Georgia has secured a place in the national rankings for the first time in 14 years following impressive back-to-back upset victories. Ranked at No. 23 in both major polls, the Bulldogs are set to prove their new ranking when they face off against No. 6 Tennessee on Wednesday night in Southeastern Conference action in Knoxville, Tennessee. Despite the achievement, Georgia’s third-year coach, Mike White, is cautious about getting carried away with the team’s recent success in making the AP poll for the first time since January 10, 2011.
“We’re not focusing on the big picture right now. I apologize,” White stated before the rankings were released. “I’m really happy for our players, but we still have a long way to go.” Georgia (14-2, 2-1 SEC) entered the rankings by defeating then-No. 6 Kentucky 82-69 on January 7 and then-No. 17 Oklahoma 72-62 on Saturday.
Their upcoming opponent, Tennessee (15-1, 2-1), poses another tough challenge. Tennessee was the last team in the nation to suffer their first loss and dropped from the No. 1 spot after a 73-43 defeat by then-No. 8 Florida on January 7. White sees the match against the Vols as a significant opportunity to measure the team’s performance on the road against one of the country’s top teams with a formidable defense.
In their recent win over Oklahoma, Asa Newell and Dakota Leffew each contributed 15 points, while Somto Cyril blocked four shots, marking his fourth game with four or more blocks this season. Newell leads Georgia with averages of 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds, shooting an impressive 58.1% from the field. Leffew follows with a 12.4 points per game average and leads the team with 38 made three-pointers.
Tennessee has a history of success against Georgia, winning their past four matchups and six of the last seven meetings. The Volunteers are aiming for their 100th victory over the Bulldogs, who have 62 wins in the series. Despite a disappointing shooting performance in their loss to Florida, where they shot 21.4% from the field and 13.8% from three-point range, Tennessee bounced back with a 74-70 road win against Texas, with Darlinstone Dubar scoring 12 points off the bench.
Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler led the team with 16 points and eight assists in their victory over Texas. He ranks second in scoring with 11.9 points per game and leads in assists with 7.6 per game. Chaz Lanier, the team’s leading scorer with an average of 19.0 points, has struggled in the past two games, shooting just 22.2% from the field. Head coach Rick Barnes expressed disappointment with Lanier’s recent performance and emphasized
The consecutive subpar performances. He has registered seven 20-point performances so far this season.–Field Level Media
