ATHENS – There was a time when preseason exhibition basketball games were played against teams of thrown-together has-beens with names like Athletes in Action, EA Sports All-Stars and Marathon Oil.
Not anymore.
As demonstrated by the Georgia Bulldogs preseason slate, these days power-conference teams press into real competition to get ready for the season. Having already ventured out on the road to play Charlotte last week, coach Mike White’s squad will welcome the University of Central of Florida to Stegeman Coliseum for its final exhibition game of the preseason (7:30 p.m.).
Under the direction of coach Johnny Dawkins – the Duke basketball alum who was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame – the Golden Knights have earned postseason bids in four of his nine seasons. As evidenced with its foray into Big 12 membership last season, UCF will bring the hard-nosed defensive mentality of their coach into Tuesday night’s contest.
And that’s exactly what the Bulldogs want as they prepare for Year 3 under White.
“It’s really what Johnny has done since he’s been there, since forever,” White said Monday of the Knight’s tendency to get after it defensively. “Good staff, good coach. … They were among the nation’s leaders last year in overall disruption defensively with blocking shots and turning it over, and they’ll switch up some defensive ball-screen coverages. They did a good job with recruiting. They’ve got a really talented team.”
So does Georgia, which should make Tuesday night’s matchup exciting for both observers and participants. General admission is $5 and proceeds will go to UGA Miracle, the largest student-run philanthropy in the state of Georgia dedicated to improving the lives of children and families battling pediatric illness. The organization raised $1,075,281.24 in 2024. Tickets can be purchased online at georgiadogs.com.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs will be breaking an almost all-new team on a brand-new court inside their spectacularly refurbished arena. Georgia was picked 12th in the newly-expanded, 16-team SEC. But there’s reason to believe the Dogs will exceed those expecations.
Nine newcomers, including 5-star freshman signee Asa Newell and Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey, join returning sophomore starters Silas Demary Jr., Dylan James and Blue Cain, for this home-court debut.
“We’ve got a good team,” White said. “We’re going to be fun to watch. I’m excited to see a bunch of students in the Steg, and a bunch of our other fans that are eager to see this team. Obviously, you hope you play well offensively, defensively. But as much as anything, I’d like to see our culture in the right place.”
Thanks to year-round practices and exhibitions against evenly-matched opponents, as college basketball allows these days, fans should be able to see more competitively mature contest Tuesday. UCF topped Florida Gulf Coast, 92-78, in Orlando on Oct. 18. A day earlier, Georgia got 20 points from Newell in an 86-59 win over Charlotte.
“I felt like I did a pretty good job,” said Newell, whose older brother Jaden Newll is third-year player for the Bulldogs. “I need to rebound the ball more. I did a good job running the floor, playing hard, playing aggressive for my first college game. So, I felt like I did pretty well.”
White said he wants to see nothing more from the 6-11, 220-pound Newell than what he has shown in practice the last five months.
“And that’s the challenge for all of these guys, especially the younger ones,” White said. “We want to see the same version. The way we practice should be the way we play against UCF, should be the way we play against Georgia Tech, and so on and so forth. It’s a process. We talk about that a lot. And so, with him, it’s just his approach, his mentality, not his numbers necessarily. He’ll play well, but I want to see him play like he does between lines on the practice floor, which is hard.”
Regardless, this one won’t count. The regular season opens for the Bulldogs on Monday against Tennessee Tech (7:30 p.m.).
About the Author
