Georgia bounces back, sweeps Ole Miss on the season
ATHENS- Coming off of an abysmal shooting performance, Georgia bounced back against Ole Miss-who now accounts for two-thirds of the Bulldogs’ conference victories.
Georgia’s shooting numbers were significantly better in this game, and the team even hit 50% of their threes, which is a mark that they have only reached one other time this season. Ole Miss (8-8, 3-6) couldn’t score as efficiently as Georgia (10-6, 3-6) en route to the 71-61 win for the Bulldogs.
There are some statistics that show Georgia played well, and there are some statistics that suggest Georgia played poorly. Ultimately, this game was not about which team had less turnovers or who shot the ball better. This game was about effort.
The sustentation of high energy and effort on both ends of the floor was the best for Georgia all season. There is not a single game that Georgia has played during this campaign where they fought as hard on offense and defense for such a long period of time. From the tip, it seemed as though the Bulldogs had a spark in them that has not been present since SEC play began.
“When you’re 2-6, you kind of get a little desperate,” Wheeler said.
Georgia’s point guard was referring to the team’s SEC record entering Saturday’s matchup. Wheeler was tied with Tye Fagan with 13 points to lead Georgia and added five assists. He was noticeably putting himself into an extra gear on certain possessions.
“We didn’t let our confidence drop today,” head coach Tom Crean said. “To me, I think confidence is the hardest thing by far in how players respond to in-game failure.”
That confidence and effort was rewarded with Georgia hitting shots. The team was feeling it from beyond the arc, hitting six threes in the first half. The Bulldogs were only able to muster out three shots from deep against South Carolina on Wednesday.
Being able to make shots at a higher rate opened up Georgia’s offense. They did a much better job of finding open shooters and cutters, and part of that can be attributed to how much easier it is to play offense when the team is making more shots.
This victory does not come without major concerns that have been lingering over the course of the season. When asked what one thing that the team needs to improve on ahead of their matchup against the Rebels, Sahvir Wheeler and Andrew Garcia responded with the same answer: rebounding. On Saturday night, Ole Miss outrebounded Georgia on the offensive glass 23 to 10
Up Next
Georgia will travel to “the plains” to meet up with Auburn for the second time this season. In Athens, Auburn handled the Bulldogs fairly easily, and their five-star point guard Sharife Cooper dominated with 28 points and 12 assists. If Georgia plays as hard as they did against Ole Miss, then they will have a shot to make their meeting with the Tigers more competitive this time around.