Georgia Basketball: Bulldogs Face Stony Brook in NIT Tip-Off
Georgia basketball looks for a bounce back win against Stony Brook on Tuesday.
Georgia opens home basketball play Tuesday night, welcoming the Stony Brook Seawolves to the Stegeman Coliseum as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Game time is 7:00 PM. No matter what the outcome, Georgia will eventually play two games and Stony Brook one game in Madison Square Garden next week to conclude the classic style TIP-Off.
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Who
Located in Stony Brook, NY, Stony Book is a member of the America East Conference, the same conference that sent Vermont to Athens for Georgia’s opening round NIT game last March. (Georgia 63 Vermont 56). Stony Brook is the pre-season pick to win the America East and won 20 games four of the last five years.
Coach and records
Coached by Steve Pikiel (143-137 all at Stony Brook)) last year the Seawolves were 23-11, 13-3 in the Atlantic East Conference and played in the CIT.
This year
While christening the new Island Federal Credit Union Arena on Friday night, Stony Brook beat Columbia 57-56 on a put back with seven seconds remaining by Junior Rayshaun McGrew.
Stony Brook expectations and who to watch
Despite losing four significant contributors, including two double-digit scorers, Stony Brook is still projected as the Atlantic East champion.
Stony Brook returns the reigning and projected Atlantic East player of the year, 6-8 junior forward Jameel Warney. Warney averaged a team high 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in 2015.
Carson Puriefoy, a 6-0 junior point guard, is the only other returning player with significant minutes in 2013-2014. Puriefoy scored 12.9 points per game and added 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals a game last year.
The Seawolves starters will include:
10, Carson Puriefoy, Junior, Guard, 12.9 points per game
24, Roland Nyama, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
20, Jameel Warney, Junior, Forward, 14.5 points per game
The final two starting spots will be filled from a pool of four candidates: Scott King, Rayshaun McGrew, Kameron Mitchell, Deshaun Thrower.
The Game
The Seawolves send a veteran and talented forward and point guard to the floor and Stony Brook has a strong, consistent basketball program. The Bulldogs should expect to face a good team that is accustomed to winning.
Keep an eye on Stony Brook’s Warney, number 20. Whoever, is asked to guard Warney will have a chore to do as the talented forward must not be allowed to dominate. Also watch the Georgia shooting numbers. The Dawgs should shoot north of 45% for the game. A point of interest will be Georgia’s free throw shooting. If the Dawgs can can shoot better than 70% for the second consecutive game it will bode well for the season.
Expect senior big man Marcus Thornton and Nemi Djurisic to combine for 30 points and 20 rebounds and for freshman stud in training Yante Maten to have a productive game. All scholarship Georgia players will see the court. While this should not be a boat race runaway, the bigger and deeper Dawgs should prevail.