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MBB: Georgia (14-5, 2-4 SEC) vs. Florida Preview (17-2, 4-2 SEC)

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center (10,151)

Location: Gainesville, Fla.

TV: SEC Network (Mike Morgan, play-by-play; Mark Wise, analyst)

Radio: Georgia Bulldog Network – Sirius 382 (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer)

The Starting Five

• Georgia plays its second consecutive road game on Saturday when the Bulldogs travel to No. 5/6 Florida looking to bounce back from two- and three-point losses to No. 1/1 Auburn and Arkansas.

• Georgia, which played five straight ranked opponents to begin the SEC campaign, is in the midst of a six-game span featuring four top-10 opponents – No. 6/6 Tennessee, No. 1/1 Auburn, No. 5/6 Florida and No. 4/3 Alabama – with three of those matchups being on the road.

• Mike White has now led three programs with losing records the season before he arrived to top-25 AP rankings in less than three years. He also did so at Louisiana Tech (12-20 in 2010-11 to No. 25 in 2013) and Florida (16-17 in 2014-15 to No. 12 during 2017 “Elite Eight” campaign).

• The Bulldogs entered the weekend ranked 34.6 in an average of six popular metrics (NET, KenPom, Torvik, KPI, BPI and SOR) – an increase of 184.3 spots since Mike White became UGA’s head coach.

• Asa Newell has been named SEC Freshman of the Week three times, the second most ever by a Bulldog behind only Anthony Edwards’ four certificates during the 2019-20 season.

The Opening Tip

The Georgia Bulldogs travel to Gainesville on Saturday to take on No. 5/6 Florida.

Georgia is 14-5 overall and 2-4 to open league play. The Bulldogs’ first five league opponents were ranked – No. 24/23 Ole Miss, No. 6/7 Kentucky, No. 17/16 Oklahoma, No. 6/6 Tennessee and No. 1/1 Auburn.

Such is life in the SEC in 2025.

The Florida matchup is the fourth in a six-game span when the Bulldogs will play four top-10 teams. Georgia dropped decisions to No. 6/6 Tennessee and No. 1/1 Auburn last week and after playing the Gators on Saturday, will take on No. 4/3 Alabama the following Saturday.

Georgia’s balanced offense features seven players who have led the Bulldogs in one or more games. Two more players have posted double-figure scoring outputs. All told, those nine Bulldogs have produced 72 double-digit performances. 

Asa Newell, who has been named SEC Freshman of the Week three times, leads a trio of Bulldogs averaging double figures at 15.5 ppg. He also paces UGA on the boards at 6.9 rpg. Among league leaders, Newell is ranked No. 15 in scoring and No. 12 rebounding – including an SEC-best 3.5 offensive boards per game. He also is No. 3 the SEC and No. 40 nationally in field goal percentage (.572).

Silas Demary Jr. and Dakota Leffew are scoring at a double-digit pace for the Bulldogs at 11.6 ppg and 11.3 ppg, respectively.

Scouting The Gators

Florida is 17-2 overall and 4-2 in SEC action, marks that have the Gators ranked No. 5 by the AP poll and No. 6 in the coaches ledger this week. Florida is coming off a dramatic 70-69 victory at South Carolina on Wednesday night.

Walter Clayton Jr. leads a potent Gator offense, contributing 17.8 of Florida’s 85.1 ppg scoring average. He also tops the Gators in assists at 3.9 apg and 3-pointers at 2.9 3fgpg.

Three more players are scoring at a double-figure clip for Florida, Alijah Martin at 16.1 ppg, Will Richard at 13.5 ppg and Alex Condon at 10.5 ppg and a team-most 8.2 rpg.

Series History With Florida

Florida possesses a 125-105 edge in the all-time hardwood series between the Bulldogs and the Gators.

Georgia and Florida last met in the second round of last year’s SEC Tournament, with the Gators converting 6-of-6 free throws in the final 15 seconds to preserve an 85-80 win at Bridgestone Arena.

After trailing by nine midway through the first half, the Bulldogs used a 21-5 surge to go up 33-26 with 3:25 left in the period.

The Gators regained the lead on a three-point play at the 13:10 mark of the second stanza. Georgia pulled within 74-73 with 2:46 remaining but failed on two attempts to take the lead thereafter, and the Gators closed out the contest by hitting a half-dozen free throws.

The Bulldogs’ last trip to Gainesville was on Jan. 27 last season when the Gators survived a furious Georgia rally before garnering a 102-98 victory in overtime.

Georgia trailed by as many as 21 points four times in the second half, lastly at 68-47 with 12:52 remaining. After Florida led 77-61 at the 7:47 mark, the Bulldogs closed out regulation on a 24-8 surge to knot the score at 85-85. RJ Melendez and Blue Cain combined to score 20 of UGA’s points during the comeback.

