Dawn of the Dawg
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Georgia Basketball: Takeaways from performance in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic

By Kyle Funderburk

Nov 21, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of the on court logo before the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and George Washington Colonials at the Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of the on court logo before the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and George Washington Colonials at the Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Georgia Basketball players celebrate during Monday nights game with George Washington
Nov 21, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Georgia basketball teammates celebrate on the bench after a score during the second half against the George Washington Colonials at the Sprint Center. Georgia won 81-73. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Positives

There were more positives than negatives from Georgia’s performance in the Hall of Fame Classic, which is fantastic considering the competition. Here’s why Georgia fans have reason to be optimistic moving forward.

Yante Maten can be dominant

Maten by far was the most impressive player in the tournament. Kansas had the best team, but they could not stop Maten at all. He had 30 points and 13 rebounds Tuesday, eight of those rebounds were on offense. He over powered Kansas down low, made a few put-backs, got some Jayhawks into foul trouble and created numerous second chance opportunities.

Keep in mind this was against the no. 5 team in the nation.

The night before against, Maten scored 18 and had six rebounds. Solid numbers in a game where he had plenty of help.

Georgia shouldn’t need performances like Tuesday night from Maten every game, but it’s great to know that he can deliver.

Georgia’s potential has not been exaggerated

Against Kansas, Georgia kept up in every category except points. The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Jayhawks on 17-to-13 on offense and matched them on defense. Georgia had six steals, Kansas had eight. Georgia had five blocks, Kansas had six. Both teams had 14 turnovers.

Scoring points was the only thing Kansas excelled at over Georgia, but unfortunately that’s the most important stat.

More from Dawn of the Dawg

Most games where you see underdogs play tough and keep the games close, they’re just able to make a lot of shots but they get beaten everywhere else. The underdogs didn’t play well because they were really good in comparison, they just scored.

That was not the case on Tuesday. Georgia played more like a contemporary to Kansas than a true underdog. Performances like that will win a lot of games for Georgia this year and will get them into the NCAA Tournament.

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