Georgia (12-12, 2-9 SEC) vs. Texas A&M (11-12, 5-6 SEC)
Saturday, February 15 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Reed Arena (12,989) in College Station, Texas
Watch: SEC Network (Paul Sunderland, play-by-play; Jon Dane Bradshaw, analyst)
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta. XM: 385; Internet: 375. (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer)
The Starting Five
• Anthony Edwards is the nation’s top-scoring freshman ranking No. 38 at 19.5 ppg. That’s 49 spots higher than the next freshman, Landers Nolley of Virginia Tech.
• Sahvir Wheeler’s 102 assists already is the fifth-most ever by a UGA freshman. He is only six assists from No. 2 and 31 from the UGA freshman record.
• UGA is only 14.834 fans shy of its total attendance record, which was set last season. An average of 4,945 fans at home dates left is needed to break the record.
• Six of nine SEC games at Stegeman Coliseum are now sellouts – Kentucky, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama, Arkansas and Florida.
• Georgia’s celebrated freshman class – ranked among the top-10 groups nationally by every recruiting service – features five of the nation’s top-100 prospects.
The Opening Tip
Georgia travels to College Station for a second showdown with Texas A&M in a 15-day span on Saturday. Two weeks ago on Feb. 1, the Bulldogs broke open a tight game at halftime early in the second stanza en route to a 63-48 win over the Aggies at a sold-out Stegeman Coliseum.
Anthony Edwards led Georgia with game-high tallies of 29 points and 15 rebounds, while Houston native Sahvir Wheeler chipped in a thorough linescore of nine points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals.
The Aggies are one of five two-time opponents for the Bulldogs. Georgia always matches up on a home-and-home basis with rivals Auburn, Florida and South Carolina. This season, Texas A&M and Kentucky are the Bulldogs’ rotating opponents to play twice in league play.
Edwards, one of only two freshmen included on the 20-player late-season Wooden Award Watch List, is the nation’s top-scoring freshman at 19.5 ppg. The Atlanta native has reached double figures in the scoring column in 21 of 24 games to date, with 11 20-point outings and two 30-point performances.
Keeping An Eye On . . . Entering Today’s Game
Among UGA’s Freshman Leaders, Anthony Edwards is…
• 13 points from No. 3 Litterial Green
• 48 points from No. 2 Jumaine Jones
• 178 points from No. 1 Jacky Dorsey
Among UGA’s Freshman Leaders, Sahvir Wheeler is…
• 1 assist from No. 4 Moses White
• 3 assists from No. 3 Rashad Wright
• 6 assists from No. 2 Dustin Ware
• 31 assists from No. 1 Litterial Green
Among UGA’s career Leaders, Tyree Crump is…
• 6 3FGs from No. 10 Jody Patton
• 14 3FGs from No. 9 Bernard Davis
• 35 3FGAs from No. 7 Dustin Ware.
Series History
By virtue of a win in Athens two weeks ago, Georgia owns a 5-4 advantage in its all-time series with Texas A&M.
After the Bulldogs won the first four matchups in the series, the Aggies bounced back to win the next four before the meeting in Athens.
On Feb. 1 at a sold-out Stegeman Coliseum, Anthony Edwards’ double-double of 29 points and 15 rebounds led Georgia to a 63-48 victory over Texas A&M.
The Bulldogs took the lead for good on a basket by Edwards with 36 seconds left in the first half and got another momentum boost on an acrobatic drive and finish by Sahvir Wheeler as time expired in the period.
After the Aggies scored the first points following intermission, Georgia embarked on a 15-4 surge that gave the Bulldogs control at 39-27 with 13:43 remaining. A&M never got closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Last season on Feb. 12 in College Station, Nic Claxton’s double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds led Georgia in a 73-56 loss to Texas A&M at Reed Arena.
A back-and-forth featured three ties and six lead changes before the Aggies gained control midway through the first half.
A&M led 34-21 at the intermission and never allowed the Bulldogs within single digits in the second stanza.
Scouting The Aggies
Texas A&M currently sports records of 11-12 overall and 5-6 in SEC play. The Aggies rank second in the SEC in scoring defense, surrundering just 63.7 ppg.
Josh Nebo leads the Aggies in both scoring and rebounding with averages of 11.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg. The 6-9, senior also is one of the SEC’s top defenders and ranks second among league leaders in blocks at 2.2 bpg.