2017–18 Georgia Bulldogs basketball team

2017–18 Georgia Bulldogs basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record18–15 (7–11 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaStegeman Coliseum
Seasons
2017–18 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Auburn 13 – 5   .722 26 – 8   .765
No. 13 Tennessee 13 – 5   .722 26 – 9   .743
No. 23 Florida 11 – 7   .611 21 – 13   .618
No. 18 Kentucky † 10 – 8   .556 26 – 11   .703
Missouri 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
Arkansas 10 – 8   .556 23 – 12   .657
Mississippi State 9 – 9   .500 25 – 12   .676
Texas A&M 9 – 9   .500 22 – 13   .629
Alabama 8 – 10   .444 20 – 16   .556
LSU 8 – 10   .444 18 – 15   .545
Georgia 7 – 11   .389 18 – 15   .545
South Carolina 7 – 11   .389 17 – 16   .515
Vanderbilt 6 – 12   .333 12 – 20   .375
Ole Miss 5 – 13   .278 12 – 20   .375
† 2018 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2017–18 Georgia bulldogs basketball team represented the University of Georgia during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Mark Fox in his ninth season at UGA. They played their home games at Stegeman Coliseum as members of the Southeastern Conference.[1] The Bulldogs finished the season 18–15, 7–11 in SEC play to finish in a tie for 11th place. As the No. 12 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated Vanderbilt[2] and Missouri[3] before losing to Kentucky in the quarterfinals.[4]

On March 10, 2018, the school fired head coach Mark Fox after nine seasons at Georgia.[5][6] On March 13, the school hired former Indiana coach Tom Crean to replace Fox.[7][8]

Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2016–17 season 19–15, 9–9 in SEC play to finish in eighth place. They defeated Tennessee in the second round of the SEC tournament to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to Kentucky. They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the First Round to Belmont.[9]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Brandon Young 14 G 5'10" 160 Senior Atlanta, GA Graduated
Houston Kessler 24 F 6'8" 230 RS Senior Newnan, GA Graduated
Kenny Paul Geno 25 F 6'6" 210 Senior Booneville, MS Graduated
J. J. Frazier 30 G 5'10" 155 Senior Gleenville, GA Graduated

