Georgia basketball: Preview of the Tuesday meeting against Florida
Jan 2, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs mascot Uga stands on the field in the second quarter during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia basketball play the 17th ranked Florida Gators in a pivotal SEC matchup in Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday. The Dawgs must win if they want any hope of reaching the NCAA Tournament.
Florida is coming into Athens hot, riding a four-game winning streak, including the complete dismantling of Kentucky, beating them 88-66. Georgia, on the other hand, comes in losing 4 of the last 5.
Key Players
The key player for the Florida Gators is the senior guard Kasey Hill. Hill is the spark plug that makes the engine of the Gator offense go. He averages 9.9 points per game but can drop 20 on any given night. Hill scored 11 points in 33 minutes in the overtime victory against Georgia in the first meeting this season. He was the catalyst in the victory over Kentucky, scoring 21.
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Georgia’s key player is junior forward Yante Maten. Maten has been recently listed as 1 of the 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. He is second in the SEC in scoring, averaging 19.7 ppg.
For UGA to upset Florida, Maten has to stay out of foul trouble. He scored 15 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in only 19 minutes, but he fouled out in the first meeting between the two teams. Georgia really missed Maten late in that game.
Up and Comers
The freshman to watch for the Gators is Keith Stone. Stone provides 4.3 points per game and grabs 2.1 rebounds per game. He can easily provide a spark for Florida off the bench.
Jordan Harris is the key freshman for the Georgia Bulldogs. Harris has started multiple games for the Dawgs, but the last two games he has been coming off of the bench. He averages 5.8 points per game, adding near 2 rebounds and assists per game as well.
Harris can stretch the Florida defense with his 3-point shooting. He shoots 48.8% from behind the arc. Another intangible Harris brings is his stingy defense. His long 6 foot 4-inch build makes it hard for someone to shoot over him.
