Georgia will hit the road for the first time this season as it takes on Temple on Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs had a hot start to the Tom Crean era by scoring a dominant 110-76 victory over Savannah State, which marked the team’s highest point total since 1999.
Meanwhile, Temple has jumped out to a 2-0 record in Fran Dunphy’s final season on the bench with wins over LaSalle and Detroit.
Let’s take a look at what to watch for in this intriguing matchup.
Game Details
- Georgia (1-0) at Temple (2-0)
- Location: Liacouras Center – Philadelphia, PA
- Game Date: Nov. 13
- Game Time: 7 p.m. EST
- Watch: ESPN3
Players to Watch
Nic Claxton (Georgia)
The 6-11 sophomore made our SEC breakout players list in the preseason, and it’s easy to understand why.
Claxton earned a double-double in the opener in Savannah State, as he notched 15 points and 13 rebounds in just 20 minutes of play. He grabbed five offensive rebounds while also contributing five blocks.
Georgia wants to play at a faster pace this season under Crean, and having a versatile center like Claxton that can run the floor with ease is certainly a valuable asset.
It’s also worth mentioning that Claxton had 14 points and nine rebounds in this matchup last season.
Teshaun Hightower (Georgia)
Hightower is also included in the talented sophomore class for the Bulldogs, and he led the way against Savannah State with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
After playing sporadically throughout his freshman season, the 6-5 wing had several impressive performances late in the season for the Bulldogs. He had back-to-back 13-point performances in the SEC Tournament, and became one of the more reliable 3-pointers shooters during that stretch.
His progress will be put to the test against an experienced Temple backcourt, but he has the skills to rise to the occasion.
Shizz Alston Jr. (Temple)
The 6-4 senior exploded for 30 points on 9-of-17 shooting in the win over Detroit, which included a phenomenal 7 of 12 line from beyond the arc.
Alston has averaged at least 34 minutes per game the past three seasons for the Owls, and his leadership on the court is not something that will be easily replaced once he graduates.
He is one of the most entertaining guards in the game, and he’ll give the Bulldogs all they can handle in this one.
Quinton Rose (Temple)
Rose returns as Temple’s leading scorer from a year ago, where he averaged 14.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per contest.
Like Alston, the 6-8 junior is another player that can score points in bunches, as he went for 20 or more points nine times during the ’17-18 campaign.
If he continues to improve his efficiency from outside, he’s going to be tough to stop this season.
Key Stats
The key to Georgia’s success this season will be a vast improvement in shooting consistency.
The Bulldogs were 313th nationally last season in effective field-goal percentage and 322nd nationally in 3-point field goal percentage, and those numbers have to be better if Crean’s faster style of play is going to be a success.
Georgia did go 11 of 27 from long range against Savannah State, but given the defensive quality, I’m not sure how much we should read into that just yet.
Another interesting trend worth watching here is that Temple has grabbed 31 offensive rebounds through two games. These two teams are about even height-wise, but finding second-chance opportunities would be a huge boost for Dunphy’s squad.
And in case this game is close late in the second half: both teams finished 275th or lower in free-throw shooting percentage last season.
Game Outlook
- Spread: Temple – 3.5
- Over/Under: 145
- KenPom Projection: Temple, 66 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Temple 80.7 percent chance to win
Georgia won this game pretty handily at home last year, but Yante Maten was the star of the show in scoring 30 points and adding 12 rebounds. So, I don’t think we can draw too many conclusions simply based on how these two played a season ago.
This should prove to be one of the better games of the evening, as both teams are off to fast starts and seem to be playing with a lot of energy and confidence.
Crean’s system overhaul in Athens should have Georgia on the right track, but I’m not entirely sure how much we can take away from a win against Savannah State.
However, what we do know is that the Bulldogs will want to speed this game up and find open looks against the hard-nosed Owls. But the Bulldogs still have to prove that they can shoot it well enough on a consistent basis to win these types of games on the road.
This is another early-season game that feels like a toss-up due to still not having a great feel for the identity of either of these teams and in that situation, I tend to side with the experienced home team.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 20-4
Game Prediction: Temple 70, Georgia 68
11/13 Update: It appears that Georgia’s typical travel schedule was thrown off a bit, so that could impact the Bulldogs’ preparation as they head they to Philadelphia.
Bulldogs forced to travel to Philadelphia on day of game after chartered plane stuck in mud. Team will fly out of Greenville-Spartanburg later this morning. Scheduled tip at Temple is 7 p.m. https://t.co/bAPwI2yZhQ pic.twitter.com/mKGAGwBABy
— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) November 13, 2018
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