Silas Demary Jr. did not look like a true sophomore as he stuck a dagger in Texas’ comeback bid Saturday night.
The Longhorns had cut Georgia’s 67-40 lead down to 16 points before Demary took over. He nailed seven free throws, along with a tough layup, in the final six minutes to stop Texas in its tracks, closing out a 16-point win.
Demary scored a career-high 26 points on Texas Saturday night, adding another massive win to the Bulldogs’ postseason resume. Demary has averaged over 20 PPG in UGA’s last six games, taking his scoring ability to new heights in his second season.
Demary, who came to UGA as a highly touted four-star prospect, was a skilled paint scorer from the minute he stepped on campus. His 6-5, 195-pound frame exploded past perimeter defenders and finished well near the rim.
Demary established himself as Georgia’s primary ball handler, starting in every game except Senior Day his freshman year. Demary’s physical brand of basketball impressed UGA coach Mike White, who called him the toughest freshman he had ever coached.
Recently, Demary has added sharp 3-point shooting to his athleticism and toughness. He shot 3 of 6 from deep against the Longhorns and has made 40 percent of his 3-pointers in the last three weeks.
It’s the kind of three-level scoring that makes a naturally physical point guard like Demary so difficult to defend. White has seen Demary grow up in his second SEC season, where he has rarely come off the floor for more than a couple minutes.
“Honestly, there hasn’t been a drastic change with him, there really hasn’t,” White said. “I think a lot of it is just the organic maturation of a true sophomore midway through that sophomore year where his team’s asking him to be a little bit more aggressive, especially with our turnover problems.”
That’s another area where Demary and Georgia’s guards have needed improvement. The Bulldogs lead the SEC in turnovers per game at 13.1.
But Demary protected the ball well at Texas, turning it over just twice. The other Bulldogs followed suit, surrendering just 10 total turnovers.
It was UGA’s second-lowest turnover total in SEC road games this season. White, who left his four-year Ole Miss career with 370 career assists, understands the importance of valuing the basketball.
“If you’ve got 20 turnovers in this game, you’re almost playing with a conscience offensively,” White said. “You’re playing on your heels, ‘I hope I don’t turn the ball over.’”
Demary and the Bulldogs didn’t seem to play scared much at all in Austin. Georgia sank several impressive one-on-one shots that kept the Longhorns comfortably behind.
White really lit up talking about Demary he shifted away from the on-court production. The veteran SEC coach shared about Demary’s leadership in his increasing offensive role.
“There are other guys that do it, but you also see the other side of it where he’s starting to score more, he’s getting more shots, his usage rate has increased,” White said. “’Well, now I’m just not gonna quite be the same hard-playing, defending, rebounding guard.’
“He’s the same exact player. He’s just taking a few more shots a game and he’s shooting it at a high clip right now. We hope that continues, but he’s going to continue to see high-level defenses.”
Indeed, the Bulldogs will need Demary’s leadership and production as they finish the SEC season hunting an NCAA Tournament bid. Georgia traveled straight from Texas to South Carolina, where it will tip off at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
UGA could be just one win away from its first March Madness appearance since 2015. Demary has a chance to expand his legacy as Bulldog, just two years into his career.
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