Three Things Georgia Basketball Does to Beat Mississippi State
Georgia Basketball (10-15,1-11) hosts Mississippi State (18-7, 6-6) in a midweek battle. The East Bulldogs haven’t found much consistency this season but could surprise the West Bulldogs.
Tom Crean and his Bulldogs have one SEC win this season. There have been close games, and then they have been blown out in matchups.
When will it all click for Georgia? It all could click in this game for the Bulldogs.
Georgia is 58-54 all-time against Mississippi State. The Athens Bulldogs hold a 29-19 record when the game happens in the Classic City.
This game is the first midweek home game since Jan. 15 against Kentucky. That is 36 days. Now is the time for the Bulldogs to show out in front of their home crowd.
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Not a lot has gone right for Georgia this season especially in conference play. This game against Mississippi State is a prime opportunity to end the season on a high note.
The Bulldogs only lost by four to a heavyweight LSU team. Georgia can compete with the west Bulldogs.
Here are three things Georgia needs to do to defeat Mississippi State.
1: Don’t Turnover the ball
Georgia has a hard time holding onto the ball. The Bulldogs average 16.2 turnovers a game. That is way too many turnovers.
The Bulldogs need to make clean, smart passes and don’t get frazzled if they do lose the ball. Turnovers are killer for the Bulldogs are a big reason they have lost games.
For Georgia to win this game, it must have less than 13 turnovers. If the Bulldog has 16+ mistakes and gives up the ball to Mississippi State, it’ll be another long night for Georgia.
2: Get Claxton Hot
Nicolas Claxton is the heart and soul of this Georgia team. According to Georgia’s game notes, he entered this week as one of the five Division-1 players who leads his team in all five major statistics.
Claxton leads the Bulldogs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. Most of the season he led four of the five events.
However, after his performance against Texas A&M, he passed Rayshaun Hammonds who led in points.
Claxton is one of the major keys to a Georgia victory. If he can get hot and stay hot, he could help get the Bulldogs second conference victory.
He needs at least 15 points and 12 rebounds.
3: Play your Game
Georgia doesn’t need to go away from its game. The Bulldogs need to stick to the plan. Shoot the three, but also get it down low to the big guys.
Don’t try to go too fast don’t slow it down too much, play to the strengths of Georgia’s team.
Hammonds and Claxton need to lead the way and put up some points. However, its guys like Turtle Jackson, Derek Ogbeide, and Christian Harrison who need to step it up a notch.
These three guys need to pull their weight and make this two man effort into a five man-machine. I know that not everyone gets hot, but there is no reason Georgia can’t have five guys who can score points or be productive on the court.
Georgia is still a year away, but if they can start playing as a team, the Bulldogs could finish out the season on a high note.