Georgia (6-2) vs. Arizona State (7-2)
Saturday, December 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET
Desert Financial Arena (14,100) in Tempe, Ariz.
Watch: Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson, play-by-play; Don ManLean, analyst)
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta. XM& Internet: 374. (Jeff Dantzler, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Tony Schiavone, producer)
The Starting Five
• Anthony Edwards is the only freshman ranked among the nation’s top-50 scoring leaders. As of Thursday, Edwards ranked No. 26 among D-I scoring leaders.
• UGA has eight 90-point outputs in Tom Crean’s first 40 games in Georgia. The Bulldogs had eight 90-point outings in the 249 games prior to Crean’s arrival.
• Six Bulldogs scored in double-digit against The Citadel. The last time UGA did so was a 92-62 win over Appalachian State on Dec. 22, 2002.
• The point tallies of Anthony Edwards (24) and Sahvir Wheeler (19) in the season opener were the second- and third-best ever by a freshman in their UGA debut.
• 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 returns to action for the first time in 10 days on Saturday when the Bulldogs travel to Tempe to face Arizona State. The contest will be UGA’s first true road game of the 2019-20 regular-season campaign.
Anthony Edwards and Rayshaun Hammonds scored 21 and 19 points, respectively, in Georgia’s last outing, a 95-59 victory over N.C. Central on Dec. 4. The Bulldogs have not played since then while Final Exams were conducted at UGA.
Georgia is 6-2 on the season. The Bulldogs are averaging an SEC-best 86.1 points per game to date. That tally ranked No. 3 nationally through games of Wednesday (Dec. 11).
Edwards, a preseason All-American and leading candidate for National Freshman of the Year accolades, boasts a 20.6 ppg scoring average. Through Wednesday, that ranked No. 26 nationally and tops among D-I freshmen. Edwards also is averaging an SEC-best 2.3 steals per game.
Entering Tonight’s Game Among UGA’s career Leaders
Tyree Crump is…
• 4 3FGs from No. 11 K. Caldwell-Pope
• 27 3FGs from No. 10 Jody Patton
• 8 3FGAs from No. 10 K. Caldwell-Pope
• 22 3FGAs from No. 9 Bernard Davis
Series History
Arizona State has won the two previous meetings between the Bulldogs and the Sun Devils on the hardwood by a combined three points.
Last Dec. 15 in Athens, Georgia dropped a 76-74 decision to No. 20 Arizona State before a crowd of 9,028 at Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs led for 35:19 of the contest, including an 18-point edge late in the first half; however, the Sun Devils thwarted Georgia’s upset attempt.
Tyree Crump and Rayshaun Hammonds paced the Bulldogs with 19 points apiece, while Nicolas Claxton grabbed 13 rebounds.
Crump scored 11 points of a 20-3 run late in the first half. However, the Sun Devils ended the first half and began the second on a combined 9-0 surge to pull within single digits.
Georgia remained ahead until a Remy Martin jumper at the 2:43 mark. ASU led 73-70 with 1:37 left before a Claxton dunk and a Tye Fagan reverse layup made it 74-73 with 25 ticks on the clock. Luguentz Dort scored the game-winner with 11 seconds remaining. After Arizona State added a free throw, Claxton’s potential game-tying shot fell short as time expired.
In the only other meeting on Dec. 29, 1989, the Sun Devils defeated UGA, the eventual 1990 SEC Champions, 62-61, in the title game of the Tribune Classic in Tempe.
Alex Austin‘s double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds led four Sun Devils in double figures. Litterial Green and Alec Kessler scored 12 points apiece for Georgia, while Marshall Wilson chipped in 11 and Jody Patton added 10.
Georgia raced to a 39-23 halftime lead before Arizona State rallied. The trip to Tempe provided a pair of one-point outings for Georgia. The previous day, the Bulldogs topped Wisconsin, 65-64, in the opening round.
Scouting The Sun Devils
Arizona State returns three starters and six additional letterwinners from last year’s team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Remy Martin paces the Sun Devils with a 20.0 ppg scoring average, while Rob Edwards and Romello White chip in double-digit averages of 12.2 and 12.0 ppg, respectively. White, an Atlanta native, is hauling in a team-high 10.0 rebounds per game.
Arizona State improved to 7-2 on the year with an 88-79 win over Prairie View A&M on Wednesday. The Sun Devils’ setbacks are to Colorado in the season opener in Shanghai and to No. 7 Virginia in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in Uncasville, Conn.