“Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” comes to the hardwood Friday night in Athens, Ga., when either Georgia or Georgia Tech will improve to 4-0 on the young season.
The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets reached the 3-0 mark in different ways, but Georgia coach Mike White sees some likenesses between his team and its rival that go beyond their matching records.
“They’re really skilled,” White said. “Their bigs pass the ball really well. They can block shots. They can turn you over, they can pressure you … We’ve got some similarities, and so it’ll be a high-level game. We anticipate it, we’re excited about it.”
Georgia Tech had close wins over Maryland Eastern Shore (56-52 in overtime) and SE Louisiana (70-60) sandwiched around a 29-point romp over Bryant.
Maryland Eastern Shore happened to visit Georgia on the same trip south … and the Bulldogs ran away 94-29, the most lopsided victory in the history of their on-campus arena. Georgia also blasted Bellarmine and most recently put up 120 points in a win over Morehead State.
As a result, Georgia has a KenPom rating in the low 30s as of Thursday night while Georgia Tech is in the mid-90s. The Bulldogs also have won the past two meetings with their rivals.
“We’ve got to get there, and we’ve got to be prepared to fight,” Georgia Tech coach Damon Stouadmire said. “We’ve got to take the fight to them as well. So, that’s what I want. That’s what I want to see from our team. It’s a road test at their spot. So, it’s a big game. No question about it.”
Georgia Tech is led by Kowacie Reeves Jr.’s 14.0 points per game, but the breakout performer has been freshman center Mouhamed Sylla, who has three straight double-doubles to start the season and averages 13.3 points and 12.0 rebounds.
“Mo’s done a really good job,” Stoudamire said. “I think that he’ll only get better.”
Four players have averaged at least 12.3 points per game for Georgia, led by Jeremiah Wilkinson’s 16.3.
Last year, in the 200th edition of the series, Georgia notched a 77-69 road win with Blue Cain (10 points) one of four double-digit scorers. Cain is the Bulldogs’ second-leading scorer so far this season at 15.0 points per game, along with 3.3 steals per game.
