Georgia Bulldogs basketball relaunches in Holiday Hoopsgiving tournament

It has been going quite well, actually. Georgia’s collaboration of seven new players and five returnees has jelled remarkably well in a short time and been impressive on the court. The only blemish has been an 11-point loss to No. 6 Marquette in the Bahamas, and the Bulldogs have won the other eight by a comfortable 17.9-point average margin. They were up to No. 22 in the NCAA’s latest NET ranking, but is not ranked by The Associated Press.

Georgia is led by 5-star freshman forward Asa Newell (15.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg), who is coming off a 20-point, 11-rebound performance against Notre Dame. Along with several new contributors in the frontcourt, the Bulldogs have been controlling the glass and protecting the rim. Georgia leads the SEC and is ranked No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, in rebound margin (plus-13.2) and blocks (6.1 pg).

The Bulldogs’ scoring balance is another weapon. Five players have led the team in scoring in games this season and three more have posted double-figure points. Those eight players have combined to produce 38 double-digit performances in nine games.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s about to get deeper. De’Shayne Montgomery, a 6-foot-5, transfer from Mount St. Mary’s, has been sidelined all season while addressing academic eligibility shortcomings. His availability Saturday is uncertain, but he is expected to be available to contribute soon.

“Man, De’Shayne brings a lot of energy in practice and even when he’s sitting out in games,” teammate Asa Newell said. “He’s really hungry, and I’m excited for y’all to see the ‘De’Shayne Show.’”

As for Georgia’s opponent, don’t be fooled by their less-than-menacing name. The Antelopes of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix — they prefer “Lopes” — have been much more terrifying on the hardwood. They won the Western Athletic Conference and a first-round NCAA game last season on the way to a 30-5 record. Now coached by Bryce Drew, who Georgia fans should remember from his stint at Vanderbilt, the Lopes have won 20 or more games in seven of the past 10 seasons. They arrive in Atlanta at 6-2.

“A really, really good mid-major program,” White said. “As I told our guys, a lot of people are gonna probably call us crazy to play this game. But we wanted the opportunity to play another quality opponent. They’re not a power program, a high-major, but they’ve got high-major players and a high-major staff and we’ve got to be prepared.”

Georgia-Grand Canyon is the third matchup in a tripleheader tournament at the Hawks’ arena organized by The VII Group of Atlanta. The Bulldogs’ game will be preceded by Auburn vs. Ohio State at 1 p.m. and Arizona State vs. Florida at 3:30 p.m.

It should be noted that The VII Group currently is being sued by the University of Memphis over a five-figure reimbursement claim for its participation in the 2022 Holiday Hoopsgiving event. In court filings, the VII Group denies that it is in breach of contract.

UGA did not respond to a request for comment about The VII Group’s legal issues.

This will be the Bulldogs’ second appearance in the five-year history of the Hoopsgiving tournament. On Dec. 18, 2022, Braelen Bridges scored 18 points in 18 minutes to lead Georgia in a 77-62 victory over Notre Dame at State Farm Arena.

While it is about 1,800 miles to Atlanta from Phoenix, the Lopes do have at least one local connection. Senior guard Collin Moore for three season played at Georgia State, which is located about a mile down the street from State Farm Arena. He’s averaging 10.6 points.

“I’m going back to my second home,” Moore, a resident of Little Rock, Arkansas, told reporters in Phoenix. “I’ve got a lot of family and friends that are coming out to support me, and I appreciate every single one of them.”

Tyon Grant-Foster and JaKobe Coles provide Grand Canyon an average of 16.0 ppg and 15.9 ppg, respectively. The Bulldogs were 3-1 against Drew as Vanderbilt’s head coach from 2016-19.