Georgia basketball has a tough road game Saturday.
On Saturday, Jan. 4, the Georgia Bulldogs basketball team will travel to Tennessee to take on the ninth-ranked 12-1 Memphis Tigers at 1:00 PM.
The matchup will represent one of the toughest games of the year for the Dawgs, who are coming off of a comfortable win over Austin Peay on Monday.
The Tigers are coached by former NBA player Penny Hardaway, and although they no longer have the services of projected NBA lottery center James Wiseman, they still are a very deep team with veteran experience and will present a formidable task for Anthony Edwards and co. to overcome.
The Tigers’ lone loss of the year came early in the season at the hands of 14th-ranked Oregon, and they have been on a tear ever since.
The Dawgs will need to play smart and together if they are going to get a win in their final game before conference play begins.
The Georgia Bulldogs got a big home win Monday night.
The Georgia Bulldogs basketball team got a much-needed home win on Monday night against Austin Peay.
The game was relatively close at the half, as both teams came out of the gates slow in the first half and the Dawgs led 31-26 after 20 minutes.
However, after the break, things picked up dramatically for UGA as they would outscore Austin Peay by 25 points in the second half en route to a final score of 78-48.
The Dawgs were once again led in scoring by Rayshawn Hammonds, who logged 17 points on 8/12 shooting. UGA also shot an impressive 38% from three-point range, a key factor in the victory.
The Dawgs now set their sights on a tough road test Saturday against the ninth-ranked Memphis Tigers.
As one of the most popular prospects of all-time, LaMelo Ball has the star power to become the top overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
The race for the top spot in the 2020 NBA Draft’s No. 1 pick has been one where no prospect has separated themselves. The trio of Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball figure to be the trio most likely fighting for that spot with a few other outside options.
After a suspension and a fine levied by the NCAA, Wiseman eventually left Memphis to focus fully on entering the NBA Draft. Edwards has had flashes this season but has not strung together enough strong performances to become the undoubted top pick.
The one advantage Ball has over the competition, though, is his star power. Take, for example, the trio’s followers on social media. Ball comes in at 5.1 million, Wiseman is at 163,000 and Edwards is at 128,000.
“He’s gonna be the No. 1 pick. When you come down to this, this is entertainment. This is entertainment. The bottom line is, this is entertainment. You’re usually gonna take the most popular guy, and you’re gonna take the best guard. Melo’s both of them.
“Ain’t none of them known like Melo. If you’re an owner, and you get a guy, you better put somebody in them seats. If you look at the big picture, which comes down to that money thing, nobody’s like Melo; he’s worldwide. You can go anywhere – you can go to Moscow, Germany, Shanghai; he’s been to all those places – and you say Melo; go over there and say any of those other guys and see if they respond.
“That’s why there’s a difference. Melo goes any place and sells it out, breaking attendance records left and right. It ain’t by accident. There’s something special about this kid, and I’ve been knowing it since he’s been a baby. Now you guys are getting to see it, and the proof is in the pudding.”
While it shouldn’t be a deciding factor, Ball’s star power should and will be part of a team’s thought process when differentiating between the top prospects. Ball will draw large crowds wherever he lands similar to the crowds Lonzo drew in his first year with the Lakers.
Ball has already shattered records for the National Basketball League in both attendanceand viewership. If he can do those types of numbers across the globe, it’ll intrigue teams to see what he can do stateside.
A trio of freshmen helped propel the Georgia Bulldogs men’s basketball team to a home victory over Georgia Southern this Monday night.
The Georgia Bulldogs outlasted a scrappy Georgia Southern team Monday night at Stegeman Coliseum by a final score of 73-64.
The Dawgs were led to victory by a duo of freshmen. Freshman forward Toumani Camara shot a perfect 8/8 for 16 points and tacked on 7 rebounds and an assist to top it off. Going with that was Anthony Edwards’ 23 points on 50% shooting, as well as 3 rebounds and 4 assists.
The 16 points out of Camara were his collegiate career high and Edwards remains the #1 freshman scorer in the country with his 23 piece.
Georgia Southern put up a fight for the entirety of the game. Their zone defense was working until Edwards closed it out with a few big buckets late down the stretch in the 2nd half. Georgia Southern’s Ike Smith led all players with 25 points on the night.
With Georgia down 60-59 and under 4:30 left in the game, Edwards had a consecutive assist, dunk, layup, dunk and dunk without Georgia Southern scoring to give the Dawgs a 69-60 lead and close out the game.
