GAME NOTES: Gardner-Webb Hits The Road For Morning Tip At Georgia
December 18, 2013 | Men's Basketball
THE
GAME
Gardner-Webb will play its second road game in four days Thursday, traveling to play Georgia at 11:30 am in Athens. The game's early start is part of an annual elementary/middle school promotion at UGA. The game will air live on WGWG-FM (88.3 / wgwg.org), with Marc Rabb calling the action from Stegeman Coliseum. The game will stream for a small fee at GeorgiaDogs.com - UGA's official website.
SERIES NOTES
Gardner-Webb is 0-2 in two meetings at Georgia ... UGA captured a 96-67 win over GWU on December 5, 2006 in the two teams' most recent meeting ... Gardner-Webb was more competitive in the first meeting, leading for much of the game before falling 67-62 on December 8, 2004.
THE COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Tim Craft is in his first season with the program and is off to a 6-6 start. Georgia head coach Mark Fox is 69-67 during his brief stint in Athens, and has won 192 games overall in stops at Nevada and UGA.
SHOOTING FRENZY
Gardner-Webb had one of its most productive and efficient offensive performances at #7 Duke on Monday night, shooting a strong 54.4 percent in front of the Cameron Crazies and a national TV audience. That mark was the best for GWU on the road this season in six games.
HIBBERT HAS HELPED
Transfer guard Naji Hibbert (6-5, 190, RSr.) has provided needed scoring punch in his first, and only, season with Gardner-Webb. A three-year performer at Texas A&M, Hibbert helped the Aggies to a pair of 24-win seasons and two NCAA Tournament appearances during his time in College Station. Hibbert is averaging a team-high 12.6 ppg for Gardner-Webb, and has topped the 20-point mark twice - both GWU wins.
AGAINST THE SEC
Gardner-Webb is 1-7 all-time against the Southeastern Conference in men's basketball ... The lone win came on November 7, 2007 at #20 Kentucky (84-68) ... GWU is 0-1 against the SEC this season, with a 72-63 loss at current 24th-ranked Missouri ... The Tigers were unranked when the two teams met on November 23, but did run their home non-conference win streak to 76 games.
DEFENDING THE ARC
Gardner-Webb ranks first in the Big South Conference and among the best in the nation (24th) in 3-point field goal defense through 12 games. GWU has allowed just 50 made 3-pointers in 173 attempts this season (28.9 percent), with its toughest defensive outing coming against one of the nation's top shooting teams - 7th-ranked Duke (9-of-22 from 3-point range).
THAT'S STRANGE ...
Point guard Tyler Strange (5-10, 180, Jr.) has been exceptional for GWU this season, ranking 23rd nationally in assists per game (6.0 apg), 24th in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.43) and second in the Big South Conference with 2.0 steals per game. Strange ranks 12th nationally according to stats guru Kenneth Pomeroy in assist rate - currently assisting on 23.9 percent of Gardner-Webb's made field goals so far in 2013-2014.
PRESEASON RESPECT
Gardner-Webb was picked second in the preseason South Division poll by the Big South Conference's head coaches and select media members, falling just behind defending division and overall regular season champion Charleston Southern. GWU finished a game behind the Bucs last season, but picked up a pair of overtime wins over Charleston Southern during the regular season. GWU lost just twice against South Division teams last season, falling on the road at Winthrop and Presbyterian and finishing with a 8-2 mark against Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, UNC Asheville, Winthrop and Presbyterian.
HILL CLIMBING
South Georgia native Jerome Hill (6-5, 210, So.) performed at his best Monday night at #7 Duke, matching up nicely on the offensive end against projected NBA Lottery pick Jabari Parker. Despite giving up three inches and nearly 30 pounds, Hill went to work for a career-high 22 points (9-of-10 shooting) and pulled down nine rebounds. Hill, who starred at Cook County (Ga.) High in Adel, Ga., is averaging a strong 11.9 points per game this season.
POWER CONFERENCE PARADE
Thursday's game at Georgia will wrap up Gardner-Webb's pre-conference slate of "high major" teams. GWU has already played at Xavier (Big East; L, 83-59), at Missouri (SEC; L, 72-63), at Northwestern (Big Ten; L, 72-59) and at #7 Duke (ACC; L, 85-66). GWU's average margin of defeat in the four games to date is just 16.3 ppg.
PEACH STATE CONNECTIONS
Gardner-Webb has two current players on its roster from Georgia - forwards Jerome Hill (Adel, Ga. / Cook County HS) and Donell Tuff (Tifton, Ga. / Tift County HS) ... GWU assistant coach Paul Hemrick is a 2009 Georgia graduate and served as a student manager with the men's basketball program ... GWU Director of Basketball Operations Andrew Tulowitsky played at Division III Oglethorpe in Atlanta ... GWU assistant coach Jeremy Luther spent four seasons as head coach at Armstrong Atlantic University in Savannah (2009-2013).
