The Georgia men’s basketball team will host Temple early Friday afternoon at the Stegeman Coliseum for a 1:00 p.m. ET tipoff that will be televised on the SEC Network.

 

Georgia Men’s Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (8-2) vs. Temple (7-3)
Friday, December 22, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.

RADIO:

Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
Station: WSB AM 750 Atlanta
(Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Tony Schiavone, Producer)
CLICK HERE to listen to free audio stream at Georgiadogs.com.

TV & LIVE STREAM:

SEC Network
(Dari Nowkhah, play-by-play; Mark Wise, analyst)
CLICK HERE to watch via livestream on SEC Network+/Watch ESPN.

Live Stats:

CLICK HERE to follow live stats online.

 

Georgia completes the pre-SEC portion of its 2017-18 schedule on Friday when the Bulldogs host Temple at the renewed Stegeman Coliseum for a 1:00 p.m. matinee.

 

Georgia is 8-2 on the year, which equals the Bulldogs’ 2010-11 NCAA Tournament team for the best 10-game start during Mark Fox’s tenure in Athens. The Bulldogs’ win tally includes victories against a trio of 2017 NCAA Tournament teams – No. 21 Saint Mary’s on Nov. 26, Marquette on Dec. 2 and Winthrop on Dec. 4 – and a decisive 21-point decision over Georgia Tech three days ago.

 

Yante Maten, a National Player of the Year candidate and preseason SEC Player of the Year honoree, leads Georgia with averages of 19.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Those efforts ranks second and first in the SEC.

 

Maten has been a picture of consistency for the Bulldogs since the beginning of his sophomore year. Over the 73 games during that span, Maten has produced 66 double-digit scoring performances, with 27 20-point and four 30-point outings and 19 double-doubles.

 

In Georgia’s two outings since an 11-day break for Final Exams, Maten is averaging 22.0 points while shooting 62.1 percent (18-of-29) from the floor and 100 percent (7-of-7) at the line.

 

Turtle Jackson provides a second a double-figure scoring average at 12.3 ppg. Jackson entered the season with two double-digit productions in 66 games but has scored 10-plus points in eight of Georgia’s first 10 outings. He also upped his career high four times in the first five games, from 10 points beginning the year to 11 to 13 to 15 to 17 points against San Diego State.

 

Temple arrives in Athens with a 7-3 record but an eye-catching RPI. Through games of Tuesday night, the Owls were ranked No. 12 in the NCAA’s edition of the RPI.

 

Temple’s record included a 3-2 mark within the new “Q1” of the RPI, which includes contests at home against teams ranked No. 1-30, at neutral sites versus No. 1-50 and on the road against No. 1-75.

 

Quinton Rose paces a trio of double-digit scorers for the Owls at 17.0 ppg. Shizz Alston, Jr., adds 16.0 ppg, and Obi Enechionyia contributes 11.2 ppg and a team-high 6.4 rpg.
 

Series History: UGA vs. Temple

 
Temple owns a 2-1 lead in the all-time series between the Bulldogs and the Owls. Georgia won the only previous matchup in Athens 36 seasons ago.

 

That first-ever meeting came in the opening round of the 1982 NIT. Dominique Wilkins’ double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds paced Georgia in a 73-60 victory. Eric Marbury and Gerald Crosby chipped in 14 points apiece for the Dogs.

 

That win was the first in a run that led Georgia to Madison Square Garden and the NIT semifinals. After the win over Temple, the Bulldogs bested Maryland, 83-69, and Virginia Tech, 90-73, in Athens to earn their trip to New York.

 

There Georgia dropped a 61-60 decision to Purdue in the semifinals.

 

Temple’s wins are relatively recent neutral-site contests. The Owls defeated Georgia, 65-58, as part of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando on Nov. 26, 2010. Temple also earned an 83-81 victory on Nov. 22, 2013 as part of the Charleston Classic.

 

In the last matchup, in Charleston, Georgia controlled the game early, racing to a 15-5 lead. Temple countered with a 20-point swing that put the Owls up 31-21 less than 10 minutes later. Temple pushed that margin to 15 points early in the second stanza before the Bulldogs began chipping away.

 

Georgia knotted the game at 71-71 on a Nemi Djurisic 3-pointer and eventually went up 81-80 on a Mann layup with 18 ticks on the scoreboard clock.

 

Will Cummings knocked down a 3-pointer with seven seconds left before Donte’ Williams 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.
 

Full Game Notes for Georgia vs. Temple

 
CLICK HERE for the full Georgia vs. Temple men’s basketball game notes.