Here are two of his dunks from that clutch 2:30 stretch:
Edwards has been special all year, living up to the hype that has been surrounding him. Right now he is a projected top-5 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
UGA head coach Tom Crean credited freshman guard Sahvir Wheeler and Toumani Camara on their defensive effort in the game. “We won the game because of what we did on defense. Sahvir and Toumani didn’t come out of the game at all in the second half, two freshmen just rallied it up in a big way, we earned these two victories.” said Crean in a postgame interview.
The Bulldogs advanced to 8-3 on the season with the win and will face Austin Peay at home next on December 30th.
Already sporting a guard-heavy roster, the Golden State Warriors are reportedly not infatuated with the top prospects in the 2020 NBA Draft.
After years of being the crown jewel of the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors figure to be one of the first teams to make a selection in the 2020 NBA Draft. Injuries, free agent departures and trades this off-season depleted Golden State entirely of its core that made five consecutive NBA Finals appearances.
The Warriors will be presented with an interesting dilemma in June’s draft. Already rostering three All-Star guards, the top of the draft is highlighted by guards like LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards and Cole Anthony. James Wiseman is the exception as a big man but his recent decision to leave Memphis will leave scouts and general managers with minimal game footage of him past high school.
The Warriors aren’t infatuated with anyone projected to go within the first couple of selections, a league source told The Chronicle.
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The top of the 2020 draft is guard heavy, which isn’t ideal for a Golden State team that boasts Curry, Thompson and D’Angelo Russell. But general manager Bob Myers subscribes to the philosophy of drafting the best player available, not the one who fits a positional need. That is even more paramount when selecting in the draft’s first handful of picks.
D’Angelo Russell has long been seen as a trade chip for the Warriors to bring in other pieces that could better suit the roster. For now, he’s a placeholder at worst for a backcourt without Steph Curry or Klay Thompson. Whether all three could fit on the court together is a question the Warriors themselves likely don’t have the answer to.
Given that, it’s hard to see the Warriors taking yet another guard in the draft without a trade first. Even with one, it’ll be a repeat of the current situation with Anthony and Ball considered point guards and Edwards a combo guard.
While it would be great for the development of Ball to land in Golden State, it would create some complications. Unless the team is confident Thompson, who has garnered praise as an elite defender, can defend bigger wings and play the small forward role, Ball would be used more in a sixth man role. It wouldn’t be terrible for the first couple of seasons in the league but it would put a cap on his growth.
But that debate is still many months away. Ping pong balls are yet to bounce, trades are yet to be completed and many things could yet change before June.
The Georgia Bulldogs basketball team got a win Friday.
It was a wild win on Friday night for the Georgia Bulldogs over the previously 8-1 SMU Mustangs.
After a back-and-forth battle all night between the two teams, the game fittingly went into a first overtime period, where the teams traded highlight plays.
With the Dawgs down two, freshman point guard Sahvir Wheeler made a clutch layup to tie the game and force a second extra period.
With just seconds remaining in that overtime, Wheeler once again found a hole in the SMU defense and maneuvered to the rim for what would be the game-winning layup.
All in all, this was an impressive win for the Dawgs against an SMU team who many project to be in the NCAA tournament in March. Georgia was led in scoring by Rayshaun Hammonds with 21.
The Dawgs now set their sights on the Georgia Southern Eagles for a contest Monday night.
Casual basketball fans might expect the Golden State Warriors to add a top recruit like James Wiseman or LaMelo Ball in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Casual basketball fans might expect the Golden State Warriors to add a top recruit like James Wiseman or LaMelo Ball in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Despite the fact that their poor record will give them a solid chance at their pick of the litter, per team insider Connor Letourneau, the front office is not “infatuated” with any of the projected top picks in the 2020 NBA Draft.
This makes some sense considering the personnel they already have with superstars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. As such, the Warriors will have a different approach to this draft class than just selecting the best player available.
Letourneau, however, specifically mentioned one prospect that may be a good fit in Golden State (via SF Chronicle):
“One player who could intrigue Golden State is Dayton forward Obi Toppin, who, like Murray State’s Ja Morant last year, has used a torrid start to his sophomore season to emerge as a potential top-5 pick. At 6-foot-9, 220 pounds, Toppin is a strong, versatile big man who can hit open jumpers, throw down highlight-worthy dunks, defend multiple positions and dive for loose balls.”
Toppin is 6-foot-9 but has spent 70 percent of his minutes at center over the last five games. He looks the part of a natural four who could play at the big for small-ball lineups that the Warriors have made infamous.
Diving in a bit and it seems Golden State has done their early due diligence scouting Dayton; they have already visited their practices twice this season.
🚨 🚨 🚨 For the second time, the @warriors came by practice!
