ATHENS — The competition is about to stiffen considerably for Georgia’s young team, and it’s possible that better opponents will further expose the problems that lesser foes have made apparent.
Rebounding is an issue for the Bulldogs, even against smaller opponents. Their defensive awareness comes and goes. Georgia’s shooting has been streaky and the shot selection spotty.
“It’s going to be a work in progress,” Georgia senior guard Gerald Robinson said.
Yet the Bulldogs are 3-0 after their 72-61 victory over South Dakota State Wednesday at Stegeman Coliseum. They haven’t been great, but they are undefeated.
After winning both its home games in the CBE Classic, Georgia will play No. 23 California (3-0) in the semifinals Monday at Kansas City. No. 25 Missouri and Notre Dame are on the other side of the bracket.
“These next couple of days we have got to get mentally prepared,” Georgia forward Donte’ Williams said. “I think we should be ready. I think we just need to polish our offense more and pick the defensive intensity up and rebound better.”
Georgia did all of those things in the second half to put away the Jackrabbits (1-2). It had been an uneven, ragged effort for the Bulldogs, but they were at their best over the final eight minutes.
“We came into the game hoping to really wear them down with a lot of bodies, and I think we probably did that,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said. “We didn’t play exceptionally well throughout the game, but we did play very hard. It’s a good win to continue to build on.
The Bulldogs eventually figured out South Dakota State guard Nate Wolters, a first-team All-Summit League selection last season. Wolters scored 32 points in the Jackrabbits’ season-opening victory against Western Michigan and 20 in a loss at Minnesota on Monday.
He had 10 points and two assists in the first half Wednesday while zipping around defenders for driving scores, pull-up jump shots and kick-outs to open shooters. But Wolters finished with 15 points and four assists while missing 10 of 16 shots.
“Gerald Robinson has guarded some terrific players for us,” Fox said. “I have to give him some credit for playing good defense. [Wolters] is a terrific player, really a versatile player and a versatile scorer.”
Robinson also had 15 points, three assists and two steals. Williams had 17 points seven rebounds and four blocks, and freshman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 14 points and six rebounds.
A lackluster first half for the Bulldogs ended tied at 29-29, and they trailed 38-31 after the Jackrabbits opened the second half with a 9-2 run. The Bulldogs got back in it by increasing their defensive pressure to force turnovers and took a 52-44 lead with a rare stretch of consistent offense. They pulled away behind a burst of scoring from freshman forward Nemanja Djurisic.
Djurisic scored four consecutive baskets to stake Georgia to a 68-57 lead with 2:47 to play. He missed four of five shots in the first half, including all three of his 3-point attempts, and was 6-for-8 in the second half.
“I obviously had trouble shooting; it didn’t go well,” he said. “I settled down a little bit for more inside shots and try to post up a little bit more. And from our great defense came the fast breaks.”
