Alabama vs Georgia preview: Bulldogs look for 2-0 start in SEC play

Georgia looks for a 2-0 start in conference play on Saturday when they host Alabama at Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs are coming off of their biggest win of the season after going into Missouri and snapping the Tigers' 26 game winning streak at home with a 70-64 win in overtime.

Charles Mann led the Bulldogs against Missouri finishing with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Nemanja Djurisic added 16 including a big three-pointer in overtime to tie the game. Despite those offensive heroics, it was Georgia's defense that proved to be the difference. The Bulldogs held Missouri to just 39 percent shooting and limited their starting frontcourt of Ryan Rosburg and Johnathan Williams to a combined eight points. Georgia out rebounded Missouri 43-34 and improved to 7-0 on the season when they win the battle on the glass.

Alabama navigated a tough nonconference slate the included losses to Oklahoma, Duke, Wichita State, Xavier and UCLA. They defeated Vanderbilt in their SEC opener at home 68-63. Trevor Releford overcame a tough shooting night to finish with 16 points and six assists. He comes into Saturday's game averaging 18.3 points while shooting 51 percent from the field.

Alabama has controlled the season series of late winning the last five and leads the all-time series 93-47. Georgia hasn't started 2-0 in conference play since the 2001-02 season when they defeated Vanderbilt and Kentucky.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Saturday, January 11, 4 p.m.

Location: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Georgia

TV: SEC TV, ESPN3

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