As Georgia basketball races towards the finish line that is the 2024-25 regular season, the last two weeks have reminded us of just how close the Dawgs were to disaster. Credit Mike White and his staff for not allowing the Bulldogs team to give up on itself.
Just a few short weeks ago, the story of Georgia’s postseason fate had all but been written. Or so it seemed. Now, the resurgent Dawgs are back in the NCAA tournament picture, on a two-game winning streak and playing some of their best basketball of the season.
What to Expect
Georgia comes into another road game matchup as the underdog against a team that they are likely better than, but given how the Bulldogs have fared away from home this season, it is understandable.
Georgia (18-11, 6-10 SEC) returns to action after a dominating road victory over Texas on Saturday. It was Georgia's first SEC road win of the season. Georgia’s matchup against South Carolina is an opportunity to move closer to their goal of making it to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015 as an at-large bid.
Meanwhile, South Carolina (12-17, 2-14 SEC) is coming off of an impressive victory of its own, in a 72-53 home win against Arkansas, who was viewed as a possible bubble team to make the NCAA tournament. South Carolina comes into this contest trying to build momentum towards the future and will be looking to make it two consecutive wins for them, victorious three out of their last four games.
For Georgia, this is a contest that cannot be pre-judged based on record alone. South Carolina is a feisty and capable team, who possesses the right amount of motivation to make this game difficult for the Dawgs. Georgia should more than expect to get South Carolina’s best showing tonight in Columbia.
The When, the Where and the How
When: Saturday, March 4th, 6:00 PM, EST
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC
How to Watch: SEC Network with Richard Cross and Brandon Johnson doing the play-by-play.
Series History
This will be the 124th meeting on the hardwood for these two institutions with South Carolina owning the upper hand with an overall 64-59 lead over Georgia in head-to-head matchups all-time. Georgia won the last meeting earlier this season with a 71-60 victory in Athens.
Top Performers
Georgia: Freshman forward Asa Newell | 15.2 points per game, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 block per game | 55.0 FG percent
South Carolina: Sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles | 16.8 points per game, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game | 59.4 FG percent
Injury Report
Georgia: No injuries to report
South Carolina: Myles Stute | G | Out - Undisclosed
Georgia versus South Carolina Final Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Favorite: South Carolina @ -1.5
Moneyline: Georgia -110
Over/Under: 137.5
Current Predictions
ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Georgia a 58.2 percent chance of winning.
The Skinny
As the season grinds to a close, both Georgia and South Carolina come into this matchup having played 29 games this season.
In SEC play thus far this season, Georgia is 1-7 on the road, while South Carolina is 2-6 at home, but it is worth nothing that the Gamecocks have won two games in a row at home.
Georgia is 12th in the SEC in team scoring at 75.6 points per contest, while South Carolina ranks last in the conference with 70.2 points per game.
Georgia is 46.4 percent from the field this season, which is 1.3 percentage points higher than South Carolina has allowed to its opponents (45.1%). In comparison, South Carolina has a field goal percentage of 43.3 percent thus far, which is 2.4 percentage points more than the 40.9 percent shooting average Georgia has held its opponents.
Watch out for…
South Carolina sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles, who has averaged 28.0 points in his last three games, including a super-efficient 35-point effort against Arkansas, that saw him go 12-16 from the field (75 percent FG) and 11-12 from the free throw line (92 percent FT), helping South Carolina to a big 72-53 victory at home.
The Close
Georgia needs to come out and assert themselves in the same fashion they did against Texas. This is another opportunity for Georgia to show the rest of college basketball that they are not the same team they were a month ago.
And while many of the pundits, gurus and bracket pros throughout college basketball feel Georgia has done enough to earn a seat at the table for the upcoming NCAA tournament, this is not the time for Georgia to rest on their laurels. Georgia needs to stay motivated and play inspired.
South Carolina owns the worse field goal percentage differential in the SEC at -1.7, which means they average a lower shooting percentage than their opponent on a per game basis. By contrast, Georgia ranks fifth in the SEC in field goal percentage differential at +5.5. The reason for this is because of team defense, which is a Georgia strength, and one they should take advantage of in this contest.
For South Carolina, this has been a long and grueling season, especially within the Southeastern Conference where they have an overall 2-14 record. But nothing would make them happier than to play spoiler and beat the Dawgs in Columbia. So, Georgia needs to be ready to play because South Carolina will be bringing their best to this game.
For Georgia to win this contest against South Carolina, they need to be who they are, the better team.
Prediction: Georgia wins 83-75.