University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldog Bench A Key To 11-1 Start
December 23, 2025 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Marc "Smurf" Millender scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out three assists in 22 minutes off the bench in the No. 23-ranked Georgia men's basketball team's 103-74 win over West Georgia on Monday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum. The junior's contribution was part of a 35-point effort by the Bulldog bench.
Georgia (11-1) has 11 players averaging at least 12.3 minutes per game, and the Bulldogs' deep bench is a big reason why the team is off to a roaring start. Georgia set a program record Monday with its sixth 100-point game of the season, reaching that milestone in just 12 games. Blue Cain, who paced the Bulldogs with 20 points in 22 minutes Monday, is playing a team-high 25.6 minutes per game.
"I love our depth. We've got great kids, first and foremost, that work and like each other," Georgia head coach Mike White said after the Bulldogs routed Florida State, 107-73, in Tallahassee earlier this month. With so many guys playing between 12.3-25.6 minutes, White said, they're "staying fresher, but they've bought into that. They've accepted it. I like the level of unselfishness with this team right now."
The Bulldogs' depth has been on display since the opener, a 104-59 win over Bellarmine, in which five reserves scored at least 8 points, led by freshman Jake Wilkins' 12 in his collegiate debut. Wilkins, the son of Bulldog and NBA legend Dominique, scored in double figures in four of his first five games, with many of them coming on high-flying dunks reminiscent of his dad.
Millender hasn't started a game yet, but he leads the Bulldogs with 4.0 assists per game. He's also third on the team in scoring at 10.3 a game and third with 16 steals. Jeremiah Wilkinson, a transfer guard like Millender, has started 10 of the 12 games and leads Georgia in scoring at 18.0 per game. Cain, a three-year starter at guard for the Bulldogs, is second in scoring with 16.0.
Last season, when the Bulldogs played in the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2014-15 season, nine players averaged 13.6 or more minutes per game. That squad had five players playing at least 25.2 per game, and the team's scoring average was 75.3. This season's team is deeper, playing faster, and Georgia has the nation's highest scoring offense at 99.8 per game.
"The NBA is (playing) much faster than it was, obviously, 10 years ago, and with us as a program, that's what we've done," White said last week. "With this roster, it fits, and our guys are having fun with this style."
Georgia has ramped up its defensive pressure this season, sometimes going full-court, and a deep bench helps make that possible. With more players to move in and out of the lineup, everyone has fresh legs when they're running up and down the court. Against West Georgia, the Bulldogs got 13 steals, with many of them coming via full-court pressure after a made basket. And those quick steals led to easy layups.
Prior to Monday, when the NCAA last updated its statistics on NCAA.com, Georgia ranked fourth in the country in bench points per game at 42.0. In the Bulldogs' 84-65 win over Cincinnati at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Dec. 13, the bench only contributed 23 points, led by Millender's 10, but it contributed in several other key ways. Senior forward Justin Abson had 4 points, four rebounds, three blocks, and three assists in just 12 minutes, and 19 of the team's 41 rebounds came from non-starters.
In Georgia's 92-87 win over Georgia Tech at the Steg on Nov. 14, Wilkinson came off the bench to score 18 points, grab three rebounds, and get three steals. At the Shriner's Children's Charleston Classic last month, in games against Xavier and Clemson, the bench scored a combined 64 points, grabbed 41 rebounds, and handed out 12 assists.
The Bulldogs' average margin of victory is 28.0 points, they are shooting 49.6% from the field as a team while holding their opponents to 39.1%, and 10 players have at least six steals, led by Cain's 25.
When asked last week if he foresees having to shorten his bench and maybe just play eight or nine guys once the SEC schedule gets started in January, White said that he could play seven guys, or keep playing the 11 that have gotten Georgia this far.
"I don't know who not to play right now; the 11 that are playing have been productive," he said.
That they have. And as the Bulldogs get a well-earned break before their next game, Monday against Long Island, they do so knowing that they've all shared in helping Georgia win 11 of its first 12 games.Â
Staff Writer
Marc "Smurf" Millender scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out three assists in 22 minutes off the bench in the No. 23-ranked Georgia men's basketball team's 103-74 win over West Georgia on Monday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum. The junior's contribution was part of a 35-point effort by the Bulldog bench.
