Key Highlights
- No. 23 Georgia hosts Auburn in their SEC opener on January 3 at Stegeman Coliseum.
- The Bulldogs enter the game with a 12-1 record, matching the third-best start in program history.
- Auburn is 9-4, with four losses coming against top-10 teams.
- Georgia’s scoring average of 99.0 ppg leads all Division I teams.
Georgia’s Impressive Start to the Season
No. 23 Georgia (12-1, 0-0 SEC) is set to host Auburn (9-4, 0-0 SEC) in their Southeastern Conference (SEC) opener on Saturday, January 3 at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.
The Bulldogs come into the game with a strong record and are looking to match their second-best start ever. As of Friday, Georgia was leading all Division I teams in scoring offense (99.0 ppg), fastbreak points (27.5 ppg) and blocks (7.9 bpg).
Depth and Scoring Machine
The Bulldogs feature one of the nation’s deepest rotations with eleven players averaging double-figure minutes. Jeremiah Wilkinson is leading the team in scoring at 17.3 points per game, while Blue Cain contributes 15.7 ppg.
The team has already broken their single-season program record for games topping 100 points, doing so six times this season, including a school-record six contests.
Auburn’s Strong Squad
Auburn (9-4) is led by Keyshawn Hall, who is ranked No. 3 in the SEC in scoring with 20.1 ppg and No. 5 in rebounding at 8.0 rpg.
The Tigers have three more double-digit scorers: Tahaad Pettiford (14.4 ppg), Kevin Overton (12.5 ppg) and Elyiah Freeman (10.2 ppg).
Series History
This will be the 202nd meeting between Georgia and Auburn, with the Tigers holding a 104-97 edge in the series.
In their most recent matchup last February at Auburn, the top-ranked Tigers secured an 82-70 win over the Bulldogs. The game was tightly contested until the final minutes, where Georgia’s rally fell short.
Stegeman Coliseum – A Fortress for the Bulldogs
Georgia’s home court advantage is real at Stegeman Coliseum, where they have a .794 winning percentage under head coach Mike White. The Bulldogs are 36-0 against non-conference competition in Stegeman since White took over.
Pace and Dunking
The Bulldogs play one of the nation’s quickest paces with an average offensive possession length of 14.1 seconds, ranked second nationally by KenPom.com. Georgia is also leading the nation in dunks at a rate of 22.9 percent.
Looking Ahead
A win over Auburn would put Georgia on par with their best start since 1931 and match both UGA’s second-best start ever and its best beginning since 1931. The Bulldogs will face a tough test from an Auburn squad that has only lost to top-10 teams this season.
The game is set for Saturday, January 3 at 1:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network with Matt Schumacker as the play-by-play announcer and Richard Hendrix providing analysis.
