Georgia Takes On Illinois State in Cayman Islands

Monday, November 19

Grand Cayman

1:30

University of Georgia

Illinois State

November 18, 2018 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Cayman Islands Classic: Georgia (2-1) vs. Illinois State (2-1)
Monday, November 19 at 1:30 p.m. ET
John Gray Gymnasium (2,000) in George Town, Grand Cayman.
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta; XM: TBD. (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Tony Schiavone, producer)
TV: None
Video: Stadium via Facebook (Noah Coslov, play-by-play; Tim Scarborough, analyst)

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
2-1 in 1st season at UGA
358-232 in 19th season overall
G	4	Tyree Crump	13.0	4.3
6-1; 185; Jr.; Bainbridge, Ga.
G	1	Teshaun Hightower	8.3	3.0
6-5; 180; So.; Lithonia, Ga.
F	20	Rayshaun Hammonds	12.3	5.7
6-8; 235; So.; Norcross, Ga.
F	33	Nicolas Claxton	11.7	8.0
6-11; 220; So.; Greenville, S.C.
F	34	Derek Ogbeide	12.0	7.7
6-9; 250; Sr.; Atlanta, Ga

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Illinois State Redbirds
Coach: Dan Muller
124-81 in 6th season at ISU
124-81 in 6th season overall
G	2	Zach Copeland	9.3	2.3
6-4; 185; Jr.; Oakland, Calif.
G	3	Keshawn Evans	6.3	2.7
6-0; 180; Sr.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
G	00	Isaac Gassman	4.0	2.0
6-5; 180; So.; Ottawa, Ill.
G	52	Malik Yarbrough	16.3	7.3
6-6; 215; Sr.; Zion, Ill.
F	10	Phil Fayne	18.3	6.0
6-9; 220; Sr.; Elk Grove, Calif.

TEAM COMPARISON

STATISTIC	GEORGIA	ILLINOIS STATE
Points Per Game	87.3	79.3
Opp. Point Per Game	73.7	79.0
Scoring Margin	+13.7	+0.3
Field Goal Pct.	.511	.463
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.368	.454
3-Point Pct.	.322	.346
3-Pointers Per Game	6.3	9.3
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.308	.354
Free Throw Pct.	.707	.680
Free Throws Per Game	21.7	11.3
Rebounds Per Game	47.0	35.0
Opp. Rebound Per Game	36.3	38.3
Rebound Margin	+10.7	-3.3
Assists Per Game	18.0	17.3
Turnovers Per Game	18.0	11.7
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	1.00	1.49
Turnover Margin	-4.7	+3.3
Steals Per Game	7.3	6.3
Blocks Per Game	7.0	5.0

The Starting 5...

Georgia opened the season with a 110-76 win over Savannah State, the Dogs' most points since Nov. 27, 1999, against Grambling.
The crowd of 9,018 against Savannah State was UGA's largest for a home opener since Dominique Wilkins' sopho-more year in Athens.
Tyree Crump leads four Bulldogs averaging double digits, also Derek Ogbeide, Nicolas Claxton & Rayshaun Hammonds.
Derek Ogbeide ascended to No. 16 among UGA's career rebound leaders in the Sam Houston State game and is 17 away from No. 15.
UGA's coaching staff sports a combined 80 seasons of D-I experience (Crean-28, Scott-27, Dollar-23, Abdur-Rahim-12) with 38 postseason bids

The Opening Tip

Georgia faces Illinois State on Monday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. ET in the Bulldogs' second game of the Cayman Islands Classic. Last Friday, Georgia defeated Sam Houston State, 75-64, at Stegeman Coliseum in its on-campus portion of the tournament.

The Bulldogs will play three games in as many days on Grand Cayman. Georgia will face either Akron or Clemson on Tuesday and take on Boise State, Creighton, Georgia State or Saint Bonaventure on Wednesday.

All of the games from the Caymans will be available online via Stadium, Facebook's online streaming option.

Series History

Monday's game will be the first ever between the Bulldogs and the Redbirds.

Georgia is 5-3 all time against schools currently competing with Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bulldogs are 1-0 vs. Evansville, Indiana State and Northern Iowa; 1-1 vs. Drake and Loyola-Chicago; and 0-1 vs. Southern Illinois.

Up Next: The Owls Visit Athens

When the Bulldogs return to the States, they will host Kennesaw State next Tuesday.

