Sahvir Wheeler just did what he's always done. He dribbled down the left side of the lane, split two defenders and made a left-handed layup to win the game.
The difference this time — live TV and 10,351 spectators in the stands at Stegeman Coliseum. They all watched the smallest player on the floor make the biggest shots in the game — twice — to lift Georgia to a 87-85 double overtime win over SMU.
“I've been in that situation so many times in high school and in AAU tournament games, just not in front of that big a crowd,” Wheeler said immediately after the game. “But I love big crowds and I love those situations.”
Wheeler executed almost the exact same dribble-drive to make a layup at the end of the first overtime and extend the game. It gave the Bulldogs (7-3) their biggest non-conference victory of the young season.
It was just the second loss of the season for SMU (8-2).
Georgia is now 8-13 all-time in double-overtime games. The Bulldogs were 0-6 in games decided by four or fewer points last year; they're 3-0 in such games this season.
Wheeler finished with only nine points as most of his work was done distributing the ball. He finished with 8 assists, and dishing the ball was one of the options in both of those period-ending play calls.
Wheeler had freshman star Anthony Edwards on the right wing and Tyree Crump on the left both times. But when he broke through clean on the left of the lane and found himself guarded by a slower defender, he made the right decision to take the ball to the hole.
Georgia coach Tom Crean was confident Wheeler would.
“Sahvir is so valuable to this team in so many different ways,” Crean said. “... Sahvir is one of the best lay-up makers I've ever been around. So, for him to get in that lane and make a play, he's been there a ton of times, hundreds of times. That's in his DNA as a person and a player.”
Wheeler's heroics overshadowed a strong night from junior forward Rayshaun Hammonds, who led the Bulldogs with 21 points, 11 rebounds and made three 3-pointers. It was Hammonds' third double-double of the season.
Wheeler also helped pick up Edwards on an uncharacteristically off night. Georgia's leading scorer finished with 16 points, but they they were slow in coming and spread out among long lapses. He did make a crucial 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock to stake the Bulldogs to a lead early in the second overtime.
SMU, one of the better defensive teams in the country, deserves some credit for that. The Mustangs held Georgia to just 25 points in the first half, and only two for Edwards.
“They've got a guy that might be a top three pick in the [NBA] draft and we did an unbelievable job on him,” SMU coach Tom Jankovich said. “We did an unbelievable job defensively in a lot of ways. Though, in the second half not so much.”
That's not to say Edwards didn't impact the game in other ways. The 6-foot-5 freshman blocked the potential game-winning shot of SMU's Tyson Jolly with 1.8 seconds left in regular. His beyond-half-court shot at the final buzzer could have won it but missed left.
Edwards took the most shots for the Bulldogs but finished 6-of-17 shooting and 2-of-8 from 3-point range. He made his only two foul shots, which were important ones, coming at the start of the second overtime.
“Where Anthony has got to continue to grow is moving without the ball,” Crean said. “He's better without the ball when he's down in the corner swinging, especially when Sahvir is in the game. They work well together.”
Jordan Harris, playing for the first time following a nine-game suspension to start the season, made a positive impact. He finished with nine points in 17 minutes of play, including a huge put-back dunk in the first half.
The Bulldogs will resume play on Monday against Georgia Southern. Only 800 tickets remain for the game despite being played two days before Christmas with the UGA students out of town.
Crean credited the big crowd with giving Georgia the energy it needed to win Friday night.
“We do not win this game without this incredible, passionate, stick-with-us, not-let-us-drop crowd,” he said. “I reminded the players a few times that we're sitting here in basically a sold-out game, and these fans are not giving up on you, so don't give up on yourself. I'm extremely proud of how we found a way to win, and I'm unbelievably thankful for our fans."
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