Preview: Cincinnati v Georgia
Cincinnati heads to Atlanta this weekend for a Holiday Hoopsgiving matchup at State Farm Arena against a Georgia team that has quickly established itself as one of the most dangerous squads in the country. For the Bearcats, the neutral-site meeting represents both an opportunity and a measuring stick against a Bulldogs team currently thriving on pace, pressure and depth.
(Photo: Georgia Athletics)
Speaking to the media earlier this week, UC head coach Wes Miller described the challenges of playing this type of game at a neutral site.
“Neutral games, those are so prevalent now in the new landscape of college basketball. This is a really good one for us. We were looking to make sure there were some quad one games on the schedule. This is a quad one game no matter where it's played because they're very good,” Miller said. “I don't follow the polls and all that, but to me, they're top 10, top 15 team in the country right now. You look at how they're playing both offensively and defensively, the depth that they've been able to utilize. This is one of those big-time college basketball opportunities, pre Christmas.”
Georgia’s near-100-points-per-game production has drawn comparisons to Louisville, another fast-paced opponent Cincinnati has already seen this season, but Miller noted key differences in how the Bulldogs generate offense.
“It's the pace of play because again, we've played Louisville and the pace of play was so significant,” Miller said. “But the way in which they do it, there's some similarities and there's some differences, right? They're generating a lot of things off of their defense. They're jumping into some form of press after every made basket. They're really converting turnovers and long shots or quick shots at the rim that kind of are like turnovers. They're turning them into baskets at a crazy high frequency.”
That defensive pressure, combined with elite rim protection, makes decision-making paramount for the Bearcats.
“Our ability to make the right decision when there's numbers and get quality shots, not turn the ball over. That's really important,” Miller said. "I think your rim decision making is important because you may have some opportunities to get down there, but you go take on a shot blocker and throw up a difficult shot, that's very similar to a turnover, and they convert that at the same rate they convert turnovers.”
One of the focal points of Georgia’s attack is guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, who has emerged as a high-volume scorer and disruptive defender.
“Just really aggressive. Whether he has the ball coming down the floor, whether they find him in the open court, whether he's in space and pick and roll, like extremely aggressive player,” Miller said. “He's been good in their pick and roll stuff and he looks really aggressive and confident.”
Miller also highlighted the challenges posed by Georgia’s frontcourt, particularly Somto Cyril.
“He has great presence on the floor. He's about as physically gifted as there is in in college basketball. I don't think you'll find a guy more physically gifted,” Miller said. “He presents challenges, defensive challenges… and then he presents a lot of challenges on the offensive and defensive board.”
From Cincinnati’s perspective, the Bearcats believe they are closer to clicking than their 6–3 record might suggest.
“I think it's all perspective,” Miller said. “If you know you've won a couple more possessions right now, I think people may feel a little different about us… we're in this process of becoming a very good team, which we will.”
With just one returning starter from last season's squad, senior forward Baba Miller echoed that sentiment, emphasizing growth and patience.
“I feel like every game we're a bit closer to how you want to play as a team at the end of the day,” Miller said. “It's still December. It's early. We're nine games into the season… every day we're working towards that, like finding our rhythm on both ends of the floor, and I feel like we're getting better every day.”
Following a tough loss to Xavier, guard Shon Abaev pointed to increased intensity as the response.
“You know, it's definitely a tough loss, but we got to move on,” Abaev said. “We got another big game coming up (against Georgia), so just feel like we got to get better in practice every day, pick up the intensity in practice, pick up the energy, start making practice feel harder in the game so when we get to the games, it becomes easier.”
Baba Miller believes Cincinnati’s experience against fast-paced teams could translate well against Georgia.
“I feel like that's the same play style we have. We like to run. We like to run in transition on offense. We like to get back, make it hectic on defense,” Miller said. “They score almost 100 points a game… and we were able to keep [Louisville] at like 70 something. So, I feel like that's going to help us if we take care of business on the defensive end.”
With Big 12 play quickly approaching, a win Saturday could go a long way for a Cincinnati team searching for consistency and confidence. For the Bearcats, it’s a chance to gauge their progress.
Scouting Georgia
Georgia (8-1) has been one of the most explosive teams in the country through the season’s first month, piling up non-conference victories over Georgia Tech, Xavier and Florida State. The Bulldogs’ only setback came in a three-point overtime loss to Clemson, and otherwise Mike White’s club has overwhelmed opponents with their pace, depth and relentless pressure at both ends of the floor.
Georgia enters the weekend leading all 365 D1 programs in scoring offense (99.9 ppg), scoring margin (+28.7), fastbreak points (28.7 ppg) and bench scoring (44.6 ppg). The Bulldogs have eclipsed the 100-point mark four times in nine games. According to KenPom, Georgia plays at one of the fastest tempos in the nation, ranking No. 2 in average offensive possession length (14.0 seconds) and No. 6 in adjusted tempo (74.6).
That pace is fueled by depth. Georgia is the only Power Conference team in the country with an 11-man rotation in which every player averages double-figure minutes and has appeared in every game. Ten of those 11 players have reached double figures in at least one outing, underscoring how difficult the Bulldogs are to game-plan against over 40 minutes.
A nation-leading 22.6 percent of Georgia’s made field goals have come on dunks, with Somto Cyril accounting for 22 of them—ranking No. 10 nationally. That interior presence extends to the defensive end, where Georgia leads the nation with 8.8 blocks per game.
Georgia’s pressure defense complements its offense. The Bulldogs rank among the national top 10 in steals (11.1 spg) and turnover margin (+5.9), and they also sit in the top 10 in rebounding (44.6 rpg) and free throws made (21.4 per game). Individually, Jeremiah Wilkinson (2.3 spg) and Blue Cain (1.9 spg) rank second and sixth in the SEC in steals, while Justin Abson and Cyril share the league lead in blocks at 2.4 per game.
Wilkinson and Cain headline a balanced scoring attack. Wilkinson leads the team at 17.1 points per game, with Cain close behind at 15.4. Former BYU standout Kanon Catchings adds 10.0 ppg, and Georgia gets near double-figure production from multiple other rotation pieces, including Jake Wilkins (9.4 ppg) and Marcus “Smurf” Millender (9.2 ppg). With waves of scorers, athletes and rim protectors, Georgia enters Saturday’s matchup rested after an 11-day break and playing with the statistical profile of college basketball’s most dynamic offense to date.
Final Thoughts:
This trip to Atlanta is less about proving anything nationally and more about gauging real progress. Georgia presents a Quad 1 measuring stick with its pace, pressure and depth, but it’s also the type of opponent that can sharpen the Bearcats ahead of Big 12 play. If Cincinnati values the ball and limits turnovers, makes sound decisions at the rim, and matches Georgia’s energy defensively, the Bearcats can show they’re closer to clicking than their record suggests. Win or lose, how UC competes in this environment will say a lot about where this team is headed as conference play nears.