The Dogs Are Drawing

Crowds of 9,018 and 7,195 attended Georgia's first two home games of the 2018-19 campaign. All told, that's 16,213 Bulldogs.

That is the largest two-game tally for the initial two outings at Stegeman Coliseum in 15 seasons.

In 2002-03, Georgia welcomed crowds of 8,643 for the season opener against Belmont and then drew 8,527 for the second home game of the campaign versus South Alabama – a combined tally of 17,170.

A Historic Opener

Georgia christened both the 2018-19 campaign and the Tom Crean era on Nov. 9 with an impressive evening on and off the court.

The Bulldogs secured a 110-76 victory over Savannah State, Georgia's most points in a game in the 2000s.

The last time the Bulldogs scored more was in a 113-74 victory over Grambling on Nov. 27, 1999, at the Great Alaska Shootout.

A crowd of 9,018 fans turned out at Stegeman Coliseum for the opener.

The last time the Bulldogs drew a larger crowd for their initial home outing was in 37 years ago in 1981, which was Dominique Wilkins' sophomore year. A then-capacity crowd of 11,200 turned out for a 62-61 win over Georgia Tech on Dec. 5, 1981.

That also represented the most fans for a home opener since the Stegeman Coliseum's capacity became 10,523 in 1994.

Also on the scoreboard front, Georgia's 59 first-half points were its most in a half since putting up 60 in the second period against Jacksonville State 11 years earlier to the day...on Nov. 9, 2007.

"First things first, I want to say thank you to everybody who was here for this," Crean said. "This is largest crowd on an opening night since they redid Stegeman Coliseum, and it was fun. It was fun to see the enthusiasm that people have had turn into bodies and live energy and loud fans tonight. That was tremendous. I want to say that first and foremost."

Bulldogs Set Sellout Record

The Tom Crean regime established an impressive attendance record before ever setting foot on the Stegeman Coliseum floor.

Georgia sold out three regular-season games in October.

On Oct. 24, Georgia announced sellouts for both the Florida and Kentucky games. That represented the earliest sellout in Georgia Basketball history.

Two days later, the Bulldogs' matchup with Texas also became a sellout.

Prior to this year, Georgia had never sold out more than one home game prior to the season opener.

It's Games Time!

The Bulldogs will play six games in the first 13 days of the 2018-19 campaign.

That stretch began with the Nov. 9 season opener against Savannah State, a trip to Temple on Nov. 13 and a matchup with Sam Houston State on Nov. 16. The Bulldogs will complete the stretch with three games in three days this week on Grand Cayman.

The Bulldogs Who Are Back

Georgia returns three starters – seniors William "Turtle" Jackson and Derek Ogbeide and sophomore Rayshaun Hammonds – and 11 total letterwinners from last season's team.

Of those 11 returnees, nine have starting experience within SEC play.

Georgia's Four Puppies

The Bulldogs' 15-player roster features a quartet of freshmen.

Three of those are Peach State prep products – Tye Fagan from Thomaston, Amanze Ngumezi from Savannah and JoJo Toppin from Norcross. The fourth, Ignas Sargiunas, hails from Kaunas, Lithuania.

Tigers Jack Up Record Shots

Savannah State attempted the most field goals and 3-pointers by any opponent in Georgia's 114 seasons of basketball.

The Tigers put up 93 shots from the field, including 57 from behind the arc. The previous mosts by a Bulldog foe were 89 FGAs by Southern Miss on Dec. 21, 1974, and 40 3-point attempts by Fresno State on March 14, 2007.

Savannah State's 17 made trifectas represented the second-most ever against Georgia, falling one shy of Fresno State's makes.

"This was a tremendous lesson and game for us to play this pace," Crean said. "I've never coached against anything like this pace. We can learn from it, and we can learn what we've got to get better at.

"I loved our approach to start the game," Crean added. "The biggest focus for us was to get back to the corners. Most teams will send someone to the rim on the break. They were not running to the rim as much as they were running to each corner. We wanted to get that covered, and we did a pretty good job of that in the first half."

Bulldogs' Board Count At No. 3

Savannah State's pace helped lead to 62 rebounds for Georgia, the third-most ever by the Bulldogs in a game as outlined below.

Thirteen of 15 Bulldogs had at least one rebound on the night, with Nicolas Claxton's career-high 13 boards pacing the team.

