A red hot Georgia Basketball squad is back in Athens, where the Bulldogs play host to Arkansas Wednesday night at 9p.m. ET on ESPNU.

Georgia (11-3, 1-0 SEC) eked out a hard fought win in its SEC opener Saturday at Missouri. It was the ninth straight victory for the Dawgs – a streak that began November 24th. Now UGA will try to do something it hasn’t done since the 2013-14 season: start conference play 2-0.

Rest assured all Razorback eyes will be on Bulldog big man Russel Tchewa. Tchewa’s been a solid presence all season, but had by far his best showing for the Dawgs over the weekend. He went 5-for-5 from the field and 8-of-9 at the charity stripe. “He got to his spots early then did what he had to do at the rim. I’m proud of Russ. Credit to him,” said teammate Noah Thomasson. “We’re gonna be needing him all season.”

Thomasson’s been in a groove himself. The guard transfer from Niagara has found an immediate home in the Georgia lineup. Averaging 12.5 points per game, Thomasson is currently the team’s second leading scorer behind Jabri Abdur-Rahim. (13 ppg)

Abdur-Rahim went 3-for-6 behind the arc Saturday. The performance was good enough to increase his already impressive 3-point shooting to 43.2% on the season.

The Dawgs have a slew of guards ready to contribute. That includes freshman Silas Demary Jr. and senior Justin Hill. Each had strong showings at Mizzou. Demary hit double figures with 10 points Saturday while Hill came off the bench to add 16. Breakout performances like Hill’s explain why UGA ranks 28th in bench points amongst all 351 NCAA DI schools.

Arkansas (9-5, 0-1 SEC) hits the road following a humiliating loss in its conference play opener. The Razorbacks were crushed 83-51 at home by a streaking Auburn team.

It’s been an up-and-down season for an Arkansas club that made the Elite 8 in 2022 and the Sweet 16 a year ago. They do, however, boast a win over then-#7 Duke back on Nov. 29th.

Georgia will have to keep tabs on standout guard Tramon Mark. Mark’s averaging 16.5 ppg thanks to a stout 54.3 FG%. In a game against current #7 North Carolina earlier this season, he dropped 34 points on 13-of-17 shooting. That same game, Mark was rushed to the hospital following a scary fall. He rejoined his team shortly after and has seemingly returned to form since.

The Razorbacks are big. Arkansas has a whopping five players that stand 6’10” or taller. Three of those – Trevon Brazile (28.4 minutes per game), Makhi Mitchell (13.6) and Jalen Graham (13) – log substantial minutes. They lead a defense that ranks 5th in all of NCAA D1 in blocks. Perhaps more remarkably, not a single Arkansas player sits in the top 75 in individual blocks per game. Instead, the Razorbacks have four guys averaging at least one per game – something no other program in the NCAA can say.

How they stack up

Georgia’s key wins: Wake Forest, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Missouri

Arkansas’ key wins: #7 Duke

Georgia is averaging 75.4 points per game while allowing opponents an average of 69.3 per contest. Arkansas is putting up an average of 80.1 ppg. The Razorbacks are also giving up 69.3 ppg. As a team, Georgia is shooting 43.5% from the field compared to Arkansas’ 46.8%. The Bulldogs have been out-rebounded by opponents 542-525. The Razorbacks have snagged 522 boards compared to opponents’ 497.

Most recent meeting: Feb. 21, 2023 (Ark. def UGA, 97-65)

Series history: Arkansas leads 26-16