Georgia Continues Road Show with Second Battle Against Arkansas

After suffering another loss to Mississippi State, the Georgia Bulldogs are back on the road against Arkansas at 6 PM EST tonight.

Fayetteville, AR – The Georgia Bulldogs continue their road streak tomorrow against the Arkansas Razorbacks at 6 PM EST. This is the second contest of the season between the Dawgs and the Razorbacks; they last met in Athens on January 10th earlier this year. Georgia is currently riding a four-game losing streak with an overall record of 14-9 and a 4-6 conference record. Meanwhile, Arkansas is 11-11 overall and 2-7 in the SEC.

In their last outing with the Razorbacks, UGA opened the game with 6 unanswered and took advantage of this strong start. While the Razorbacks did bring the game within 1 with 9:25 left in the first, the Dawgs maintained a lead the entire time and came out victorious 76-66. Senior guard Justin Hill helped lead UGA to victory with 19 points (tied for his season high). Junior guard R.J. Melendez and graduate student guard Noah Thomasson also broke double-digit range with 10 and 15, respectively. As for Arkansas, junior guard Tramon Mark had 24 points and was the only Razorback player to score above 9 points. Mark also shot a perfect 10 for 10 on free throw attempts. Both teams had relatively similar statistics: UGA had 40 rebounds to Arkansas’ 39, UGA had 13 assists to Arkansas' 11, and UGA had 13 turnovers to Arkansas’ 15. One of the big differences could be found in each team's ability to score from behind the arc; Georgia shot 33.35 from 3-point range, while Arkansas only shot 14.3% from 3-point range.

In their most recent game this past Wednesday, the Bulldogs suffered a loss on the road to Mississippi State. With 10 minutes left and Mississippi State up 13, UGA was able to rally and bring it within 3 (53-56) with 6:21 left. However, with a pair of back-to-back 3s, Mississippi State pulled out the 75-62 win. The Mississippi State game saw Thomasson lead the Bulldogs with 20 points and go 6 for 11 on shots from 3-point range. Thomasson is one of three Bulldogs averaging over double digits a game: senior guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim (13.2), Thomasson (12.3), and Melendez (10.7). As a team, the Dawgs are averaging 75.9 ppg, shooting 42.9% from field goal range, and going 35.2% from behind the arc (Abdur-Rahum leads this category as well, individually going 38.7% on 3-point shots). The Dawgs’ bench scoring is also a great asset to the team; Georgia entered the week ranked No. 17 nationally in bench scoring, averaging 29.8 ppg. Hill is the fifth-highest scorer for UGA (8.6 ppg) and is of great value as a distributor. Hill leads the team with an average of 3.7 assists per game.

Defensively, graduate student guard Russel Tchewa has been a consistent leader for the Dawgs; Tchewa is averaging 6.8 rebounds per game. Following behind him is Melendez with 4.5 rebounds and freshman guard Silas Demary Jr. with 4.1 rebounds per game. The Dawgs have been averaging a total of 36.4 rebounds but have recorded under this number in three of their last four losses (Mississippi State, 33, No. 15 South Carolina, 28, and Florida, 27).

Georgia center Russel Tchewa during Georgia’s game against Arkansas at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (Emma Murray/UGAAA)

The Razorbacks’ offensive attack is led by two men: Mark, who averages 17.8 ppg, and senior guard Khalif Battle, who averages 10.7 ppg. Mark is also coming off back-to-back games with over 20 points against LSU (20) and Missouri (22). As a team, Arkansas is averaging 75.9 ppg and shooting 44.3% from field goal range. Senior guard Davonte Davis is the leading distributor for the Razorbacks, with 2.1 assists per game. Sophomore forward Trevon Brazile is averaging 8.9 rebounds per game and is the biggest contributor to the Razorbacks picking up an average of 36.0 rebounds per game. Mark (4.1 rebounds) and Davis (4.0 rebounds) are second and third behind Brazile, respectively.

Tonight, the Razorbacks are looking to make up for the early January defeat and can do it with the crowd on their side. Georgia is looking to snap its longest losing streak of the season. Doing it on the road before returning home (for a Florida rematch) would be an important statement and critical to the team’s confidence.

Other Georgia News:

• UGA Suffers Fourth Consecutive Loss after Falling to Mississippi State
• In a Game of Physicality, Georgia Loses their Third Straight to South Carolina
• After Leading the Majority of the Game, Georgia Falls to No. 24 Alabama

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