 

The 2023-24 campaign also has been a streaky one for Georgia, which recorded winning streaks of 10 games overall, 10 contests at Stegeman Coliseum and three road outings.

Graduate transfer Noah Thomasson is Georgia’s leading scorer at 12.8 ppg and also paces the Bulldogs with 23 double-digit and four 20-point performances.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim is scoring at a double-figure pace for the Bulldogs as well at 12.2 ppg, largely due to sporting team-high shooting percentages of .356 from 3-point range and .887 at the free throw line. However, Abdur-Rahim missed the last four games due to an ankle injury, the first DNPs of his career at Georgia. Prior to that, Abdur-Rahim had played in 93 straight contests. 

A balanced offensive attack features five more players contributing between 7.3-9.8 ppg.

Keeping An Eye On…

Among UGA’s career leaders…

Jabri Abdur-Rahim is

• 3 3FGs from co No. 13s Ty Wilson and Ray Harrison

• 9 3FGs from No. 12 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

• 2 3FGAs from No. 14 Turtle Jackson

• 9 3FGAs from No. 13 Sundiata Gaines

Among UGA’s season leaders…

Noah Thomasson is

• 1 3FG No. 13 Jody Patton

• 4 3FGs from co-No. 11s Anthony Edwards and Levi Stukes

• 8 3FGs from No. 10 D.A. Layne

• 15 3FGAs from No. 8 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

UGA’s NIT History

The Bulldogs are making their 15th appearance in the NIT. 

Georgia has a 13-14 record in its previous NITs. The Bulldogs earned their first postseason bid of any kind to the 1981 NIT and also participated in 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2014, 2016 and 2017.

Georgia’s best NIT finishes came in 1982 and 1998 when UGA advanced to the semifinal round. The Bulldogs lost to Purdue, 61-60, in the 1982 semis. Georgia fell to Penn State, 66-60, in the 1998 semis but bounced back to defeat Fresno State, 95-79, in the third-place consolation contest that year.

Scouting The Musketeers

Xavier enters Tuesday’s contest at 16-17 overall after going 9-11 in Big East play.

Quincy Olivari paces a trio of Musketeers scoring at a double-digit pace, averaging 19.4 ppg. Olivari ranks second among Big East scoring leaders and is featured among the top-20 in seven stats – No. 1 in 3-pointers per game (3.2 3pg), No. 2 in 3-point percentage (.416), No. 7 in free throw percentage (.811), No. 8 in defensive rebounds (5.1 rpg), No. 11 in steals (1.3 spg), No. 20 in rebounding (5.6 rpg), 

Desmond Claude is chipping in 12.5 ppg, and Dayvion McKnight adds 12.5 ppg. Abou Ousmane grabs a team-high 6.3 rpg.

Series History With Xavier

The Musketeers own a 3-1 edge in previous meetings between UGA and XU.

In the most recent matchup, No. 12 Xavier topped the Bulldogs 70-56 on Nov. 25, 2011, in Cincinnati. The Musketeers scored the game’s first 10 points and never trailed.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 14 points to lead Georgia in what was the fourth game of his collegiate career. 

Caldwell-Pope went on to win SEC Player of the Year honors as a sophomore in 2013 before becoming the No. 8 overall pick in the NBA Draft later that spring. KCP has won a pair of NBA Championships with the Lakers in 2020 and the Nuggets in 2023, making him one of just 33 players in NBA history to win multiple NBA titles with separate franchises.

Georgia and Xavier also met in the postseason during the 2008 NCAA Tournament in Washington, D.C. The Bulldogs built a 35-26 halftime lead, but the Musketeers outscored Georgia 47-26 in the second stanza en route to a 73-61 victory to end the Bulldogs’ Cinderella run.

As the sixth seed from the SEC East, the Bulldogs won four games – one at the Georgia Dome and three at Georgia Tech’s Alexander Memorial Coliseum – to capture the SEC Tournament title. The tourney moved from the Dome after it was struck by a tornado shortly before Georgia was set to face Kentucky in the second round. The Bulldogs then defeated the Wildcats and Mississippi State on the same day – March 15 – before besting Arkansas, 66-57, in the title tilt.

BSB: Georgia faces the nation’s top scoring team in Wofford today at Foley Field

The Bulldogs (17-4) saw their nine-game winning streak end Friday at Kentucky, and the Wildcats eventually swept the SEC opening series. Georgia entered SEC play as one of the nation’s top offensive teams, and after scoring 10 runs last Friday, the Wildcats held the Bulldogs to just five runs on six hits in the final two games. The Terriers (13-4), who average 11.9 runs a game to lead the NCAA, dropped a series with Charleston 2-1 this past weekend in Mount Pleasant, S.C. Still, the Bulldogs begin this week leading the NCAA with 56 home runs, are third in slugging percentage (.639) and fifth in on base percentage (.458).