They were undoubtedly there to get a closer look at Toppin, who currently ranks Top 10 in Player of the Year ratings for both KenPom and BartTorvik.
Based on his play this year, he might not even be a reach assuming Golden State picks in the first half of the lottery. Recent mock drafts and big boards from NBADraft.Net (No. 4), CBS Sports (No. 5), 247 Sports (No. 5), Yahoo (No. 7), Rookie Wire (No. 8), Forbes (No. 9), The Athletic (No. 10) and even ESPN (No. 12) are all high on him.
It goes to reason as Toppin is averaging 1.19 points per possession this season, per Synergy, which ranks in the 97th percentile among all college basketball players.
He currently leads all players in the NCAA with 36 dunks this year and has connected on 11-of-12 (91.2 percent) putback attempts. This was recently displayed by the insane offensive rebound-turned-slam towards the end of regulation against Colorado.
He is also shooting 59-of-71 (83.1 percent) within four feet of the rim. That ranks No. 1 overall among all 141 players who have had at least 40 attempts in this zone.
But the 6-foot-9 prospect spreads the floor well, too, and has connected on 42.9 percent of his three-pointers during his two NCAA seasons thus far.
Shortly after the dunk against Colorado mentioned above, Toppin hit a clutch three-pointer as time expired to send the game into overtime.
His team simply players better when Tippin is on the floor considering that the big man currently ranks Top 10 among all underclassmen in Box Plus-Minus.
After the Maui Invitational Tournament, former NBA agent Matt Babcock spoke glowingly about Toppin (via Babcock Hoops):
“At 6-foot-9 with good length, possessing elite athleticism, Toppin not only has prototypical physical attributes, he has the skill set to match, as he does about everything you’d want from a modern day power forward. On the offensive end, he is a threat to score on the low block, and around the rim, he is a good shooter from outside, he runs the floor and is a high flyer — pick your poison. Defensively, he is able to utilize his athleticism and physical tools to defend multiple positions, grab rebounds, and protect the rim. To go along with these terrific skills, he has a high motor, an infectious presence on the floor, but almost as important as anything, he has a high basketball IQ — he doesn’t make many mistakes and plays within himself.”
The biggest concern for scouts might be that after redshirting, Toppin is already 21 years old. But for a win-now team like the Warriors, that is far from a problem and closer to a lovable attribute. Unlike other franchises selecting in the lottery, they need someone who can help right away and he can do that at the Chase Center.
For #warriors, this season is all about finding an impact player in draft. Obi Toppin putting on a show for Dayton in #MauiInvitational
Another reason why he would fit for Golden State’s system is that they are not a team that calls many pick-and-roll sets for the roller. When looking at the regular season and playoffs last season, they finished just 3.5 percent of their offensive sets this way — last among all teams in the NBA.
Pick-and-roll has been the one and only area where Toppin has struggled in 2019-20, which would hurt his draft stock for virtually any other franchise looking to select someone who plays in the frontcourt. But for a team that does not make this a priority, his biggest weakness would not be exposed in a way that is too problematic.
Even with all this in mind, it would be foolish to think that the Warriors will select Toppin at No. 1 overall if that is where the lottery puts them. But if that is the player they want, which makes all the sense in the world, they could trade down and secure his rights and even get another asset in the process.
After over a month of the college basketball season, we are starting to get a better picture of what the 2020 NBA Draft will look like.
After over a month of the college basketball season, we are starting to get a better picture of what the 2020 NBA draft will look like.
For example, Georgia Bulldogs freshman Anthony Edwards is beginning to separate himself as a near-consensus No. 1 overall pick. On the other side of the coin, though, several of the projected top selections (LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, Cole Anthony and RJ Hampton) will miss extended time due to either injury or suspension.
In order to get a better read of the bigger picture, we collected opinions from the top experts and analysts that cover the draft. The latest 2020 NBA mock drafts from ESPN, CBS Sports, SI.com, Bleacher Report, NBADraft.net, The Athletic as well as USA Today Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire were used for these rankings.
Cassius Winston, Aaron Henry, Xavier Tillman in top-45 of The Athletic's NBA Draft Big Board https://t.co/LFrVsMcvZD
One of the most interesting takeaways is that the Michigan State Spartans have three players (Cassius Winston, Aaron Henry and Xavier Tillman) all trending up.
After making the Final Four in last year’s March Madness, the program was expected to take another leap forward for their 2019-20 campaign.
Despite three losses in their first 10 games, the Spartans still rank No. 15 overall this season. This can be attributed to the fact Michigan State currently has the third-best offense in college basketball, per KenPom.com.