Gardner-Webb will play its second road game in four days Thursday, traveling to play Georgia at 11:30 am in Athens. The game's early start is part of an annual elementary/middle school promotion at UGA. The game will air live on WGWG-FM (88.3 / wgwg.org), with Marc Rabb calling the action from Stegeman Coliseum. The game will stream for a small fee at GeorgiaDogs.com - UGA's official website.
SERIES NOTES
Gardner-Webb is 0-2 in two meetings at Georgia ... UGA captured a 96-67 win over GWU on December 5, 2006 in the two teams' most recent meeting ... Gardner-Webb was more competitive in the first meeting, leading for much of the game before falling 67-62 on December 8, 2004.
THE COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Tim Craft is in his first season with the program and is off to a 6-6 start. Georgia head coach Mark Fox is 69-67 during his brief stint in Athens, and has won 192 games overall in stops at Nevada and UGA.
SHOOTING FRENZY
Gardner-Webb had one of its most productive and efficient offensive performances at #7 Duke on Monday night, shooting a strong 54.4 percent in front of the Cameron Crazies and a national TV audience. That mark was the best for GWU on the road this season in six games.
HIBBERT HAS HELPED
Transfer guard Naji Hibbert (6-5, 190, RSr.) has provided needed scoring punch in his first, and only, season with Gardner-Webb. A three-year performer at Texas A&M, Hibbert helped the Aggies to a pair of 24-win seasons and two NCAA Tournament appearances during his time in College Station. Hibbert is averaging a team-high 12.6 ppg for Gardner-Webb, and has topped the 20-point mark twice - both GWU wins.
AGAINST THE SEC
Gardner-Webb is 1-7 all-time against the Southeastern Conference in men's basketball ... The lone win came on November 7, 2007 at #20 Kentucky (84-68) ... GWU is 0-1 against the SEC this season, with a 72-63 loss at current 24th-ranked Missouri ... The Tigers were unranked when the two teams met on November 23, but did run their home non-conference win streak to 76 games.
DEFENDING THE ARC
Gardner-Webb ranks first in the Big South Conference and among the best in the nation (24th) in 3-point field goal defense through 12 games. GWU has allowed just 50 made 3-pointers in 173 attempts this season (28.9 percent), with its toughest defensive outing coming against one of the nation's top shooting teams - 7th-ranked Duke (9-of-22 from 3-point range).
THAT'S STRANGE ...
Point guard Tyler Strange (5-10, 180, Jr.) has been exceptional for GWU this season, ranking 23rd nationally in assists per game (6.0 apg), 24th in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.43) and second in the Big South Conference with 2.0 steals per game. Strange ranks 12th nationally according to stats guru Kenneth Pomeroy in assist rate - currently assisting on 23.9 percent of Gardner-Webb's made field goals so far in 2013-2014.
PRESEASON RESPECT
Gardner-Webb was picked second in the preseason South Division poll by the Big South Conference's head coaches and select media members, falling just behind defending division and overall regular season champion Charleston Southern. GWU finished a game behind the Bucs last season, but picked up a pair of overtime wins over Charleston Southern during the regular season. GWU lost just twice against South Division teams last season, falling on the road at Winthrop and Presbyterian and finishing with a 8-2 mark against Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, UNC Asheville, Winthrop and Presbyterian.
HILL CLIMBING
South Georgia native Jerome Hill (6-5, 210, So.) performed at his best Monday night at #7 Duke, matching up nicely on the offensive end against projected NBA Lottery pick Jabari Parker. Despite giving up three inches and nearly 30 pounds, Hill went to work for a career-high 22 points (9-of-10 shooting) and pulled down nine rebounds. Hill, who starred at Cook County (Ga.) High in Adel, Ga., is averaging a strong 11.9 points per game this season.
POWER CONFERENCE PARADE
Thursday's game at Georgia will wrap up Gardner-Webb's pre-conference slate of "high major" teams. GWU has already played at Xavier (Big East; L, 83-59), at Missouri (SEC; L, 72-63), at Northwestern (Big Ten; L, 72-59) and at #7 Duke (ACC; L, 85-66). GWU's average margin of defeat in the four games to date is just 16.3 ppg.
PEACH STATE CONNECTIONS
Gardner-Webb has two current players on its roster from Georgia - forwards Jerome Hill (Adel, Ga. / Cook County HS) and Donell Tuff (Tifton, Ga. / Tift County HS) ... GWU assistant coach Paul Hemrick is a 2009 Georgia graduate and served as a student manager with the men's basketball program ... GWU Director of Basketball Operations Andrew Tulowitsky played at Division III Oglethorpe in Atlanta ... GWU assistant coach Jeremy Luther spent four seasons as head coach at Armstrong Atlantic University in Savannah (2009-2013).
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