Bulldogs Back at Home Tonight Against Mercer

Athens, GA — At 7:30 tonight, the 4-3 Georgia Bulldogs are set to play against the 2-4 Mercer Bears. Tonight marks the first of five straight home games for the Dawgs and they are favored by 14.5 points, meanwhile, Mercer will be on the road after losing at home last week to Western Michigan.

Last Wednesday, the Dawgs battled it out against the FSU Seminoles and went on a 24-5 point run down 17 with 6:30 left to win the game and won in the final seconds by a jumper from Justin Hill. This is a big win over a Power 5 opponent for the Dawgs and should provide them with good momentum and confidence going into the game tonight.

Offensively for the Dawgs, Noah Thomasson still leads the team in points averaging 13.4 per game and Senior Justin Hill has also looked great for the Dawgs throughout the last two games. Hill has distributed the ball well and as such, leads the team in assists averaging 2.7 per game.

However, keep an eye on senior guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim. Abdur-Rahim has the highest free throw percentage on the team shooting 89.2% from the line and he also has the highest 3-point shooting percentage, 41.5% from the top of the arch. The last game especially saw this, as Abdur-Rahim ended a major scoring drought for the Dawgs in the first half and gave the Dawgs their second lead of the game late in the second half, both of these plays were off of 3-pointers.

Despite being ejected with a flagrant early in the second half of their game against FSU, center Russel Tchewa still is first for the Dawgs in rebounds averaging 5.9 per game. His lack of presence was felt last game for UGA so he should have a large impact when he returns tonight.

As for Mercer, the Dawgs need to watch out for two guys from the top of the arch. Both Robby Carmody (guard) and Jake Davis (forward) are averaging 40% or above on over 20 attempts.

In addition to the Bears, senior forward Jayln McCreary from Marietta, GA scored 16 for the Bears in their previous game against WMU and leads the team in points averaging 13.5 points per game. Mccreary also seems to be the man for Mercer defensively as he is first for the team in rebounds, averaging 5.3 per game, and black averaging 1 per game.

UGA is the second and last Power 5 team Mercer will face this season. The Bears are currently 1-2 away while UGA is 3-0 at home. This win will mean a lot for both teams. For Mercer, a win against a Power 5 school, and for UGA, a good way to start their stretch of home games. But, the Dawgs are heavy favorites tonight and if everything goes to plan, should come out victorious. 

Other Georgia News:

• Georgia Clinches the SEC East for Third Straight Season
• CFP Rankings Released - Georgia Remains on Top on CFB
• WATCH: Kirby Smart Talks Georgia Tech Rivalry, Updates Injury Report

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