Bulldogs Return Home Against Mercer Tonight
Athens, Georgia The 4-3 Georgia Bulldogs and the 2-4 Mercer Bears will play tonight at 7:30. The Dawgs are favored by 14.5 points in their first of five straight home games tonight, while Mercer will be traveling after suffering a home loss to Western Michigan last week.
Last Wednesday, the Dawgs faced off against the FSU Seminoles and won the game thanks to a last-second jumper from Justin Hill after going on a 24-5 point run with 6:30 remaining. The Dawgs have defeated a Power 5 team, which is a significant victory that should give them confidence and momentum heading into tonight’s game. Senior Justin Hill has also played well for the Dawgs over the past two games, and Noah Thomasson continues to lead the team in scoring with an average of 13.4 per game. With an average of 2.7 assists per game, Hill leads the team in assists because of his effective ball distribution.
But keep an eye on Jabri Abdur-Rahim, the senior guard. With a shooting percentage of 89.2% from the free throw line and 41.5% from beyond the arc, Abdur-Rahim leads the team in both free throw percentages. This was particularly evident in the most recent game, as Abdur-Rahim gave the Dawgs their second lead of the game late in the second half, capping a significant scoring drought in the first half. Both of these plays came off 3-pointers.
Center Russell Tchewa leads the Dawgs in rebounds per game, averaging 5.9, despite being sent off with a flagrant early in the second half of their game against FSU. His absence from the UGA game the other night was noticeable, so when he returns tonight, he should make a big difference. The Dawgs should be wary of two guys from the top of the arch who are similar to Mercer. On more than 20 attempts, forward Jake Davis and guard Robby Carmody are both averaging 40% or higher.
Apart from the Bears, Jayln McCreary, a senior forward from Marietta, GA, leads the team in points with an average of 13.5 points per game. He scored 16 points for the Bears in their previous game against WMU. Averaging 5.3 rebounds per game and 1 blocks per game, Mccreary leads the team in rebounds and appears to be Mercer’s go-to guy defensively.
The final Power 5 team Mercer will play this season is UGA. UGA is currently 3-0 at home, while the Bears are 1-2 away. Both teams will take great pride in this victory. A victory over a Power 5 school was good for Mercer, and it was a positive start to UGA’s home stand. However, the Dawgs are strong favorites tonight and should win if all goes according to plan.
READ MORE
A young Indigenous Tasmanian, Sanders will be trying to carve out a career for himself in the number nine made famous by Lindsay Gilbee.
From 2001 to 2012, Gilbee played 206 games with the number on his uniform. On draft night, he offered Sanders the number.
Paul Hudson, a Tasmanian Hall of Fame inductee who scored 214 goals in 108 games while wearing the red, white, and blue between 1997 and 2001, has another connection to the number.
Jordan, a father-son recruit, will wear the number 16 guernsey in Matthew’s footsteps.
Before Toby McLean made history in the number with a premiership in the record-breaking 2016 flag, Matthew Croft played 186 games in the number over 14 seasons.
Terry Wallace, a former coach and two-time Charles Sutton Medallist, also wore the #16 69 times between 1998 and 1991.
Former St Kilda teammate Josh Bruce’s #17 guernsey will be taken on by childhood Bulldog fan Nick Coffield.
Adam Cooney, a 2008 Brownlow medallist and former first overall draft pick, donned the number 219 times. Nathan Brown and Tom Boyd also made the #17 their own.
At the Saints, Coffield had previously worn numbers 33 and 1.
James Harmes, an off-season addition, will play in the red, white, and blue #22, continuing his AFL career.
Both Bulldogs Hall of Famer and former captain Bob Murphy, who played three games in the #22, and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan made their debuts in the #22.
In addition to Wally Donald, who was inducted into the Club Hall of Fame and holds the record for the most games played in the #22, Ted Whitten Jr. also wore the number during his 144-game career, which spanned 1974–1982.
Prior to wearing the #4 in 2018, Harmes wore the #43 at the Dees.
