Category: Hoops

Georgia basketball upsets No. 20 St. John’s

Georgia Bulldogs basketball team stuns No. 22 St. John’s in an upset victory

This weekend was critical for the Georgia Bulldogs and head coach Mike White for earning a big nonconference win. Georgia lost 80-69 to No. 15 Marquette on Saturday, but picked up a ranked win on Sunday over the No. 20 St. John’s Red Storm.

Bulldogs basketball team faced two ranked teams in the Bahamas and went 1-1. The Bulldogs kept the game close for a long time and were able to upset the Red Storm, winning 66-63.

The game was very physical with four first half technical fouls. The UGA team defense was excellent only allowing a 30 percent field goal percentage in the first half and not allowing the Red Storm to connecting on a three-pointer.  The UGA offense was very efficient shooting over 50 percent from the field and close to 40 percent from three to sustain a 32-28 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Bulldogs had more adversity against the Red Storm’s  full court pressure, which caused the Bulldogs to turn the ball over 14 more times. To go along with the turnovers key rotation pieces Blue Cain, RJ Godfrey, and Asa Newell all fouled out for Georgia in the second half.

This game highlighted Asa Newell’s significance moving forward, as he led the team with 18 points. Silas Demary Jr. followed with 15 points, while Tyrin Lawrence contributed 11 and nine rebounds to round out the scoring effort.
With a win like this expect the Bulldogs to be in more talks about the NCAA Tournament. Georgia got a premier nonconference win.

Georgia Bulldogs basketball loses to No. 15 Marquette

Georgia falls to No. 15 Marquette in their first loss of the season.

The Georgia Bulldogs basketball team has a huge weekend, facing two ranked teams in the Bahamas. Their first matchup was against the No. 15 Marquette Golden Eagles.

While the Bulldogs kept the game close for a long time, they weren’t able to upset the Golden Eagles, losing 80-69. The game was 36-35 Marquette at halftime and 44-40 near the beginning of the second half, but the Golden Eagles went on an 11-0 run. Georgia kept being pesky, though, scoring to make it 69-66 Marquette, but the Golden Eagles went on a 9-0 run to ice it.

The Bulldogs were able to hang on thanks to a brilliant game from their guards. Blue Cain had 17 points and made five of his ten attempts from behind the arc, matching a career high. Tyrin Lawrence also scored 15 points and had three steals.

The perimeter shooting outside of Cain doomed Georgia. While Cain went 5-10 on his three-point attempts, the other Georgia Bulldogs players only shot 3-15 from downtown. They also lost the turnover battle, committing 18 turnovers, including eight from Silas Demary Jr.

Georgia fell to 5-1 and will have another game in the Bahamas against No. 20 St. John’s.

Georgia freshman projected as first-round 2025 NBA draft pick

UGA basketball true freshman, former five-star recruit is projected to go early in the 2025 NBA draft

Georgia Bulldogs basketball freshman Asa Newell has been projected to be selected in the first-round of the 2025 NBA draft. Newell, a former five-star recruit, is already having a huge impact for this Georgia team.

The 6-foot-11, 220-pound freshman is a big reason why Georgia basketball is 2-0. Newell is averaging 20 points, 3.5 blocks and 7.5 rebounds per game to begin the 2024-2025 college basketball season.

Tankathon projects that Newell will be a late lottery pick in the 2025 draft. In fact, Tankathon has Newell landing with the Atlanta Hawks at pick No. 14 in their latest mock draft. Yes, it is very early in the process, but so far, so good for Newell.

Additionally, ESPN has Newell going a little bit later in the 2025 draft. ESPN projects (subscription required) that Newell will go No. 20 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which would be an excellent fit for the Georgia forward.

“His mobility, fluidity, explosiveness, body control and touch around the rim allowed him to dominate the interior while also making quite a few plays defensively,” said Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
“Newell also has the green light to shoot 3-pointers, which is very interesting at 6-foot-11,” continued Givony. NBA teams are always looking for shooting.
Georgia Bulldogs forward Asa Newell had an impressive performance against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Georgia basketball fans can watch the Bulldogs on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ as Georgia takes on 3-0 North Florida.

