6 things to know about Georgia men's basketball: Ohio State NIT quarterfinal opponent
Ohio State men's basketball will return to Value City Arena for the final time in 2023-24 Tuesday night.
After wins against Cornell and Virginia Tech, the No. 2-seeded Buckeyes will host No. 4 seed Georgia in an NIT quarterfinal 7 p.m. Tuesday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Ohio State is trying for its first trip to the NIT semifinals since winning the tournament in 2008.
Here's what you need to know about Georgia ahead of its quarterfinal meeting with Ohio State:
Georgia NIT: How did the Bulldogs get to quarterfinals vs. Ohio State?
To get to the NIT quarterfinal, Georgia had to upset a No. 1 seed.
After a 78-76 first-round win against Xavier March 19 at home, the Bulldogs upset the top-seeded Wake Forest 72-66 on the road on Sunday.
The Bulldogs held a 15-point lead at halftime helped by 10 3-point makes on 17 attempts. Georgia then held back a significant comeback attempt by the Demon Deacons, who outscored the Bulldogs 42-33 in the second half.
Georgia is in the NIT quarterfinal round for the first time since 1998.
Georgia finished near the bottom of the SEC in 2023-24
Georgia continued its string of losing seasons in SEC play in 2023-24.
Posting a 6-12 record and an 11th-place finish in the SEC, the Bulldogs have finished with a losing record in conference play in each of their past seven seasons. The last time Georgia posted a non-losing conference record was in 2016-17, when the Bulldogs finished 9-9. The Bulldogs' most recent season with a winning record in conference play was in 2016-16.
Georgia finished in 11th place in the SEC for the second straight season under coach Mike White, who has a 35-32 overall record in two seasons with the Bulldogs.
Georgia men's basketball stats: Who could lead the Bulldogs in scoring?
Georgia has two players who average more than 12 points per game in 2023-24.
Redshirt senior guard Noah Thomasson leads the Bulldogs with 12.9 points per game. He shoots 41% from the field on an average of 11.5 shots per game. In two NIT games, Thomasson has averaged 15.5 points per game and made 7 of 15 two-point attempts.
Jabri Abdur-Rahim also averages 12.2 points per game. But the senior guard has not played since March 2. Abdur-Rahim was seen with a boot on his left foot in Georgia's March 5 game against Mississippi.
Georgia vs. Ohio State: When did the Bulldogs last face OSU?
Ohio State has played Georgia once. The Buckeyes beat the Bulldogs 84-80 in overtime Dec. 28, 1997, in the Louisville Holiday Classic.
Georgia NIT history
Georgia is in its 15th NIT appearance.
The Bulldogs are 13-14 in NIT tournament games. Georgia had advanced to the NIT semifinals twice: 1982 and 1998, where the Bulldogs finished as the third-place consolation-bracket champion.
Georgia has an Ohio native on its 2023-24 roster
Georgia has one Ohio native on its roster.
RJ Sunahara, a Bay Village native, transferred to Georgia after three seasons at Nova Southeastern. Sunahara posted 1,579 career points, 585 rebounds, 232 assists, 172 blocks and 132 steals in three seasons at Nova. Sunahara also played one season at Fairmont State.
Sunahara was a three-time Division II all-state honoree for Bay High School.
At Georgia, Sunahara has appeared in 16 games, including 10 starts. He's averaged 2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. He recorded 1 point and one foul in the Bulldogs' NIT first-round win against Xavier.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What to know about Georgia before facing Ohio State in 2024 NIT