Georgia (11-1) has 11 players averaging at least 12.3 minutes per game, and the Bulldogs' deep bench is a big reason why the team is off to a roaring start. Georgia set a program record Monday with its sixth 100-point game of the season, reaching that milestone in just 12 games. Blue Cain, who paced the Bulldogs with 20 points in 22 minutes Monday, is playing a team-high 25.6 minutes per game.
"I love our depth. We've got great kids, first and foremost, that work and like each other," Georgia head coach Mike White said after the Bulldogs routed Florida State, 107-73, in Tallahassee earlier this month. With so many guys playing between 12.3-25.6 minutes, White said, they're "staying fresher, but they've bought into that. They've accepted it. I like the level of unselfishness with this team right now."
The Bulldogs' depth has been on display since the opener, a 104-59 win over Bellarmine, in which five reserves scored at least 8 points, led by freshman Jake Wilkins' 12 in his collegiate debut. Wilkins, the son of Bulldog and NBA legend Dominique, scored in double figures in four of his first five games, with many of them coming on high-flying dunks reminiscent of his dad.
Millender hasn't started a game yet, but he leads the Bulldogs with 4.0 assists per game. He's also third on the team in scoring at 10.3 a game and third with 16 steals. Jeremiah Wilkinson, a transfer guard like Millender, has started 10 of the 12 games and leads Georgia in scoring at 18.0 per game. Cain, a three-year starter at guard for the Bulldogs, is second in scoring with 16.0.
Last season, when the Bulldogs played in the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2014-15 season, nine players averaged 13.6 or more minutes per game. That squad had five players playing at least 25.2 per game, and the team's scoring average was 75.3. This season's team is deeper, playing faster, and Georgia has the nation's highest scoring offense at 99.8 per game.
"The NBA is (playing) much faster than it was, obviously, 10 years ago, and with us as a program, that's what we've done," White said last week. "With this roster, it fits, and our guys are having fun with this style."
Georgia has ramped up its defensive pressure this season, sometimes going full-court, and a deep bench helps make that possible. With more players to move in and out of the lineup, everyone has fresh legs when they're running up and down the court. Against West Georgia, the Bulldogs got 13 steals, with many of them coming via full-court pressure after a made basket. And those quick steals led to easy layups.
Prior to Monday, when the NCAA last updated its statistics on NCAA.com, Georgia ranked fourth in the country in bench points per game at 42.0. In the Bulldogs' 84-65 win over Cincinnati at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Dec. 13, the bench only contributed 23 points, led by Millender's 10, but it contributed in several other key ways. Senior forward Justin Abson had 4 points, four rebounds, three blocks, and three assists in just 12 minutes, and 19 of the team's 41 rebounds came from non-starters.
In Georgia's 92-87 win over Georgia Tech at the Steg on Nov. 14, Wilkinson came off the bench to score 18 points, grab three rebounds, and get three steals. At the Shriner's Children's Charleston Classic last month, in games against Xavier and Clemson, the bench scored a combined 64 points, grabbed 41 rebounds, and handed out 12 assists.
The Bulldogs' average margin of victory is 28.0 points, they are shooting 49.6% from the field as a team while holding their opponents to 39.1%, and 10 players have at least six steals, led by Cain's 25.
When asked last week if he foresees having to shorten his bench and maybe just play eight or nine guys once the SEC schedule gets started in January, White said that he could play seven guys, or keep playing the 11 that have gotten Georgia this far.
"I don't know who not to play right now; the 11 that are playing have been productive," he said.
That they have. And as the Bulldogs get a well-earned break before their next game, Monday against Long Island, they do so knowing that they've all shared in helping Georgia win 11 of its first 12 games.Â
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballGeorgia Men's Basketball vs West Georgia TV Highlights
Monday, December 22
Georgia Men's Basketball - Blue Cain and Somto Cyril Postgame Press Conference vs West Georgia
Monday, December 22
Georgia Men's Basketball - Coach White Postgame Press Conference vs West Georgia
Monday, December 22
Georgia Men's Basketball - Somto Cyril and Jeremiah Wilkinson Postgame Press Conference vs Western Carolina
Thursday, December 18