They also have three of the most improved players since our last aggregate mock draft. The full list, and more on each of the MSU players moving up draft boards, is included below.
Since our last AMD, this has moved up 17 spots in our rankings.
Despite already being 21 years old, the 6-foot-1 guard currently has a first-round grade from ESPN as well as Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports.
Winston has been one of the best distributors since he began at MSU. 67.1 percent of all field goals for the Spartans have been assisted, which is the sixth-most among all teams so far this season. His career assist rate (44.1 percent) ranks No. 1 overall among all college players who have played at least 50 games since 2009-10, via Sports-Reference.
With 7 assists today vs Rutgers, Cassius Winston now has the 2nd-most career assists (770) in Big Ten History, passing Illinois’ Bruce Douglas.
Winston is now just 46 assists behind Mateen Cleaves for the conference career record (816). pic.twitter.com/BLzMQGjpzx
During his freshman season, he had the second-best assist rate (46.7 percent) in the NCAA. Then as a sophomore, his assist rate (43.5 percent) trailed only Trae Young for the best in college basketball. Last season, his assist mark (44.8 percent) ranked third-best and behind only Ja Morant among all who played for teams that made the tournament.
But he has also shown strength as one of the more accurate shooters in the NCAA.
Winston was 75-for-151 (49.7 percent) from beyond the arc in 2017-18. That helped him join the exclusive 50-40-90 club for field-goal percentage, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage. Even as a sophomore then, the guard was one of the few to have a membership with at least two three-point attempts per game.
There is some enough NBA readiness to show he can contribute right away for a winning team.
Aaron Henry, Wing
AMD Rank: 33
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Since our last AMD, this has moved up 26 spots in our rankings.
Henry was of the players who helped himself the most during the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Then a freshman, he put up 20 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists during a victory over LSU.
While he has not yet taken the leap some expected as a sophomore, draft experts still have confidence in him as a prospect. His highest ranking right now comes from Jonathan Wasserman, who has him at No. 28 overall (via Bleacher Report):
“The eye test on Henry looks more convincing than the numbers. He isn’t a high-level creator, which limits him in Michigan State’s offense. But the 6’6″ guard is hitting open shots, capitalizing on driving lanes and making impact defensive plays. This late, teams will overlook Henry’s production for his fit.”
Perhaps the best news for the wing is that there is room for improvement. However, there have also been moments that show what Henry is capable of accomplishing at the next level.
This season, for example, the sophomore has been one of the most effective shooters off the catch. He is averaging 1.78 points per possession on catch-and-shoot attempts in a set offense, per Synergy Sports, which ranks in the 98th percentile.
Henry is also shooting 72.7 percent at the rim, which is an especially solid rate for a wing. Overall, he looks like someone capable of being a 3-and-D player in an NBA rotation.
Xavier Tillman, Big
AMD Rank: 50
Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Since our last AMD, this has moved up 13 spots in our rankings.
Michigan State has always been a team that plays better with Tillman on the court. Last season, for example, the big actually had the third-best box plus-minus in the NCAA — trailing only Zion Williamson and Brandon Clarke.
Jeremy Woo recently helped contextualize what professional teams may like about the 6-foot-8 junior (via SI.com):
“Tillman specializes in doing the dirty work and has been a largely unheralded yet invaluable piece of the Spartans’ success dating back to last season. He’s not particularly tall for a center but has a chance to be a quality rotational big in the pros with what he adds defensively and on the glass. Tillman has worked on extending his shooting range, and if he ends up being able to shoot the three, he’ll have a fairly strong window of opportunity as a role player. A lot of the things he does as a screener and defender don’t show up in the box score, and while he’ll never be more than a fourth or fifth offensive option, he might be able to thrive in that capacity.”
His best trait so far this season has been his ability to cut to the basket. He is shooting 15-for-17 (88.2 percent) on these attempts, per Synergy.
But he has also added value on the offensive glass and as a rim protector for Michigan State. His willingness and ability to make the most of time on the floor makes him a draftable professional prospect.
It was a disappointing effort from the Dawgs in the desert.
On Saturday, the Georgia Bulldogs basketball team took on the Arizona State Sun Devils in their first true road game of the season and will leave the desert with a 79-59 loss.
It was a frustrating game all around for the Dawgs, as they only shot 35% percent from the field and made just two of their 24 three-point attempts. Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards was unable to get it clicking offensively, scoring 13 points in one of his lowest scoring outputs thus far.
Defensively, the Dawgs struggled to contain the Sun Devils, who shot almost 50% from the floor and made ten more shots than UGA.
After a disappointing showing Saturday, the Dawgs will practice this week before a showdown with SMU on Friday in Athens.UGA