2017 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Rayshaun Hammonds
#7 SF 		Norcross, GA Norcross High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Nov 10, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Nicolas Claxton
#28 PF 		Greenville, SC Legacy Charter School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 285 lb (129 kg) Nov 14, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Teshaun Hightower
#50 PG 		Suwanee, GA Mount Zion Baptist Christian School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jan 16, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Isaac Kante
PF 		Brooklyn, NY Putnam Science Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) May 2, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: Not Ranked   Rivals: Not Ranked  ESPN: Not Ranked
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Georgia 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  • "2017 Georgia Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2018)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Amanze Ngumezi
PF 		Savannah, GA Johnson High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sep 3, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
JoJo Toppin
SF 		Norcross, GA Norcross High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 15, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Tye Fagan
SG 		Thomaston, GA Upson-Lee High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Apr 30, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Ignas Sargiūnas
SG 		Kaunas, Lithuania Jonas Basanavicius Gymnasium 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jun 1, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2017–18 Georgia Bulldogs men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 William Jackson II 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Athens Christian School Athens, GA
F 1 Yante Maten 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Bloomfield Hills HS Bloomfield Hills, MI
G 2 Jordan Harris 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Seminole County HS Iron City, GA
G 3 Juwan Parker 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Washington HS Tulsa, OK
G 4 Tyree Crump 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 182 lb (83 kg) So Bainbridge HS Bainbridge, GA
F 5 Pape Diatta 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr The Rock
College of Southern Idaho 		Dakar, Senegal
G 10 TeShaun Hightower 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Mount Zion Prep Lithonia, GA
G 11 Christian Harrison (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Woodward Academy Atlanta, GA
F 13 E'Torrion Wilridge 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Central Medical Magnet HS Beaumont, TX
F 20 Rayshaun Hammonds 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 227 lb (103 kg) Fr Norcross HS Norcross, GA
F 24 Connor O'Neill (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Tilton School Roswell, GA
F 30 Isaac Kante 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 236 lb (107 kg) Fr Putnam Science Academy Brooklyn, NY
F 32 Mike Edwards 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr John Glenn HS Westland, MI
F 33 Nicolas Claxton 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Legacy Charter School Greenville, SC
F 34 Derek Ogbeide 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Pebblebrook HS Atlanta, GA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 29, 2017
2:00 pm 		vs. Michigan State
Hurricane charity relief exhibition 		L 68–80 
 33 – Maten   7 – Ogbeide   4 – Tied  Van Andel Arena (10,699)
Grand Rapids, MI
Nov 2, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Valdosta State W 112–74 
 24 – Maten   11 – Hammonds   7 – Jackson II  Stegeman Coliseum (3,752)
Athens, GA
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Bryant W 79–54  1–0
  21 – Maten   12 – Maten   3 – Wilridge  Stegeman Coliseum (7,387)
Athens, GA
Nov 14, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		USC Upstate W 74–65  2–0
  22 – Maten   14 – Maten   5 – Wilridge  Stegeman Coliseum (5,369)
Athens, GA
Nov 19, 2017*
1:00 pm 		Texas A&M–Corpus Christi W 68–65  3–0
  19 – Maten   13 – Maten   4 – Jackson II  Stegeman Coliseum (6,220)
Athens, GA
Nov 23, 2017*
10:30 pm, ESPNews 		at Cal State Fullerton
Wooden Legacy quarterfinals 		W 64–57  4–0
  16 – Jackson II   12 – Hammonds   3 – Tied  Titan Gym (2,192)
Fullerton, CA
Nov 24, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		vs. San Diego State
Wooden Legacy 		L 68–75  4–1
  17 – Tied   7 – 3 tied   4 – Jackson II  Titan Gym (3,813)
Fullerton, CA
Nov 26, 2017*
5:00 pm, ESPNU 		vs. No. 21 Saint Mary's
Wooden Legacy 		W 83–81 OT 5–1
  17 – Crump   9 – Ogbeide   5 – Hammonds  Honda Center (3,193)
Anaheim, CA
Dec 2, 2017*
2:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Marquette W 73–66  6–1
  13 – Maten   8 – Hammonds   7 – Jackson II  BMO Harris Bradley Center (14,476)
Milwaukee, WI
Dec 5, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN 		Winthrop W 87–82  7–1
