If you are yet to jump on the Georgia basketball bandwagon, you might want to hop on board. The Bulldogs are off to a blistering 8-1 start this season after their mid-week win this past week against Notre Dame. Not only did Georgia earn their third power five victory of the season already, but they did so in dominant fashion be beating the Irish 69-48.
Head basketball coach Mike White has the Bulldogs trending in the right direction, and the rest of the college basketball world is beginning to take notice. The Bulldogs are yet to find themselves in the AP Poll's top 25 rankings, which doesn't seem right, but they did receive enough votes to make them the No. 43 team in the country.
The biggest reason for Georgia's electric start to the season is because of none other than superstar freshman Asa Newell. There was a lot of hype surrounding Newell heading into this season as a five-star player in the class of 2024, and so far he has lived up to every bit of that hype. So much so that he has just won his second SEC Freshman of the Week award this season.
Earning his second @SEC Freshman of the Week Award: @NewellAsa 📈
— Georgia Basketball (@UGABasketball) December 9, 2024
🗞️ https://t.co/8zNFP4PzRp#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/KtXShpXIrx
Asa Newell dominates Notre Dame
Newell poured in 20 points against the Irish and tied his career high with 11 rebounds as he earned his second double-double of the season. On top of that, he also added two assists and one steal on the defensive end of the floor as well.
This performance was more than enough to win him SEC Player of the Week for the second time this season. And this most certainly won't be his last time winning this award.
Georgia still has a long ways to go this season, but so far they are well on their way to making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015. And if Georgia is able to get there, the biggest reason why will be because of the elite play from their star freshman.