Condon’s Corner: Sophomore All-America Charlie Condon leads the NCAA in batting (.521), hits (38) and on base percentage (.648) and is second in home runs (13) and slugging percentage (1.192). He has 23 walks and only 12 strikeouts this season. He went just 1-for-8 with a double, three RBI and five walks in the Kentucky series. This season, he has started all 21 games with nine at third base, four in left field, four in right field and two each at first base and centerfield. Condon has a 1.000 fielding percentage in 61 total chances.

            In their first in-season 2024 MLB Mock Draft released Monday, Baseball America has Condon going No. 1 overall to the Cleveland Guardians, stating “Condon has been on another planet in the first few weeks of the 2024 season…has a chance for a plus hit tool with a 70-grade raw power which could be more than enough to make him the 1-1 pick in the 2024 draft class…Defensive versatility he has shown early this season won’t hurt either…He’s simply been the most dynamic player in the class.”

About Wofford:  The Terriers are coached by J.J. Edwards. They rank second nationally in batting with a .359 average, first in on base percentage at .476 and fourth nationally in stolen bases (55-for-63). They own a 4.20 ERA and are fielding .985. Senior Dixon Black has a team-best .415 batting average. Junior Marshall Toole (406-4-20) is 15-for-15 in stolen bases, which ranks third nationally. Junior reliever Dylan Rhadans (0-0, 6.17 ERA) is the younger brother of former Bulldog reliever Dalton Rhadans. Dalton pitched for Wofford from 2019-22 and was a graduate transfer with the Bulldogs last season. He led the SEC during the regular season with 33 relief appearances, going 3-2 with a 4.26 ERA and two saves. 

Series History: Georgia leads the all-time series over Wofford 13-0 dating to 1902. Last year, the Bulldogs edged the Terriers 10-8 at Foley Field. 

Tuesday Pitching Matchup: Georgia will start senior righthander Zach DeVito (1-0, 1.80 ERA). It will be his first career start. He has made five relief appearances this year for a total of five innings. DeVito began his career as a reliever at Tulane where he made a combined 40 appearances from 2021-22. Last year, he was recovering from an internal brace procedure and was limited to 14 innings with the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have used a staff approach in their midweek games this season. Wofford will counter with freshman righthander Alex Bouchard (0-1, 3.52 ERA). He pitched one scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts against Charleston this past Friday and has thrown 7.2 innings overall. 

On Deck: On Friday, Georgia returns to SEC action when its faces No. 9 Alabama (17-3, 2-1 SEC). Game times are 6 p.m. (SECN+) on Friday, Noon (SECN) on Saturday and 1 p.m. (SECN+) on Sunday. Last weekend, the Bulldogs were swept at Kentucky while the Crimson Tide won a home series 2-1 over No. 5 Tennessee.

Rutherford Street Closure: Please note this season that one hour before game time, Rutherford Street, next to Foley Field, will be closed to vehicle traffic until 30 minutes post-game. 

Radio/TV/Live Stats Links

Tuesday vs. Wofford at 4:02 p.m. ET (SECN+)

Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston)

https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4579&type=Live

TV: SECN+ (Matt Stewart & Jason Jacobs) https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/4576a087-a6ec-4d19-9f14-7d491e6e5127

Live Stats: https://georgiadogs.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary

Foley Field Tickets/Parking/Promotion Information

*Click here for tickets, General Admission Seating: $5

*Call 1-877-542-1231 or order online at https://georgiadogs.evenue.net/list/BBS

*Foley Field Gates/Ticket Windows open one hour before game time.

*Free parking is available in the commuter surface lot behind the outfield. 

*Please note this season Rutherford Street, next to Foley Field, will be closed to vehicle traffic one hour prior to baseball games until 30 minutes post-game.

*UGA Student Tickets: Free Admission with UGA ID; Enter Student Gate G on Rutherford Street

*Special Promotions/Giveaway: None

MGOLF: UGA ended round two in third place on Monday afternoon at the Linger Longer Invitational, led by a five-under-par 67 from Buck Brumlow

Currently in third, the Bulldogs tied for the second-lowest score during round two, carding a 10-under, 278 as a team. No. 16 Alabama leads the field at 37-under, while No. 13 Virginia stands in second at 21-under, 555, leading Georgia by two strokes. 

