Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs returned to the hardwood today for their season opener against Oregon. Let's recap the game.

The Bulldogs opened this game very sloppy. The team was taking good shots, but they weren't finding the bottom of the net. They started the game 3/17 from the field and found themselves down 17 points. Georgia found some rhythm mid-way through the half and was able to claw themselves back into the game. Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Blue Cain led the comeback for the Dawgs as they combined for 20 first-half points. At the break, the Dawgs found themselves down 10 points, Oregon leading 40-30. UGA shot 27% from the field, as they made only 9 of the 33 shots they put up. The Bulldogs didn't shoot the triple well either, only making 4 shots from downtown. Nine first-half turnovers and missing 7 free throws also put Mike White's team in a hole. They showed flashes of good play in the first half, but it was time to see if they could finish the game with the same rhythm they used to close the first period. 

Georgia started the second half hot and was able to cut the Oregon lead down to only 4 points. Then UGA found themselves back in a hole. Bad shots and turnover after turnover got the Bulldogs back to being down 17 points. Georgia continued to fight, though, and found themselves losing by 10 points with just under two minutes to play. Oregon gave the Dawgs plenty of chances to win this game, but Georgia couldn't pull through, as they lost 82-71. Georgia finished the day shooting 33.8% (22/65) from the field and 33.3% (10/30) from three. Mike White's squad didn't shoot at the free throw line well at all. They only made 17 of the 30 free throws they shot. They call them free for a reason. Oregon shot 42.5% (31/73) from the field and 40% (6/15) from three. The Ducks didn't shoot well from the charity strip either, as they shot 48.3% from the line. Both teams turned the ball over 15 plus times, but the Ducks did outrebound the Dawgs 63 to 41. 

Oregon had 4 players score in double figures. Those included N'Faly Dante, Nate Bittle, Jermaine Cousinard, and Brennan Rigsby. All four of those guys scored 13 plus points. Dante and Rigsby were the main factors for the Ducks in this game. Dante was able to grab 15 rebounds, with 6 of those being on the offensive glass. Rigsby provided a spark for Oregon off the bench, adding 16 points. 

UGA had three players in double figures, including Blue Cain, RJ Melendez, and Jabri Abdur-Rahim. Abdur-Rahim had 18 points and 5 rebounds on the night. Of those 18 points, 9 came from the charity stripe, and the other 9 from behind the arc. Melendez and Cain both had 12 points in this one. Cain made 2 big triples but missed the other five. Melendez made most of his points from inside the arc. He made 4/9 shots that he put up. 

Georgia starts their season with a loss, but there are some positives to pull from this game. This team has talent that previous teams dreamed of having, and now they need to learn to play as a unit. Freshman guards Silas Demary Jr. and Blue Cain look to be really good pieces for the Dawgs. One takeaway from this game is that Mike White needs to figure out what's going on with the offense. Once the ball crossed half-court, there was very little movement from the rest of the team. It was a lot of one-on-one action for the Bulldogs on offense. 

Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs hit the floor again on Friday for their home opener against Wake Forest. That game will be a 7:00 PM EST tip-off on the SEC Network. 

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Photo Courtesy of the SEC Media Portal.