UGA brings high-scoring offense into prime-time game against Georgia Tech

Justin Abson quickly learned the importance of Georgia basketball’s rivalry with Georgia Tech.

When he walked into the Stegeman Coliseum practice facility before last season’s matchup — his first after transferring to the Bulldogs from Appalachian State — the television located near the entrance displayed a new message: “We run this state.”

“I learned it’s a big deal,” Abson said. “It’s very personal.”

The Bulldogs host the Yellow Jackets Friday at 9 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum for a game worth more than the one line it holds on the schedule.

“I live 35 minutes from Georgia Tech, so you hear everybody talk about it,” said Jeremiah Wilkinson, who resides in Powder Springs, Georgia. “To play in the game, knowing that the (arena) is going to be packed out … It’s just exciting, looking at the opportunity we have ahead of us.”

Georgia Tech leads the all-time series by 14 games, but the Bulldogs have dominated recent matchups. Georgia won seven of the last nine outings between the two teams with an average margin of victory of nearly 13 points.

And the odds appear stacked in Georgia’s favor, once again.

The Bulldogs possess one of the highest-scoring offenses in college basketball with an average of 106 points per game. The Yellow Jackets score around 77 points per game, the fewest in the ACC, with a 42% field goal clip that is the second-lowest in their conference.

“I’m not holding my breath because I don’t know how long we’re going to maintain that,” coach Mike White said of Georgia’s scoring. “It will be tougher against higher-level competition.”

Although Georgia Tech showcased a subpar offense through its first three games — which is still a small sample size — the Yellow Jackets have a strong defense. They’ve allowed an average of less than 53 points per outing, slightly below the 56 points Georgia has surrendered.

Georgia Tech has strength in the frontcourt with senior forward Kowacie Reeves Jr., who is familiar with the Bulldogs. Reeves grew up in Macon, Georgia, and played for White during his freshman season at Florida.

The Georgia coach has not kept in contact with him because of regulations around fraternizing with other teams’ personnel, but he heaped praise onto his former player.

“He’s a guy I’ve been fond of,” White said. “He was probably 14 or 15 (years old) when we started recruiting him. He’s got a great family and proud of the career he’s had, happy for him.”

Reeves leads Georgia Tech with an average of 14 points per game. His teammate Mouhamed Sylla is scoring 13.3 points per appearance, but his 12 rebounds per game have made the most impact.

The Bulldogs were average on the glass through their first three contests with nearly 45 rebounds per appearance, but they aspire to improve in that area.

“I thought we could be elite on the glass,” White said. “There’s no excuse not to find a way to be marketably better than we’ve been on the defensive glass. And to beat teams like Georgia Tech, you’re going to have to do that.”

Georgia is expecting a rowdy atmosphere when Georgia Tech runs onto the court Friday night. It helps that the game will take place in prime time one day before the Bulldogs host No. 10 Texas in football.