By Brant Daughtry
I didn’t expect that, and I don’t think anyone else did either. Auburn, without Johni Broome, against a legitimate top-15 team in America, went out and dominated Mississippi State. It needs to be said how incredible the guard play was. Denver Jones has turned into one of the best perimeter defenders in the country, and he held a really good player in Josh Hubbard without a made field goal until very late in the game.
Down low, there isn’t enough that can be said about Chaney Johnson. Defensively, a lot was asked to hold down Cam Matthews. Like Hubbard, he was handcuffed for most of the game, and Chaney was a massive part of that. Both players also contributed offensively at a high level too. With the best player in the country out, everyone else stepped up.
It was also stupid loud. By far the best crowd of the season. According to Bruce Pearl after the game, a record was set for students in attendance. Classes just started so students are just now getting back in town. The kids really stepped up for their first real task of the semester. In the next game though, Auburn won’t have the advantage of the home crowd.
Georgia is coached by Mike White, who’s in his second season doing his best to recover from the disaster that was the Tom Crean tenure. So far, he’s doing better than most expected. He was typically a middling coach at Florida, doing well enough to make the Tournament most years, but never a true contender. At Georgia, he’s blown past average.
Georgia is currently 27th in NET, which yes, is 10th in the SEC, but as they’ve shown, they can beat higher ranked teams. They’re 2-2 in conference play, but undefeated at home, a slate that includes a win over a very good Kentucky team. They’re 2-3 in Quad 1 games, and could make a massive jump with a win over Auburn.
The thing that stands out most about the Dawgs is their size. The shortest player in their rotation that plays significant minutes is 6-4. They are absolutely massive, and they lean on their defense and rebounding as a result. All you have to do is look at scores to see that. They held St. John’s to 63. Notre Dame to 48. Ole Miss beat them, but only scored 63. Kentucky and Oklahoma scored in the 60’s as well. They are long and aggressive on defense, and one of the bigger challenges Auburn’s offense will face this year. They don’t take many threes, and they don’t score insanely high numbers. But they can hold you down and choke the life out of you.
Players to Watch For:
Forward Asa Newell, #14- Newell is a beast, and by far UGA’s most productive player. At 6-11, he’s the focal point of that size and defense I was talking about earlier. He’s a stellar freshman and a big reason UGA has taken this leap. His numbers are interesting to look at too. He doesn’t shoot a ton of threes, yet scores about 15 a game. He leads the team in rebounding which isn’t shocking, but he has more offensive rebounds than defensive this year, and with Broome likely still out and the amount of offensive boards Auburn has given up this year, that should worry this team.
Guard Silas Demary Jr, #5- Demary is the ball handler for UGA, and while he’s not going to produce in the same way Newell will, he’s good for about one three a game and is an effective passer. He scores in double figures and if Auburn overplays Newell, Demary can make them pay.
As with any game, if you come out of this with a win, it’s a massive one. If you lose, it’s not the end of the world. Georgia is a really good team, and they’re undefeated at home for a reason. The way Georgia out-sizes crashes the boards also makes me think this game could be very frustrating for Auburn fans. If Auburn does go in and win this game though, it’ll be a real milestone. With Missouri’s win over Florida, that is now a Quad 1 win for Auburn, giving them a 9-1 record in such games on the year. That’s already the most in the country, and a win over Georgia would mean number 10. That’s astounding. Regardless of the outcome Saturday, this Auburn team has been astounding. Soak up every second you can folks.
