No. 24 Alabama will go for its third win in a row when it tips off against Georgia in a Southeastern Conference matchup on Wednesday evening in Athens, Ga.
The Crimson Tide (14-6, 6-1 SEC) are coming off a 109-88 victory against LSU on Saturday, which followed a 79-75 win against then-No. 8 Auburn earlier in the week. Alabama has won eight of its past nine games and jumped back into the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since landing 23rd in the Nov. 27 poll.
Georgia (14-6, 4-3) would love to halt Alabama’s momentum. The Bulldogs are looking to bounce back from a 102-98 overtime loss against Florida on Saturday, which marked their second loss in the past three games.
Despite the rut, Georgia has won 12 of its past 15 contests.
Bulldogs coach Mike White said he was not concerned about his team’s ability to move past the overtime loss against the Gators.
“These guys aren’t very delicate mentally,” White said. “Collectively, this group will come back to work Monday, they’ll be ready to work and we’ll learn from the film. I’m not worried about that. But I was proud of the fight, and the connection down the stretch.”
Georgia will go up against an Alabama team led by Mark Sears, who is averaging 20.0 points per game on 52 percent shooting overall and 43.7 percent from 3-point range. Three other players for the Crimson Tide have scoring averages in double figures: Aaron Estrada (12.9 points per game), Grant Nelson (12.2) and Rylan Griffen (10.7).
Alabama coach Nate Oats believes a conference title is possible, but he wants his players to focus on improving from game to game.
“We’re going to be in the mix,” Oats said. “Obviously, anybody can make a run. We’re not that far into the season. … I do think this is a team that can win it, and we’re going after it as hard as we can.
“But if we don’t fix our defense and get the main guys in the rotation that are playing heavy minutes to be as concerned with the defense as the offense, it’s going to be really hard to win.”
This is the only matchup between Alabama and Georgia during the regular season. The teams last met on Feb. 18, 2023, when the Crimson Tide coasted to a 108-59 win over the Bulldogs.
Now, Alabama will try to build upon another 100-point performance.
Oats said he is happy with the team’s scoring, provided that he sees more from the defensive end.
“We can score the ball at a high clip,” Oats said. “Obviously, we play fast, efficient and fast. That adds up to 100-point games. It says we’ve got really talented players that are unselfish and move the ball.”
Georgia’s top scorer is Jabri Abdur-Rahim, who is averaging 13.4 points per game. Teammates Noah Thomasson (11.9 ppg) and RJ Melendez (11.1) also have double-digit averages.
Georgia is 11-1 at home this season. Alabama is 2-2 in true road games.