UGA basketball faces talented UCF Knights in their exhibition match

The Georgia Bulldogs look to see where they are as the UCF Knights come into town.

In the third season under Mike White the Georgia Bulldogs has been labeled as a “sleeper” team this year in the SEC. In this exhibition match we can gauge on what this team is made of.

Georgia is playing a talented UCF Knights team that added Dior Johnson, JJ Taylor, and Mikey Williams via transfer portal. UCF also has returning guards Jaylin Sellers and Darius Johnson who averaged 15.9 and 15.2 points.

Update: Georgia defeated UCF 114-76.

To offset the guard duo for the Knights, the Bulldogs have their own guard duo. Arguably Georgia’s best perimeter defender, Silas Demary Jr., was All-SEC Freshman Team last season being the third leading scorer and rebounding with 9.7 points, 3.8 rebounds. Demary also averaged 1.4 steals per game. This offseason the development on his offensive game will be put on full display with the challenge of the Johnson/Sellers duo coming into town.

Alongside Demary Jr., Blue Cain was a player that came out on the scene that led to him getting an extended role as the season went along. Out of the six Bulldogs who shot over 100 three-point attempts, Cain ranked second with the percentage of 35.0% from three.

Cain’s shotmaking ability kept him on the floor and made him a very important piece for last year’s team. Cain now has a year under his belt, so expect him to not only be the teams best shooter but someone who can run the offense efficiently.

This offseason, Mike White and company signed their first McDonald’s All-American in Asa Newell. The five-star has been as good as advertised. In the first exhibition game of the season against Charlotte he was the leading scorer leading the team with 20 points. Newell will be relied on as the guy for this team to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.

Georgia basketball ranked surprisingly high in preseason top-100

Can Georgia basketball make a run to the NCAA Tournament? CBS Sports thinks the Dawgs have a shot

The Georgia Bulldogs basketball team is ranked No. 45 in CBS Sports’ most recent preseason top-100 rankings. As the No. 45 team, Georgia would be on the cusp of making the NCAA Tournament.

“The Bulldogs fully expect to be competitive and in the top half of the SEC, thanks above all to anticipated reforms with the team’s rebounding,” said Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.

Georgia basketball is coming off a 20-17 (6-12 in SEC) season where UGA finished No. 11 in the SEC. Georgia did have a promising run in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), but the Bulldogs wouldn’t have made the NIT if several teams did not elect to participate.

Georgia lost a few pieces from last season, but added a couple of key names via the transfer portal and returns several quality players.

“Mike White has two players back who will be starters in Silas Demary Jr. and Blue Cain. Demary really might be the most undervalued player in the SEC,” continued Norlander. Georgia’s most notable signee is five-star forward Asa Newell.

“He’ll (Newell) need to be a top-10 freshman in the country to validate my UGA ranking, and I think he’s gonna pull it off,” said Norlander. “Look for Demary to step up and be one of the best defenders in the SEC – with backup De’Shayne Montgomery not that far behind. Tyrin Lawrence (via Vandy) and RJ Godfrey (via Clemson) should round out the starting five.”

Georgia opens the 2024-2025 college basketball season on Monday, Nov. 4 against Tennessee Tech at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Former Georgia Bulldog shines in 2024 NBA season debut

Anthony Edwards plays well in Timberwolves’ season opener

Former Georgia Bulldog Anthony Edwards has been the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise for a few years, and he proved it in the second game of the NBA season. He scored 27 points, which led the team, along with six rebounds and three assists, making 10 of his 25 attempts. Unfortunately, his prowess couldn’t lift the Timberwolves over the Lakers, losing 110-103.

Edwards had this to say in the press conference after the game.

“I feel like we got really good shots. I feel like we just missed a lot of shots, me included.”

On getting open looks:

“I feel like I got a lot of open looks tonight. Like I said, we got great looks. If we make those shots we win the game. It’s that simple. If I make the open shots I missed I’ll win the game.”

On the first half turnovers:

“We made some lazy passes. We weren’t ready to play yet. We came too relaxed,” said Edwards.

