Georgia Bulldogs Set to Face First Ranked Opponent vs Marquette

The Georgia Bulldogs men's basketball team is set to face their first ranked opponent of the season vs Marquette.

Nov 10, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mike White reacting on the bench during the game against the Texas Southern Tigers at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Georgia Bulldogs men's basketball team is set to face their first-ranked opponent of the season vs Marquette.

Saturday, Nov. 23 will feature a battle of unbeaten teams as the Georgia Bulldogs (5-0) face off against the No. 15 Marquette Golden Eagles (5-0) in a game set to tip off at 11 a.m. from the Bahamas. This will be the first of back-to-back games in Atlantis for the Bulldogs who are scheduled to face No. 22 St. Johns on Nov. 24. 

Marquette is 2-1 against Georgia all time, however, the Bulldogs won the last matchup on Dec. 2, 2017, 73 to 66. The Golden Eagles are coming off a huge win against Purdue (who made it all the way to the National Championship game last year) 76 to 68. Maquette is hoping for their first 6-0 start since 2011.

Aside from their home opener which was just a mere five-point victory over Tennessee Tech, Georgia has faced little resistance as they have romped to wins against Texas Southern, University of North Florida, and Alabama A&M. This is an important test to see how good this Georgia team really is. 

Georgia’s Keys for Victory:

Dominate down low: Georgia leads the entire SEC in points in the paint at 43.2 points per game. Asa Newell is scoring 14.0 of his 16.8 points in the paint. If Georgia wants to win this game they have to play their style of basketball, smash-mouth bully-ball basketball where they will their way down low and score. 

 Slow down Kam Jones: It is very early into the season but Kam Jones has legitimate player Player of the Year hype. He is 22.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Most impressive is that he is doing this while shooting 63.8% from the field and a whopping 48% from three. He is coming off his first career triple-double against Purdue where he dropped 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. If Georgia hopes to win this game they will have to game-plan to stop Jones.

Force turnovers: Georgia ranks 184th in forced turnovers this season a mark they would like to see go up. To hang with good teams you will need to force them to make mistakes and capitalize on them. To do this Georgia will need to get steals and get out in transition against Marquette. They will have to if they hope to get a statement win.

Marquette’s Keys for Victory:

Crash the glass: Georgia has won the rebounding matchup in all five of its games this season and just posted a +22 rebounding advantage against Alabama A&M. If Marquette wants to win this game they will have to be aggressive on the glass and not let Georgia dominate.

Force them to shoot: This Georgia team is very good in the paint but struggles from outside the arc. In their home opener against Tennessee Tech Dakota Leffew was the only Bulldog to make a 3-point shot. It will be no easy task to limit Georgia down low but it is what Marquette will need to do if they hope to win. 

What to watch for:

Asa Newell & Kam Jones: Two of the nation’s best basketball players will be going at it on Saturday. Kam Jones is in contention for player of the year and Asa Newell is almost certainly going to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Watch them duke it out in the Bahamas in what is shaping up to be an instant classic.

Other Georgia News:

• Just How Dominant Was Georgia's Defense vs the Texas Longhorns?
• Jalon Walker Earns Praises From NFL Legends After Texas Game
  
• PHOTOS: Georgia Knocks Off The Texas Longhorns In Convincing Fashion

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