Red-hot Georgia Bulldogs eager to take on No. 5 Tennessee

Though coming off a loss to Mississippi State on Wednesday, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes represents the best of the best in the SEC. Even mighty Kentucky has had to bow at the feet of the Vols when it comes to the consistent excellence with which they’ve performed under the leadership of their ninth-year coach.

While Georgia desperately hopes to break into the Top 25 – and it likely would with a win Saturday – Tennessee has spent an incredible 101 weeks in the Associated Press poll under Barnes, including 47 among the top 10 teams. The Vols have made five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

“Great A.D.,” cracked Georgia’s coach, whose brother Danny White happens to be Tennessee’s athletic director.

Then White turned serious.

“I have the utmost respect for what they’ve accomplished since (Barnes has) gotten there,” said White, who also went toe-to-toe against Barnes while at Florida. “They’re going to be extremely prepared, disciplined and tough, mentally and physically. I think this current Tennessee is just like a few that he’s had – I think they have a chance to go to the Final Four. I really do. They’re really good, and we’ll have to play our best game of the year to have a chance down the stretch.”

The good news is that Georgia is playing its best ball at the moment. The Bulldogs are coming off back-to-back wins to start SEC play for the first time since the 2013-14 season. Ironically, that season ended with a loss in the NIT to a Louisiana Tech team coached by White.

After building a 17-point lead against Missouri and holding on to win 75-68 in Columbia on Saturday, the Bulldogs followed that script to defeat Arkansas 76-66 in Athens on Wednesday night. This time Georgia shot to a 13-point lead against Arkansas and never trailed but had to answer challenges three times in the second half when the Razorbacks got within three. Each time the Bulldogs did.

Now the schedule cranks up a notch. After hosting the Vols, Georgia will play road games against South Carolina (13-2, 1-1) and Kentucky (11-2, 2-0).

If the Bulldogs are anything this season, it’s unintimidated. A diversified mix of youth and experience, Georgia’s roster features nine first-year additions who relish the chance to show themselves against the best the SEC has to offer.

The Bulldogs are a team that has had a chip on its shoulder since being picked 13th in the 14-team SEC in the preseason.

“We’re a brand-new team, so nobody knew what we had in our locker room except us,” said graduate transfer guard Noah Thomasson, the Bulldogs’ leading scorer at 12.7 ppg. “We still try not to look at the standings. Whether we’re 2-0 or 0-2, we’re just taking it one day at a time and being ready to play. Tennessee is coming in Saturday, and we’ve got to get ready for them.”

It helps that the Bulldogs will be playing at home. Georgia has been a tough out at newly refurbished Stegeman Coliseum. They’re 10-0 at home this season and 23-4 since White walked through the doors of the 60-year-old facility.

There have been a lot of improvements made therein over the past year, but the biggest has been the team that plays on the court. Between a highly touted class of freshman signees and four upper-class transfers, the Bulldogs have become a deep and versatile lot.

White starts four newcomers and routinely deploys 10 or more players. The bench has been incredibly productive. Reserves accounted for 40 points in the win over Arkansas, including a team-high 19 points from senior guard Justin Hill. Georgia enters the weekend ranked No. 22 nationally in bench scoring (30.4 ppg).

If one or two regulars are struggling with their shot, White can insert any number of backups. The Bulldogs have had six players lead them in scoring, including Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Thomasson four times each.

“We know there’s no drop-off with anybody on the floor,” said Hill, who is averaging 9.7 points and 3.2 assists per game. “Whoever’s in there, they’re going to defend to their best ability and play basketball the right way.”

Tennessee certainly does. While the Vols don’t appear to be the offensive juggernaut they’ve been in recent seasons, their defense is ever-present. The Vols rank third in the SEC in defensive scoring (65.1).

When their offense gets it going, they’re hard to stop. The Vols average 78.27 points per game. They’re led by 6-foot-6 guard Dalton Knecht, who averages 15.9 per game and scored 37 on the road against North Carolina. Six-foot-11 forward Jonas Aldoo averages 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds.

Tennessee has won three in a row against Georgia and five of the past six. So, it would be a good time to turn things around against the Vols.

White likes his team’s chances.

“I don’t know where we finish or how good this team will ultimately be, but we’re getting better,” he said. “We don’t always execute; I don’t always love our shot selection. But I like our level of confidence right now. You need that in our league. It’s the best defensive league in college basketball.”