Brumlow moved up 22 spots in the individual leaderboards after carding his 67 during round two, which tied him for the second-lowest round of anyone on Tuesday. The junior started the day five-under on the front nine including Georgia’s third eagle on hole six during the tournament, a 557-yard, par five. He heads into the final round tied for seventh at six-under, 138.

Camden Smith remained in the top 10 after a second-straight day with a three-under 69, also standing tied for seventh at six-under. A freshman, Smith bogeyed just one hole during round two and upped his birdie total to 11 in the tournament, tied for the third-most in the field. 

Connor Creasy and Beck Burnette, the latter of which is competing individually, carded the same scores of two-under 70, and now both stand tied for 13^th. Senior Caleb Manuel carded an even-par 72 to round out the final counting score for the Bulldogs. 

Georgia will conclude the Linger Longer Invitational with the final round on Tuesday, March 19, with Burnette beginning the day for the Bulldogs at 9:48 a.m. ET.

Linger Longer Invitational

Great Waters Golf Course

Eatonton, Ga.

Par 72, 7,436 Yards

Day Two Results

Team Leaderboard

1.   No. 16 Alabama           267-272=539 (-37)             

2.   No. 13 Virginia          276-279=555 (-21)        

3.   No. 27 Georgia           279-278=557 (-19)

4.   No. 47 UNCG              281-278=559 (-17)

5.   No. 14 Georgia Tech      280-280=560 (-16)   

6.   Kennesaw State           293-284=577 (+1)

t-7. Clemson                  281-298=579 (+3)

t-7. Georgia State            287-292=579 (+3)

9.   Jacksonville             284-296=580 (+4)

10.  Charlotte                287-295=582 (+6)    

11.  Augusta                  291-292=583 (+7)

12.  Louisiana Tech           294-291=585 (+9)

13.  Mercer                   297-295=592 (+16)

14.  Wofford College          302-308=610 (+34)

Individual Leaderboard

1.   Jonathan Griz, Alabama                  62-67=129 (-15)

2.   Hiroshi Tai, Georgia Tech               68-68=136 (-8)

t-3. Canon Claycomb, Alabama                 71–67=137 (-7)

t-3.  Symon Balbin, UNCG                     69-68=137 (-7)

t-3.  Jones Free, Alabama                     69-68=137 (-7)

t-3.  JP Cave, Alabama                        67-70=137 (-7)

t-7.  Buck Brumlow, Georgia                  71-67=138 (-6)

t-7.  Alexandre Vandermoten, Jacksonville    69-69=138 (-6)

t-7.  Camden Smith, Georgia                  69=69=138 (-6)

t-7.  Bryan Lee, Virginia                     68-70=138 (-6)

Georgia Scores

t-7.      Buck Brumlow        71-67=138 (-6)

t-7.      Camden Smith        69-69=138 (-6)

t-13.     Connor Creasy       70-70=140 (-4)

t-13.     Beck Burnette*      70-70=140 (-4)

t-23.     Ben van Wyk         69-73=142 (-2)

t-23.     Carter Loflin*      69-73=142 (-2)

t-32.     Caleb Manuel        71-72=143 (-1) 

t-46.     JT Herman*          73—73=146 (+2)

*Competing as individual

Georgia Sports Game Schedule This Week – March 19, 2024

Today

University of Georgia Men’s Golf at Linger Longer Invitational

Tuesday, March 19

Location: Greensboro, Ga., Great Waters Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee

University of Georgia Baseball vs Wofford

Tuesday, March 19⋅5:00 – 8:00pm

Location: Athens, Ga., Foley Field

University of Georgia Baseball vs Wofford TV: SECN+ Streaming Video: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/4576a087-a6ec-4d19-9f14-7d491e6e5127

Streaming Audio: https://admin.georgiadogs.com/showcase?Live=4579https://admin.georgiadogs.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=24877&sport_id=1

Georgia vs. Xavier in the NIT

Tuesday, March 19 – 7:00 PM

Location: Athens, Ga., Stegeman Colliseum

Wednesday

University of Georgia Softball vs Georgia Southern – Mean Girls Night | First 250 fans receive a Mean Girls-themed shirt

Wednesday, March 20⋅6:00 – 8:00pm

Location: Athens, Ga., Turner Softball Stadium

University of Georgia Softball vs Georgia Southern – Mean Girls Night | First 250 fans receive a Mean Girls-themed shirt TV: SECN+ Streaming Video: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=b38a4b35-1384-41e1-abbc-adc6f105861chttps://admin.georgiadogs.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=24942&sport_id=13

