Arkansas needs some sort of significant result, and going to Georgia provides that opportunity.
The Razorbacks and Bulldogs, who’ve been on a roll, meet Wednesday night in a Southeastern Conference matchup at Athens, Ga.
Georgia (11-3, 1-0 SEC) holds a nine-game winning streak after winning its SEC opener 75-68 at Missouri on Saturday.
“We’ve got 17 more of these, and there will be wars,” Georgia coach Mike White said. “It’s a marathon.”
Arkansas (9-5, 0-1) is seeking to recover from Saturday’s 83-51 home loss to then-No. 25 Auburn, an outcome that snapped a three-game winning streak.
“Understanding how hard the SEC is, this team has not resembled what we have built the last four years.” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said. “What are we going to do? We’re going to try to figure it out the best we can.”
Musselman said if the Razorbacks can produce some offense from their defense, that might create a valuable spark.
Georgia won 75-68 at Missouri behind Russel Tchewa’s 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Tchewa, a transfer from South Florida, has 10 career double-doubles, but his efforts at Missouri gave him his first double-double in a Georgia uniform.
Even though the 7-foot Tchewa weighs about 280 pounds, White said he can play extended minutes. He logged 29 minutes in the SEC opener.
“He never gets tired in practice,” Georgia’s coach said. “He’s consistently at the front in our conditioning segments.”
Tchewa said that Arkansas will present different types of challenges, but that’s to be expected.
“This conference is just so physical, but I feel comfortable with the physical aspect,” he said.
The Bulldogs have received widespread contributions, including 23 points from reserves in the Missouri game.
The way Georgia executed at Missouri was another positive sign. The Bulldogs connected on a season-high 12 shots from 3-point range in 28 attempts.
“Our communication was at an all-time high in those 40 (minutes), of course, and then the bench scoring continues to help us,” White said.
Georgia has won its SEC opener in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2001-02 and 2002-03.
Arkansas leads the series 26-14, but the Razorbacks are just 7-9 at Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum.
–Field Level Media
