Live Game Thread: Miami Basketball Vs. Georgia

Georgia (2-1, 0-0 SEC) Bulldogs fell to unranked Oregon in its season opener, 81-72, but have since won two straight against Wake Forest and NC Central.

Series History

Miami and Georgia have squared off four times in program history, with three coming after the program rebirth in 1985. The Bulldogs hold a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last two.

The last time the programs met, Georgia came away with a narrow 69-67 win in Athens on Dec. 22, 1992.

Rankings

The Hurricanes rose to No. 11 and No. 12 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and Associated Press Top 25 Poll, respectively, on Monday after going 2-0 in the first week of the season.

Miami has appeared in 16 straight AP Polls and 17 consecutive Coaches Polls since Dec. 12, 2022.

Last Game

The Hurricanes outlasted the FIU Panthers, 86-80, Monday night at the Watsco Center for their third victory of the season. Miami shot 61.9 percent (13-of-21) from 3-point range, with three different Miami players connecting on three-plus 3-pointers.

Bensley Joseph and Wooga Poplar each knocked down four 3-pointers in the game, while junior Matthew Cleveland went a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Norchad Omier led the Hurricanes in rebounding, hauling 11 boards to keep his season average at 11.0 rebounds per game.

Standout Players

Joseph and Poplar are the early standouts for Miami. Combined, the pair shoots an electric 67.6 percent (23-34) from 3-point range. Miami is one of just two schools (Wyoming) with two players shooting better than 64 percent from beyond the arc this season. Poplar ranks 13th in the nation for 3-point field goal percentage, while Joseph checks in at 23rd.

The Opponent

Georgia is the only Power Conference team in the nation that: 1) opened the season with back-to-back matchups against other Power Conference programs.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim paces Georgia offensively at 16.0 ppg and has led the Bulldogs in the scoring column twice in three games after doing so once in 32 outings last season.

Abdur-Rahim’s 13-point performance paced Georgia en route to a 64-54 decision over N.C. Central last Sunday at Stegeman Coliseum. Justin Hill chipped in 11 points, Silas Demary Jr. added 10 points, and a season-high four steals.

Abdur-Rahim connected on only 1-of-5 shots from the field but was 10-of-11 at the line, including 8-of-8 in the second half. Georgia trailed for only 23 seconds of the game’s first 24:12 before N.C. Central used a 7-0 run to grab a 32-29 lead. A 3-pointer from Blue Cain ignited a 19-4 surge as the Bulldogs regained control.

Miami Athletics and Georgia Athletics Contributed to this report

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