Thursday

No Games

Friday

University of Georgia Men’s Tennis vs No. 19 LSU

Friday, March 22⋅5:00 – 8:00pm

Location: Athens, Ga., Dan Magill Tennis Complex

University of Georgia Men’s Tennis vs No. 19 LSU Streaming Video: https://georgiadogs.com/sports/2017/6/17/sports-m-tennis-spec-rel-vid-stream-html.aspxhttps://admin.georgiadogs.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=24758&sport_id=11

University of Georgia Baseball vs Alabama

Friday, March 22⋅6:00 – 9:00pm

Location: Athens, Ga., Foley Field

University of Georgia Baseball vs Alabama TV: SECN+ Streaming Audio: https://admin.georgiadogs.com/showcase?Live=4580https://admin.georgiadogs.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=24878&sport_id=1

University of Georgia Softball at Ole Miss

Friday, March 22⋅7:00 – 9:00pm

Location: Oxford, Miss.

University of Georgia Softball at Ole Miss TV: SECN+ Streaming Video: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=63d8b9aa-4c36-4c7b-92e0-ac989dc405e6https://admin.georgiadogs.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=24813&sport_id=13

Saturday

University of Georgia Gymnastics vs Southeastern Conference

Saturday, March 23

Location: New Orleans, La., Smoothie King Center

University of Georgia Track & Field at Hurricane Collegiate Invitational

Saturday, March 23

Location: Coral Gables, FL

University of Georgia Baseball vs Alabama

Saturday, March 23⋅12:00 – 3:00pm

Location: Athens, Ga., Foley Field

University of Georgia Baseball vs Alabama TV: SEC Network Streaming Audio: https://admin.georgiadogs.com/showcase?Live=4581https://admin.georgiadogs.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=24879&sport_id=1

University of Georgia Softball at Ole Miss

Saturday, March 23⋅4:00 – 6:00pm

Location: Oxford, Miss.

University of Georgia Softball at Ole Miss TV: SECN+ Streaming Video: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=dcf06b54-3f7e-461c-b763-f07d4f2c63c1https://admin.georgiadogs.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=24814&sport_id=13

Sunday

University of Georgia Baseball vs Alabama

Sunday, March 24⋅1:00 – 4:00pm

Location: Athens, Ga., Foley Field

University of Georgia Baseball vs Alabama TV: SECN+ Streaming Audio: https://admin.georgiadogs.com/showcase?Live=4582https://admin.georgiadogs.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=24880&sport_id=1

University of Georgia Men’s Tennis vs No. 45 Arkansas

Sunday, March 24⋅1:00 – 4:00pm

Location: Athens, Ga., Dan Magill Tennis Complex

University of Georgia Men’s Tennis vs No. 45 Arkansas Streaming Video: https://georgiadogs.com/sports/2017/6/17/sports-m-tennis-spec-rel-vid-stream-html.aspxhttps://admin.georgiadogs.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=24759&sport_id=11

University of Georgia Women’s Tennis at Tennessee

Sunday, March 24⋅1:00 – 4:00pm

Location: Knoxville, TN

University of Georgia Softball at Ole Miss

Sunday, March 24⋅2:00 – 4:00pm

Location: Oxford, Miss.

University of Georgia Softball at Ole Miss TV: SECN+ Streaming Video: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=bfc29051-013d-44f1-a5e6-256fea32c9e4https://admin.georgiadogs.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=24815&sport_id=13

University of Georgia Men’s Basketball vs Xavier

Tuesday, March 19⋅7:00 – 9:00pm

Location: Athens, Ga., Stegeman Coliseum

University of Georgia Men’s Basketball vs Xavier TV: ESPN Streaming Video: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/af465bce-ba94-485c-9761-e60d48d82da2 Streaming Audio: https://admin.georgiadogs.com/showcase?Live=4616

Tickets: https://georgiadogs.evenue.net/list/MBBhttps://admin.georgiadogs.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=25010&sport_id=7

University of Georgia Men’s Tennis vs The Citadel

Sunday, March 24⋅5:00 – 8:00pm

Location: Athens, Ga., Dan Magill Tennis Complex

University of Georgia Men’s Tennis vs The Citadel Streaming Video: https://georgiadogs.com/sports/2017/6/17/sports-m-tennis-spec-rel-vid-stream-html.aspxhttps://admin.georgiadogs.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=25003&sport_id=11

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