ATHENS -- Georgia’s basketball team might have something going here. There was more evidence of that at Stegeman Coliseum Tuesday night.
The arena was packed and jumping with both students and fans. Attendance was listed as 8,045 in the 10,000-seat arena. Spectators were engaged and entertained as they watched the Bulldogs (8-1) dominate Notre Dame 69-48 in an ACC/SEC Challenge game.
Georgia led 34-22 and dominated throughout. Notre Dame (4-5) pushed back every once in a while but, when it did, the Bulldogs simply exerted and any competitive tension seemed to just melt away.
Asa Newell, the coveted 5-star signee, recorded another double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and they seemed to come to the 6-foot-11 forward easily within the flow of the game.
There were other standouts, some expected, others a big of a surprise. Graduate transfer guard Dakota Laffew continued to provide instant offense off the bench. He was good for 16 points and three assists, without a turnover, in just 24 minutes of play.
Tyrin Lawrence, another graduate transfer in from Vanderbilt, was good for another seven assists, without a turnover. That’s the second straight game without a turnover for the point guard, who played 35:40 even after being sidelined briefly with what turned out to be a minor injury. And the five turnovers Georgia had (with 19 assists) were the fewest since an SEC Tournament game against Vanderbilt in 2018.
Silas Demary, the Bulldogs’ designated leader, led. The 6-5 sophomore guard paced a fierce defensive effort that limited the visiting Irish to 36% shooting overall, 4-of-19 from 3 and a 40-27 rebounding deficit. Demary collected five steals, all in the first half. He tossed in 11 points, mostly on strong drives.
“We’re just focused on ourselves and growing,” Newell said of Georgia’s latest NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) ranking, which was No. 27 on Monday. “Our main standard is growth, so we’re just focused on that and the rest will take care of itself like rankings and all that.”
Such words are like music to the ears of coach Mike White, who is charged with getting Georgia’s basketball program back to the NCAA Tournament. Yet, he gently forbids his team to mention anything about the postseason.
The parts to this team are many and they are highly interchangeable. When some aren’t working well -- like Tuesday when the Bulldogs missed their first nine shots and were 0-for-8 from 3 -- White simply swaps them out for others until he finds the right combination.
The coach is proud and is determined to show off this team. White praised Tuesday’s turnout and atmosphere, but he clearly he believes this group is worthy of admiration.
“Hopefully the increase continues with butts in the seats,” White said. “I’d urge anyone who hasn’t been to come to a game and give these guys a chance, because they play hard, they’re connected and I think they’re fun to watch.”
Soon, too, Georgia should have more options. It might not be before the next game, but the Bulldogs are anxiously awaiting the activation of De’Shayne Montgomery. The 6-5 transfer guard from Mount St. Mary’s has his teammates teeming with excited about the possibilities the “long, tall ball of energy” will bring this team.
There’s an 11-day gap before the next game, against Grand Canyon in the Holiday Hoopsgiving tournament at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Dec. 14.
“Rest,” White said. “We’re going to get away from it a couple of days and we’ve got to finish strong academically, of course. But we’ve got a chance for the first time in a long time to just focus on us.”
The Notre Dame team the Bulldogs faced Tuesday was shorthanded. The Irish were playing without leading scorer Markus Burton (18.2 points per game), who suffered a serious knee injury at a tournament in Las Vegas last week and is considered “week-to-week.”
After leading by 12 at halftime, the Bulldogs saw Notre Dame whittle it down to as few as four points at the 13:09 mark. That’s when Leffew answered with one of his four 3s.
The Irish would get within single-digits one other time. But this time, Demary would answer with a field goal from beyond the arc and Georgia consistently pushed out the margin from there.
“It felt good,” Leffew said. “Hopefully more people will want to come to more of our games. If we keep doing what we’re supposed to do, maybe it will be sold out next time.”
