Alabama Basketball Opponent Preview: Georgia Bulldogs

After falling on the road to Tennessee on Wednesday, Alabama basketball hopes to get back on track against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday evening.

Georgia is an improved team from last year, sitting at 16-10 and 6-7 in the conference. The Bulldogs are on track to finish with their highest winning percentage since 2016, and have shown stark improvements from last season’s team that went 6-26.

UGA is currently riding a two-game winning streak, having defeated Kentucky and LSU back-to-back in Athens. However, Georgia will have to travel to Tuscaloosa this weekend to play one of the nation’s best teams. The Bulldogs are just 1-7 in true road games this season.

Aside from their last two victories, Georgia’s other SEC wins have come against Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and South Carolina.

Alabama basketball should have some added incentive to make a statement against the Bulldogs, who won the last matchup in the series. Georgia’s 82-76 win over Bama in Athens last January was the only SEC game it won all year. This was perhaps the lowest point of the season for a frustratingly inconsistent 2021-22 Crimson Tide hoops team.

Alabama could begin to make amends with a convincing win in Coleman Coliseum.

Alabama Basketball: Previewing UGA hoops’ personnel

This season’s Georgia team is led by guards Terry Roberts and Kario Oquendo. Roberts is a senior who transferred to Athens from Bradley University. He fuels the Bulldog offense, averaging north of 14 points and four assists per game while also notching 1.7 steals per contest.

Oquendo, a junior, is an athletic off-ball slasher who averages 12.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He was the Bulldogs’ best player last year, posting over 15 points per game as a sophomore JUCO transfer. Roberts and Oquendo were teammates at Florida SouthWestern State College in 2020-21.

Junior guard Justin Hill joins Roberts and Oquendo in the backcourt. Hill is a transfer from Longwood and contributes 7.8 points and 3.0 assists per game.

Senior big Braelen Bridges and junior forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe lead the Georgia frontcourt.

Bridges was an impact player down low last season, averaging 13 points per game. His production has decreased to 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per outing this year as Georgia has leaned on its guards. Still, he is a capable scorer who is coming off three straight games in double-figures, including a 26-point performance against Ole Miss.

Moncrieffe is an Oklahoma State transfer that is a solid frontcourt contributor for UGA. He has started every game he has been active for, averaging 6.3 points and leading Georgia with 5.5 rebounds per game. Syracuse transfer Frank Anselem provides a long, shot-blocking presence off the bench.

Junior wing Jabri Abdur-Rahim and senior guard Mardrez McBride play critical roles off the bench, though they don’t post eye-popping stats.

Abdur-Rahim is a big wing at 6’7” and shoots the three at a team-high 40 percent. Likewise, McBride connects on over 37 percent of his three-point attempts. These two are invaluable contributors, as Georgia’s starting backcourt doesn’t shoot particularly well from the perimeter.

Alabama basketball fans will remember sophomore Jusaun Holt, a reserve wing player who played sparingly for the Tide last year before transferring to Georgia.

This game provides another opportunity for Bama hoops to show its focus and resolve. The Crimson Tide is coming off its first SEC loss of the season, and is hosting a team that embarrassed it last season.

If Alabama basketball is as good as fans would like to believe, it will dispose of Georgia easily at home.