Georgia vs Vanderbilt preview: Bulldogs look to get back on track against Commodores

The Georgia Bulldogs will try to avoid an 0-3 start to the conference play Wednesday night when they travel to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Georgia limps into Nashville needing a win but could be without a pair of key players against the Commodores. Freshman forward Yante Maten will miss Wednesday's game after suffering a concussion Sunday night when he was struck by a car. The Bulldogs could also be without Juwan Parker who suffered an Achilles injury on Saturday. Parker sat out practice on Monday but hasn't been ruled out for Wednesday's game yet.

After a strong non-conference slate, the Bulldogs find themselves in almost a must-win situation after dropping their first two conference games. Georgia held big leads against both Arkansas and LSU but saw them slip away late. Saturday's loss in Baton Rouge was particularly disappointing as Georgia led by as many as nine points in overtime but were unable to close it out.

Lapses in execution have plagued the Bulldogs late in games along with the struggles of point guard Charles Mann who missed a pair of key free throws in overtime against LSU and finished with six turnovers. Mann was voted preseason All-SEC but has struggled for the most part this season. He was benched early in the non-conference slate by Mark Fox but upped his play during the Bulldogs' recent six-game winning streak.

Fox told the Macon Telegraph's Seth Emerson that the was sticking with Mann and that is the right move given the limited options behind Mann. Georgia needs him on the court and playing at a high level if they hope to be successful.

Vanderbilt comes into Wednesday's contest with an 11-4 record and a 1-1 mark in SEC play. The Commodores knocked off Auburn in the SEC opener but fell at Arkansas on Saturday. Georgia's Marcus Thornton will be faced with another daunting matchup as he tries to slow down Vanderbilt's 6-10 center Damian Jones who is averaging 16.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, January 14

Location: Memorial Gymnasium, Nashville, Tennessee

TV: SEC Network

Radio: Bulldog Radio Network