Rk.	Reb.	Site-Opponent	Date
UGA Most Single-Game Rebounds
1.	78	H-Sewanee	12/3/68
2.	68	N-Long Island	12/6/91
3.	62	H-Savannah State	11/9/18
		H-Jacksonville State	11/9/07
4.	60	H-Bethune-Cookman	12/7/93
5.	59	A-Ole Miss	3/2/91
	59	H-Bryant	11/10/17

Bulldogs To Take On Illinois State

Georgia is 2-1 to date and will face Illinois State on Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Four Bulldogs are averaging double figures on the young season. Tyree Crump is pacing Georgia at 13.0 ppg, while Rayshaun Hammonds is contributing 12.3, Derek Ogbeide is adding 12.0 ppg and Nicolas Claxton is scoring at an 11.7 ppg clip.

The Redbirds also are 2-1 on the year, with home wins over Florida Gulf Coast and Chicago State and a road loss at Belmont.

Illinois State returns four starters and three additional letterwinners from a year ago. Phil Fayne leads a trio of double-digit scorers for the Redbirds at 18.3 ppg. Milik Yarbrough and Josh Jefferson are adding 16.3 ppg and 12.7 ppg, respectively.

Series History With The Redbirds

Georgia and Illinois State are meeting for the first time ever on the hardwood.

Last Time Out...

Sophomores Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton scored 15 and 13 points, respectively, to lead Georgia in a 75-64 win over Sam Houston State before a rousing crowd of 7,195 at Stegeman Coliseum last Friday night.

"This crowd read the game really well," head coach Tom Crean said. " This crowd didn't get down on us. It didn't get nervous, or at least I couldn't tell. I wasn't nervous, but there were times when it was a tough game, and they really, really raised us up. I really hope that this is what this marriage becomes...that this group of guys understands you don't wait for someone else to get you going. You get each other going, and that passion and energy will help everyone else."

Georgia lead 38-33 at the half, but the Bearkats opened the second stanza with a 7-0 and eventually led 55-50 with 7:53 remaining.

Claxton scored five unanswered points to tie the game and ignite a 14-2 run that put the Bulldogs up 64-57 with 2:22 remaining.

"The thing I tell these guys is, momentum is always up for grabs and the game is always giving you something," Crean said. "It might not be through the textbook, it might not be through the script, it might not be through the game plan, but we've got to find it. Anybody can capture momentum, just like anybody can lose it."

Dogs' Lineup A Work In Progress

Georgia's starters in the box above are just the same five players who got the nod against Sam Houston State. Tom Crean has been adamant that the lineup is anything but set.

"I've said to them, and it's going to be like this for a while, we don't have a starting five," Crean said after the season opener. "It's not coach-speak. In my mind, we don't have one. I don't think you can build a program and not have real competition.

"We had some very good individual nights, but we also have a lot of things that we can improve upon," Crean added. "That's the exciting thing because the things we need to improve upon are very correctable things – the free throw shooting, the decision making, the two-handed rebounds, the blocking out."

Excitement Surrounds Bulldogs

Tom Crean was hired as the Bulldogs' head coach on March 15 and has created an off-season buzz surrounding Georgia Basketball that it hasn't been seen since Dominique Wilkins' days in Athens during the early-80s.

Before this season, Georgia had never sold out more than one game before the regular-season opener. This fall, the Bulldogs had three sellouts – Florida, Kentucky and Texas – in October.

In addition, the number of contributors and the amount donated to UGA's Basketball Enhancement Fund (BEF) set records by considerable margins. The BEF tally topped $1 million for the first time ever and as of Nov. 7 had bettered the previous watermark by just shy of 25 percent.

"I'm just looking forward to this enthusiasm that is being generated around the program being live, screaming bodies in the seats," Crean said prior to the season opener. "We want bodies that are there early, that are there during, that are loud at the beginning, that are helping us through it and that coming to have some fun."

Tom Crean's Dunkyard Dawgs

In 1975, James Brown wrote and released "Dooley's Junkyard Dawgs" in support of the Georgia football team and in particular its scrappy defense.

Brown, an Augusta native, was a big UGA fan who was once grand marshal of the school's Homecoming parade and even performed his song about Vince Dooley's Bulldogs at halftime of a game.

If the late Godfather of Soul would have been at Stegeman Coliseum for the season opener, he likely would have been in the studio working on "Tom Crean's Dunkyard Dawgs" the following day.

