Know Thy Enemy: Furman at Georgia (MBB)
By bzell
By Brent Zell
This mercurial season for Georgia (5-5 overall) took another swing upward Tuesday with the Bulldogs’ 72-58 win at home over a decent Mercer team. Nice way to start a five-game homestand.
UGA will try to keep the holidays merry at 7 p.m. EST tonight against Furman. Let’s get to know the pride of Greenville, S.C.
FURMAN
Record: 6-5
Coming In: Lost at Presbyterian 75-71 on Tuesday to end a three-game winning streak
Mascot: The Paladin. Pretty awesome mascot, really, as long as it’s referring to the classic definition of “a paragon of chivalry” or the lead character of this show and not the lame superhero.
Well, This Is Interesting: The Paladins are shooting a not-great 41.3 percent for the season, but a lot of that was due to the 37.8 percent they shot in their six games last month. Unlike some poor folks, the Paladins are doing much better in December: 46.7 percent in five games, including 38.3 percent from 3-point land. It’s a big reason why their scoring is up almost 16 points a game this month over last.
But Here’s The Thing: One of Furman’s losses was by 20 points at home to Mercer. Plus, only one of their four Division I victories was over an opponent with a winning record (Columbia).
Watch This Player: Senior forward Bryson Barnes has been making up for lost time lately. According to the Greenville News, Barnes sat out the first nine games due to an academics-related suspension. He’s come back to average 18 points per contest in Furman’s last two games. He’s shooting 64.3 percent overall on field goals and a ridiculous 75 percent from behind the arc.
Coverage: Comcast Sports Southeast (TV); ESPN3 (Online Video); Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network (Affilliate List); GeorgiaDogs.com (Live Chat/Audio)
(Thanks to furmanpaladins.com and georgiadogs.com for statistical information)