Georgia Bulldogs
November 23rd, 2024 at Atlantis Resort, Bahamas
Head Coach: Mike White (279-161 overall, 36-33 at Georgia)
Three-Year NET Average: 158.3
Three-Year kenpom Average: 152.3
Projected 2023-24 T-Rank: 40
Photo by Jordan Prather | USA Today Sports
State of the Program
Mike White's second season in Athens was a big step up from the first. Their 10-3 non-conference slate included wins over Wake Forest and Florida State, though they stumbled to a second straight 6-12 SEC season. It was enough to reach the NIT, where they got hot. Wins over Xavier, Wake Forest (again), and Ohio State saw them reach the semifinals at Hinkle Fieldhouse before falling to eventual champions Seton Hall. The offseason was rough. Three players graduated, seven more transferred, and just three scholarship players are back, all of whom were freshmen last year.
Rotation
Silas Demary is the hub of this team. He has a big, powerful frame that he uses very well in attacking inside, finishing at the rim, and getting to the line. He can play on or off the ball, which is why he will benefit from having Dakota Leffew next to him. The Mount St. Mary's transfer is a capable scorer and shot-creator for himself and others. He gives Georgia a two-point guard look, though they'll need him to perform at the level he did when he caught White's eye, going for 26 points and 5 assists for MSM in a game against Georgia last year. A pair of high-major transfers bolster the lineup. Tyrin Lawrence comes from Vanderbilt after a down season in terms of efficiency while R.J. Godfrey is a defensive stopper from Clemson. Their additions will help with the departed experience. White also secured a top-10 recruiting class, anchored by the center rotation of five-star Asa Newell and four-star Somto Cyril. Newell is an excellent prospect who is an explosive athlete that can finish above the rim and stretch the floor to the arc while providing solid rim protection on the defensive end. Somto Cyril is another great rim protector, though his offensive game is mostly limited to playing the dunker role. The bench is rounded out with Blue Cain, who was a spot starter last year for the Bulldogs, and Justin Abson, who transfers in from Appalachian State and could challenge for a starting role.
Image from Dawgs 247
Style of Play
Historically, Mike White's teams like to get out and attack in transition. He did that to great success at Louisiana Tech and while they played slower at Florida, his last four years saw him try to return to a transition attack. At Georgia, they've been in the 68th and 63rd percentile his first two seasons, and while it worked well in year one, they sucked at transition last year, finishing in the 30th percentile in efficiency. Where they were more effective was creating with the drive. They were high frequency/high efficiency in attacking the rim, kicking out, or pulling up for a dribble jumper, where they are particularly lethal. The question will be how Leffew and Lawrence fit into that. Neither are the drivers that Demary is, and both take far more midrange shots than White prefers. If Newell's shot translates, don't be surprised to see the bigs inverted on offense, with Godfrey posting up and attacking the interior while Newell gets open to bury the kick-out three. He hasn't had great rebounding teams, but when they do get on the offensive glass, watch for the quick kick-out to an open shooter.
Defensively, this feels more like a Mike White team than his first two at Georgia. His teams play aggressive on the perimeter, running teams off the line and forcing them into bad passes that lead to turnovers. When you can get past the perimeter, there's typically a long, athletic shot-blocker waiting at the rim with help side defenders equally aggressive in pursuing blocks. As a result, defensive rebounding tends to be a weakness. The last two years he simply hasn't had the personnel to do that. The guards didn't apply enough pressure on the perimeter, and he had Braelen Bridges and Russell Tchewa, who had ridiculously anemic shot blocking rates for seven-footers. Leffew and Lawrence both seem better suited to provide the perimeter defense White wants. Demary was good at forcing turnovers and should be better with experience in the system. Inside, Newell and Cyril are both excellent shot-blockers while Godfrey is a great help side defender. Last year's defense was adequate but not on par with White's history.
2024-25 Outlook
When you see a team with a pair of productive returners, a pair of fifth year transfer starting, a pair of marquee freshmen, and a top-40 preseason T-Rank, that should be a tournament team. But in the SEC, that prediction is only good for 11th in the league. Demary has star potential, Leffew and Lawrence are productive pieces, and the personnel match the way White wants to play defense. What determines how far this team goes is likely if someone can emerge as a second star alongside Demary. If Leffew can translate his production up a level, if Newell can be an immediate impact player, if Godfrey can provide similar efficiency in expanded minutes, any one of those could make this a tourney team. The X-factor may be sophomore transfer De'Shayne Montgomery, who was a blossoming star next to Leffew at Mount St. Mary's. He's a killer both at the rim (64.6%) and from beyond the arc (41.2%), and if that translates up from the MAAC to the SEC he could be a difference-maker off the bench. If they can go 3-2 in their marquee non-con games (Georgia Tech, Marquette, St. John's, Notre Dame, Grand Canyon) and get to 9-9 in the SEC, they should be a tourney team. Considering it's been a decade since they made the field, more than two decades since they won a tourney game, and nearly three since making the Sweet 16, that would both be a worthy goal and great accomplishment.
Marquette Connection
What do the greatest player in Marquette history and the greatest player in Georgia history have in common? Both Dwyane Wade and Anthony Edwards were recruited by Tom Crean. The coach that took Marquette to the Final Four in 2003 also led Georgia from 2018 through 2022. Crean's teams at Georgia didn't match his previous success, going just 47-75 in four seasons, with only one winning season in 2021. Crean and Marquette seemed to pass like ships in the night since his departure. Marquette last played Georgia in a home-and-home in 2016 and 2017. Crean took over Georgia the next year. And who did Marquette play in non-conference in Crean's first year at Georgia? The Indiana program he had left just a year before. Once again, Marquette will play a once Crean-coached team a short time removed from him leaving that post.
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