Georgia opened the season with three emphatic slams – two from Nicolas Claxton and another by Derek Ogbeide – in the first 64 seconds against Savannah State. The Bulldogs finished the evening with a dozen dunks – four from Claxton, two from Ogbeide and Amanze Ngumezi and one each from Mike Edwards, Jordan Harris, Christian Harrison and E'Torrion Wilridge.

Bulldogs' Roster Loaded With Peach State Products

Nearly three-fourths of Georgia's roster – 11-of-15=.733 to be exact – played high school hoops in the Peach State.

The list includes: seniors Christian Harrison (Woodward Academy), William "Turtle" Jackson (Athens Christian School), Connor O'Neill (Blessed Trinity Catholic High) and Derek Ogbeide (Pebblebrook High); juniors Tyree Crump (Bainbridge High) and Jordan Harris (Seminole County High); sophomores Rayshaun Hammonds (Norcross High) and Teshaun Hightower (Collins Hills High); and freshmen Tye Fagan (Upson-Lee High); Amanze Ngumezi (Johnson High) and JoJo Toppin (Norcross High).

Feel Free To Call Him "Ty-3" Crump

Tyree Crump has scored just under two-thirds of his career points at Georgia on shots from at least 20-feet, 9-inches from the basket.

With a seven 3-pointers in the first three games, Crump has knocked down 70 3s for the Bulldogs, directly accounting for 210 of his points 340 (61.8 percent) during his collegiate career.

Those 70 trifectas also account for 66.7 percent (70-of-105) of his made shots from the floor as a Bulldog.

Fagan Owns Unique Record

The first recruit to commit to Georgia under Tom Crean certainly brought a winning résumé to Athens.

Tye Fagan, who inked papers with Bulldogs on May 1 during the spring signing period, helped Upson-Lee High School to back-to-back state titles and 63 consecutive victories as a junior and senior. That represents the third-longest winning streak in Georgia boys' basketball prep history.

"Any time you can add a championship-winning player and person to your program, it's great," Crean said. "But I can't recall ever signing anyone that was 63-0. That's unique."

Georgia's loss at Temple represented Fagan's first setback representing his school since a Upson-Lee lost to New Hampstead on Feb. 17, 2016 in the first round of the 2016 state tournament.

Ogbeide Already Ranks Among Bulldogs' Best Boarders Ever

Derek Ogbeide began his senior season with 614 rebounds and ranked No. 17 among the Georgia's career leaders.

Ogbeide ascended to the No. 16 position – as outlined below – during the Sam Houston State victory.

Claxton Goes International

Nicolas Claxton spent a portion of his summer playing for the U.S. Virgin Islands national team in qualifying contests for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Clexton is eligible to play for the U.S.V.I. since his father, Charles, an All-SEC center for UGA in the early-90s, was born there.

Claxton helped ignite a closing 13-0 surge in an 84-74 victory over the Bahamas on June 28. He was fouled and converted a free throw to start the run and then made a stickback with 3:15 left to put the U.S.V.I up for good. With 2:51 remaining, Claxton stole a Buddy Hield pass that resulted in a bucket on the other end. In a July 2 loss to Canada, Claxton scored seven points and had a team-high six boards.

Workouts Feature Belted "Dawg OF The Week" Accolade Georgia's summer and fall workouts have included the naming of a "Dawg of the Week," an award accompanied by an extremely authentic wrestling-style championship belt.

"That was (strength & conditioning director) Sean Hayes' idea," Tom Crean said. "He showed me the design and I liked it and he got it done. It's something that Sean really spearheads, and he's really basing it not only on who had the best week themselves but most importantly who's helping others the best. It's about who's not only pushing themselves to a very high level but through the fatigue, through the frustration that comes through the adversity that comes. Are they really helping their teammates, especially the young guys?"

Inaugural StegMania A Success

Tom Crean arrived in Athens with a distinct vision. One of the first things he wanted to create was an preseason event to display the new energy and enthusiasm surrounding Georgia Basketball.

On Friday, Oct. 5, the first-ever StegMania drew a crowd of more than 5,000. It was, by all measures, a significant success.

UGA students lined up around the Coliseum to receive commemorative "StegMania" t-shirts. A lengthy autograph session with a distinct family feel wrapped up the festivities.

StegMania itself was packed with pyrotechnic player introductions, a high-flying dunk contest, a dance battle with the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, a impromptu performance of the hit song "Rolex" by hip-hop artists Ayo & Teo and a scrimmage with Crean "mic'd up" for the crowd.

