The Georgia men’s basketball team will play UMass for the first time today (Saturday) at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass. for a 3:00 p.m. ET tipoff that will be televised on the NBC Sports Network.
Georgia Men’s Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (7-1) vs. Massachusetts (5-5)
Saturday, December 16, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. ET
Mullins Center (9,493) in Amherst, Mass.
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:
NBC Sports Network
(Ryan Burr, play-by-play; Jordan Cornette, analyst)
CLICK HERE to watch via livestream on the NBC Network.
Live Stats:
CLICK HERE to follow live stats online.
Georgia returns to action on Saturday following an 11-day break from competition during Final Exams on the UGA campus. The Bulldogs will trek to Amherst, Mass., to face the Massachusetts Minutemen at 3:00 p.m. in the Mullins Center.
Georgia is 7-1, its best start since beginning 2006-07 at 8-1. The Bulldogs’ win tally includes victories over a trio of 2017 NCAA Tournament teams in their last three outings – No. 21 Saint Mary’s on Nov. 26, Marquette on Dec. 2 and Winthrop on Dec. 4.
Yante Maten, a National Player of the Year candidate and preseason SEC Player of the Year honoree, leads Georgia with averages of 18.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Over his last 65 games (dating back to the beginning of his sophomore year), Maten has produced 58 double-digit scoring performances, with 25 20-point and four 30-point outings as well as 19 double-doubles.
Turtle Jackson provides a second a double-figure scoring average at 12.5 ppg. Jackson entered the season with two double-digit productions in 66 games but has scored 10-plus points in seven of Georgia’s first eights outings. In the process, he has upped his career-high four times, from 10 points beginning the year to 11 to 13 to 15 to 17 points against San Diego State.
UMass sports a 5-5 record to date and has defeated Holy Cross and Providence in its last two outings. Saturday’s game represents the midway point of a five-game homestand for the Minutemen.
Luwane Pipkins paces UMass on the offensive end by averaging 18.9 points per game, while Malik Hines is collecting a team-high 6.7 rebounds per contest.
The Starting Five
The Bulldogs have defeated a 2017 NCAA Tourney team in each of their last three outings.
Yante Maten was ranked as one of the nation’s top-25 players by CBS (22), ESPN (23) and NBC (24).
UGA’s 7-1 start is the Bulldogs’ best since beginning the 2006-07 season at 8-1.
Turtle Jackson had four career-best scoring outputs in the first five games – 11, 13, 16 & 17 points.
Yante Maten is the first Bulldog to open the year with three double-doubles since 1987.
Full Game Notes for Georgia vs. UMass
CLICK HERE for the full Georgia vs. UMass men’s basketball game notes.