Here is the link to the full post-game interview:

Edwards is one of three Georgia Bulldogs in the NBA along with Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton.

Georgia basketball adds 7-foot-1 center to 2025 class

Four-star center recruit has committed to UGA basketball

Tuesday afternoon, 7-foot-1 center recruit Jackson McVey committed to head coach Mike White and Georgia basketball. McVey is playing at the Overtime Elite in Atlanta, Georgia.

McVey’s addition to the class of 2025 shows that Mike White looking to add size for the future for this program. McVey’s addition marks the second year in a row where an Overtime Elite player has committed to play for the Bulldogs with Somto Cyril signing in last year’s 2024 class.

McVey went on a visit to Athens this September and was constantly in communication since receiving an offer this summer from Mike White.

The lengthy center is the No. 25 player at his position, per ESPN. McVey is ranked as a four-star recruit.

Georgia’s 2025 class now includes four-star Jacob Wilkins, Kareem Stagg, and now Jackson McVey with all of them being 6-foot-8 and up. The future for the wings and bigs at UGA is going to be something to watch. Georgia’s class is now ranked No. 7 in the country.

Mike White and company beat out Georgia Tech, Florida, and Florida State for the in-state recruit. This is great momentum going into the upcoming high school and college basketball season starting in a few weeks.

Watch Anthony Edwards throws down windmill dunk

Former UGA basketball star Anthony Edwards throws down a ridiculous windmill dunk in Team USA’s win

Former Georgia Bulldogs basketball star Anthony Edwards is putting on a show for Team USA at the Olympic Games in Paris, France. Edwards scored a team-high 26 points of 11 of 15 shooting in the United States’ dominany 104-83 win over Puerto Rico.

Team USA has secured the No. 1 seed in the Olympic basketball tournament ahead of knockout play. The top highlight of the United States’ win had to be Anthony Edwards’ steal and windmill dunk in the fourth quarter.

Here’s a look at Edwards’ highlight.

Edwards’ windmill as about as good of an in-game dunk as you will ever see in basketball.

Former Georgia guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signs massive contract

Former Georgia Bulldogs basketball star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be paid over $20 million per year at his new NBA home

Former Georgia Bulldogs basketball star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is joining the Orlando Magic on a three-year, $66 million contract. Caldwell-Pope played for the Denver Nuggets during the 2023-2024 NBA season. The Nuggets fell to Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA playoffs.

Caldwell-Pope brings championship experience to the Magic. He has won the NBA Finals twice in his career. The former Georgia star won one title with the Denver Nuggets and one with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Orlando has a young core and is looking to advance further in the NBA postseason after falling in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Last season, Caldwell-Pope averaged 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game for the Denver Nuggets. Caldwell-Pope connected on 40.6% of his three-point attempts. He provides much-needed outside shooting for the Magic.

Former Georgia star Nic Claxton signed a four-year, $100 million contract to return to the Brooklyn Nets.

Former Georgia basketball forward signs 4-year, $100 million contract

Former Georgia basketball standout signs huge contract worth more than what all eight Georgia rookies in the NFL will earn combined

Former Georgia Bulldogs center Nic Claxton has signed a four-year, $100 million contract to return to the Brooklyn Nets. Claxton was the No. 31 pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

Claxton’s contract is worth more than the combined amounts of all eight of Georgia’s 2024 NFL draft picks.

The former Georgia standout is known for his ability to switch on defense. Claxton is among the NBA’s top shot blockers and will anchor Brooklyn’s core alongside Cameron Johnson after the Nets recently traded star Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks.

The 6-foot-11, 215-pound center averaged 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in 2023-2024 with the Nets. Claxton has made nearly two-thirds (66.1%) of his shots from the field throughout his five year NBA career. Claxton has started in 147 games for Brooklyn over the past two seasons and plays just under 30 minutes per game.

Claxton, 25, will earn the second-most money of any player on the Nets behind Ben Simmons, who is set to make over $40 million in 2024-2025.

Former Georgia guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has also signed a large contract in NBA free agency. Caldwell-Pope, who is a two-time NBA champion, is signing with the Orlando Magic.