"When you're brand new coming into something like this, you really don't have an expectation," said Crean, who donned a "Georgia vs. All Y'all" t-shirt for the evening. "But if I would've had one, it would have exceeded it. When I saw people in line to get into the Coliseum, I got a lump in my throat. It was awesome because you never take it for granted. Hopefully, everyone walks out of here knowing that they matter."

Bulldogs in Openers

With the victory over Savannah State, Georgia improved to 81-33 record in season-opening contests during the Bulldogs' 114 campaigns of basketball.

That tally includes a 35-6 mark when the Bulldogs have opened the season at Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia's biggest victory in an opener at the Coliseum also was its first. In the Bulldogs' first-ever season opener in the Coliseum on Dec. 3 1964, UGA bested No. 13 North Carolina, 64-61.

Crean's Opening Outings

Tom Crean improved to 18-1 in season openers as a head coach. Crean was 8-1 to begin his nine seasons at Marquette from 1999-2008. He was a perfect 9-0 at Indiana from 2008-17.

The biggest season-opening victory for a Crean-coached team was two years ago when the No. 11-ranked Hoosiers defeated No. 3 Kansas, 103-99, in overtime at the Armed Forces Challenge in Honolulu.

The Hoosiers raced to an 8-1 start that season – including a second signature victory in November over eventual 2017 NCAA Champion North Carolina – before injuries decimated Indiana's roster.

Some Early-Season Birthdays

Three Bulldogs will celebrate their birthdays during November.

Jake Thelen, Georgia's Director of Basketball Operations, enjoyed his birthday on Thursday, Nov. 8. Thelen, who turned 26, is the youngest "DOBO" at a Power 5 program.

On Saturday, Nov. 10, Rayshaun Hammonds turned 20, and Teshaun Hightower will turn 21 on next Wednesday, Nov. 21.

Bulldogs Win Exhibitions

Georgia won both of its preseason exhibition outings. The Bulldogs bested UAB in Birmingham, 56-54, on Oct. 18 and the topped Division II West Georgia, 98-59 on Nov. 1.

Against UAB, Rayshaun Hammonds led Georgia with 13 points and nine rebounds. Nicolas Claxton and JoJo Toppin added eight points each for the Bulldogs.

Hammonds scored on a three-point play that ignited a 9-3 run over the final 3:58 for the Bulldogs. Georgia held UAB without a field goal for the final 5:41 of the contest.

Tyree Crump led a quartet of Bulldogs in double figures against West Georgia. Crump knocked down 6-of-10 3-point attempts en route to 18 points.

Nicolas Claxton added 14 points, while Rayshaun Hammonds and Teshaun Hightower chipped in 10 apiece. Claxton and Hammonds each grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

The Bulldogs raced to a 12-1 lead and held the Wolves without a field goal for the first 6:37 of the game.

The Leftiest Lads In The Land

The Bulldogs' roster features six – count 'em on two hands – left-handed players. Georgia's southpaws include Nicolas Claxton, Tye Fagan, Rayshaun Hammonds, Jordan Harris, Derek Ogbeide and JoJo Toppin.

We're relatively confident that tally is the most any NCAA Division I basketball team will suit up during 2018-19.

During the summer months, J.D. Hamilton of the NCAA sends out a laundry list of questions to the nation's Division I men's basketball SIDs. The inquiries can range from statistical – what school has the most 2,000-point scorers – to staff – who has the nation's most experienced coaching staff – to roster related – who has the most newcomers.

Round 1 of the email on September 5 including the following offering from Athens: "Georgia has six left-handed players. Does any other team in the country have as many or more players who are left-handed?"

Not that SIDs are bound to answer every request, but that question received no replies. So, the ask was modified for a second email correspondence sent out by Hamilton on September 26 to read: "Georgia has six left-handed players. Does any other team in the country have as four or more players who are left-handed?"

That led to Tennessee (D.J. Burns, John Fulkerson, Jalen Johnson and Yves Pons), Washington (David Crisp, Elijah Hardy, Bryan Penn-Johnson and Nate Roberts) and Winthrop (Adam Pickett, Jermaine Ukaegbu, Kyle Zunic and Raivis Scerbinskis) supplying lists of four.

While nothing is official, Georgia will claim the unofficial title of the leftiest team in America until proven otherwise.

And for full effect, the above headline should be read in a voice immitating Dan Magill, the greatest Bulldog of all time. If you're not familiar with Coach Magill, ask.