  25 – Maten   11 – Maten   7 – Jackson II  Stegeman Coliseum (6,405)
Athens, GA
Dec 16, 2017*
3:00 pm, NBCSN 		at Massachusetts L 62–72  7–2
  20 – Maten   9 – Maten   5 – Jackson II  Mullins Center (4,744)
Amherst, MA
Dec 19, 2017*
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		Georgia Tech W 80–59  8–2
  24 – Maten   6 – Maten   4 – Jackson II  Stegeman Coliseum (10,048)
Athens, GA
Dec 22, 2017*
1:00 pm, SECN 		Temple W 84–66  9–2
  30 – Maten   12 – Maten   4 – Jackson II  Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Athens, GA
Dec 31, 2017
6:00 pm, ESPN 		at No. 16 Kentucky L 61–66  9–3
(0–1) 		 17 – Maten   12 – Maten   3 – Crump  Rupp Arena (22,862)
Lexington, KY
Jan 3, 2018
6:30 pm, SECN 		Ole Miss W 71–60  10–3
(1–1) 		 18 – Parker   11 – Parker   5 – Jackson II  Stegeman Coliseum (7,515)
Athens, GA
Jan 6, 2018
12:00 pm, SECN 		Alabama W 65–46  11–3
(2–1) 		 26 – Maten   11 – Maten   5 – Jackson II  Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Athens, GA
Jan 10, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Missouri L 56–68  11–4
(2–2) 		 10 – Tied   6 – Hammonds   2 – Tied  Mizzou Arena (15,061)
Columbia, MO
Jan 13, 2018
1:00 pm, SECN 		South Carolina L 57–64  11–5
(2–3) 		 25 – Maten   10 – Ogbeide   2 – Jackson II  Stegeman Coliseum (9,788)
Athens, GA
Jan 16, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		at LSU W 61–60  12–5
(3–3) 		 21 – Maten   12 – Maten   5 – Jackson II  Maravich Center (8,269)
Baton Rouge, LA
Jan 20, 2018
6:00 pm, SECN 		at No. 17 Auburn L 65–79  12–6
(3–4) 		 17 – Maten   9 – Maten   3 – Maten  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
Jan 23, 2018
6:30 pm, SECN 		Arkansas L 77–80  12–7
(3–5) 		 26 – Maten   15 – Maten   5 – Jackson II  Stegeman Coliseum (6,405)
Athens, GA
Jan 27, 2018*
2:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Kansas State
Big 12/SEC Challenge 		L 51–56  12–8
  14 – Maten   8 – Ogbeide   4 – Jackson II  Bramlage Coliseum (10,314)
Manhattan, KS
Jan 30, 2018
7:30 pm, SECN 		No. 23 Florida W 72–60  13–8
(4–5) 		 20 – Maten   8 – Claxton   3 – Parker  Stegeman Coliseum (8,779)
Athens, GA
Feb 3, 2018
6:00 pm, SECN 		at Mississippi State L 57–72  13–9
(4–6) 		 13 – Tied   7 – Maten   7 – Jackson II  Humphrey Coliseum (7,775)
Starkville, MS
Feb 7, 2018
8:30 pm, SECN 		at Vanderbilt L 66–81  13–10
(4–7) 		 20 – Maten   6 – Maten   4 – Jackson II  Memorial Gymnasium (8,761)
Nashville, TN
Feb 10, 2018
3:30 pm, SECN 		No. 8 Auburn L 61–78  13–11
(4–8) 		 20 – Maten   5 – 3 tied   4 – Jackson II  Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Athens, GA
Feb 14, 2018
9:00 pm, SECN 		at Florida W 72–69 OT 14–11
(5–8) 		 23 – Maten   10 – Tied   5 – Crump  O'Connell Center (9,497)
Gainesville, FL
Feb 17, 2018
6:00 pm, SECN 		No. 18 Tennessee W 73–62  15–11
(6–8) 		 19 – Maten   11 – Ogbeide   4 – Jackson II  Stegeman Coliseum (10,028)
Athens, GA
Feb 21, 2018
6:30 pm, SECN 		at South Carolina W 66–57  15–12
(6–9) 		 14 – Jackson II   10 – Maten   3 – Jackson II  Colonial Life Arena (11,529)
Columbia, SC
Feb 24, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPNU 		LSU W 93–82  16–12
(7–9) 		 27 – Maten   11 – Maten   8 – Jackson II  Stegeman Coliseum (9,518)
Athens, GA
Feb 28, 2018
8:30 pm, SECN 		Texas A&M L 60–61  16–13
(7–10) 		 16 – Maten   12 – Maten   4 – Hightower  Stegeman Coliseum (6,417)
Athens, GA
Mar 3, 2018
6:00 pm, SECN 		at No. 16 Tennessee L 61–66  16–14
(7–11) 		 18 – Maten   9 – Maten   8 – Jackson  Thompson–Boling Arena (22,237)
Knoxville, TN
SEC Tournament
Mar 7, 2018
7:00 pm, SECN 		(12) vs. (13) Vanderbilt
First round 		W 78–62  17–14
  25 – Maten   10 – Ogbeide   6 – Hightower  Scottrade Center (8,190)
St. Louis, MO
Mar 8, 2018
3:30 pm, SECN 		(12) vs. (5) Missouri
Second round 		W 62–60  18–14
  21 – Maten   10 – Maten   3 – Crump  Scottrade Center (15,129)
St. Louis, MO
Mar 9, 2018
3:30 pm, ESPN 		(12) vs. (4) Kentucky
Quarterfinals 		L 49–62  18–15
  17 – Crump   11 – Ogbeide   1 – Tied  Scottrade Center (16,364)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References

  1. ^ Georgia Bulldogs basketball schedule
  2. ^ "Vanderbilt vs. Georgia - Game Recap - March 7, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  3. ^ "Georgia vs. Missouri - Game Recap - March 8, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  4. ^ "Georgia vs. Kentucky - Game Recap - March 9, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  5. ^ Odum | AP, Charles (March 10, 2018). "Georgia fires Mark Fox after disappointing 9th season". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  6. ^ "Report: Georgia fires coach Mark Fox after nine seasons". SI.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  7. ^ "Georgia hires former Indiana coach Tom Crean to take over program". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  8. ^ "IU's financial obligation to Tom Crean may drop after he's hired by Georgia". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  9. ^ "Georgia bows out of NIT with loss to Belmont". macon. Retrieved March 16, 2018.