The Gators then outscored Georgia, 13-7, in the extra period.

Last Time Out

Arkansas rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat Georgia, 68-65, at Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday night.

Asa Newell scored a game-high 18 points for the Bulldogs, including a pair of free throws with 14.8 seconds remaining that tied the game at 65-65.

Aduo Thiero collected an offensive rebound and was fouled with 1.8 seconds remaining. He converted on the first attempt at the line – the Razorbacks’ 29th point from charity stripe. He intentionally missed the second but gathered an offensive board and scored as time expired.

Gators Are Georgia’s Most Frequent Foe

Georgia and Florida will face off for the 231st time on Saturday, the most games the Bulldogs have played against any opponent. 

Rounding out the top-5 in games played against Georgia are Auburn and Georgia Tech with 200 outings each, and Tennessee and Kentucky, both with 161.

No Matter How You State It, Dogs’ SEC Slate Is Daunting

Since Georgia’s Southeastern Conference schedule is so testing, here’s a multiple choice question about the Bulldogs’ slate. Which of the following is true?

A. Georgia opened SEC play by facing five straight top-25 opponents. Prior to this season, the Bulldogs had only played three consecutive ranked foes four times. Georgia had never played ranked opposition four outings in a row, let alone five.

B. Georgia is the midst of a six-game stretch when the Bulldogs will face four top-10 teams – No. 6/6 Tennessee, No. 1/1 Auburn, No. 5/6 Florida and No. 4/3 Alabama – with three of those matchup being on the road.

C. Of Georgia’s 18 SEC games, 10 are against teams tabbed as top-4 seeds in the latest published edition of ESPN.com’s Bracketology, including six road outings at No. 2 Alabama, No. 1 Auburn, No. 2 Florida, No. 2 Tennessee, No. 4 Ole Miss and No. 5 Texas A&M.

D. All of the above.

Ron Courson’s New Role at UGA

Ron Courson will be transitioning away from his longtime role as the University of Georgia’s head athletic trainer for football and continuing to develop his position as the UGA Athletic Association’s Executive Associate Athletic Director for Athletic Health and Performance on February 1.

Courson, who served as UGAAA’s Director of Sports Medicine for 30 years, was promoted to Executive Associate Athletic Director in February 2021 after previously serving as a Senior Associate Athletic Director.

“Over the last three decades, Ron Courson and his department have set the standard for athletic training and sports medicine,” J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks said.  “Ron has been a leader in his field, while serving the University of Georgia Athletic Association with grace and humility.  His accomplishments are many, but his greatest achievements are the countless individuals he mentored and the influence he had on so many of our student-athletes.  Thank you, Ron, for your friendship and your tremendous dedication to the Bulldog family.” 

“Ron’s contributions left an indelible mark on our program, ensuring his legacy as an innovator in athletic training and sports mental health and wellness,” said head coach Kirby Smart.  “The time, focus and attention that he put into our student-athletes was extraordinary and unmatched.  I could not be more grateful for the time I had working with Ron.”

Serving at UGA since 1995, Courson most recently helped navigate the Athletic Association, and especially the football program, through the nation-wide Pandemic serving and supporting the development of policy and protocols at the local, Southeastern Conference and NCAA levels.
 
Prior to joining the UGA staff in 1995, Courson served as Director of Rehabilitation at the University of Alabama from 1991-1995 and Director of Rehabilitation with Samford University from 1989-1991. He received his undergraduate degree in education/physical education from Samford University, performed two years of graduate work at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, and graduated with honors from the Medical College of Georgia with a degree in physical therapy. Courson is a national registered advanced emergency medical technician as well as a certified strength and conditioning specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

During his career in sports medicine, Courson has also been involved in many athletic training activities including work as an athletic trainer with the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea; 1990 Goodwill Games; 1987 World University Games, 1987 Pan American Games and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. He served as the chief athletic trainer for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials as well as the chief athletic trainer for track and field for the Atlanta Committee for the 1996 Olympic Games (ACOG).

Courson is active in his profession, having served as the president of the SEC Sports Medicine Committee, chairman of the College and University Athletic Trainers’ Committee of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and as a member of the NCAA Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports committee. He is a past medical liaison to the American Football Coaches Association and serves currently on the NFL Health and Safety Committee and the USA Football Medical Advisory Board.

Ron received the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer award in 2005 from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and was inducted into the Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2011 and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2013. Most recently, Courson was inducted into the Georgia Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in January 2018.
 
Courson serves as an adjunct instructor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Georgia, teaching in the nationally accredited athletic training education program. He is active in research and education in the field of sports medicine, having authored a textbook, “Athletic Training Emergency Care”, a number of professional papers and text chapters and presents frequently at regional and national sports medicine meetings.

Courson is married to the former Eileen O’Connell of Waycross, Georgia. Ron and Eileen have four children, John, Anna, Luke and Will.

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