It actually went quite well. Georgia’s teaming of seven new players and five returnees worked remarkably well in a short period of time and produced impressive performances on the field. The only blemish was an 11-point loss to No. 6 Marquette in the Bahamas, and the Bulldogs have won the other eight by a comfortable average margin of 17.9 points. They were ranked No. 22 in the NCAA’s most recent NET rankings, but are not ranked by The Associated Press.

Georgia is led by 5-star freshman forward Asa Newell (15.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg), who is coming off a 20-point, 11-rebound performance against Notre Dame. Along with several new contributors up front, the Bulldogs controlled the glass and protected the rim. Georgia leads the SEC and ranks third and fourth in rebound margin (plus-13.2) and blocks (6.1 pg), respectively.

The Bulldogs’ scoring record is another weapon. Five players led the team in games played this season and three others scored in double figures. These eight players have combined for 38 double-figure performances in nine games.

Meanwhile, things go deeper in Georgia. De’Shayne Montgomery, a 6-foot-2 transfer from Mount St. Mary’s, was sidelined all season while dealing with academic eligibility deficiencies. His availability on Saturday is uncertain, but he is expected to be available to contribute soon.

“Man, De’Shayne brings a lot of energy in practice and even when he’s sitting out games,” teammate Asa Newell said. “He’s really hungry and I’m excited for you all to see The De’Shayne Show.”

As for Georgia’s opponents, don’t be fooled by its less threatening name. The antelopes at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix – they prefer “Lopes” – were much scarier on the hardwood. They won the Western Athletic Conference and an NCAA first-round game last season, posting a 30-5 record. Now coached by Bryce Drew, who Georgia fans will remember from his time at Vanderbilt, the Lopes have won 20 or more games in seven of the last 10 seasons. They come into Atlanta 6-2.

“A really, really good intermediate program,” White said. “As I told our guys, a lot of people will probably think we’re crazy for playing this game. But we wanted the opportunity to play against another top-class opponent. They’re not a power program, not a high major, but they have high major players and a high major staff and we have to be prepared.”

Georgia-Grand Canyon is the third matchup in a tripleheader tournament at Hawks Arena organized by VII Group of Atlanta. The Bulldogs’ game will be preceded by Auburn vs. Ohio State at 1 p.m. and Arizona State vs. Florida at 3:30 p.m

It should be noted that VII Group is currently being sued by the University of Memphis over a five-figure refund claim for its participation in the 2022 Holiday Hoopsgiving event. In court filings, VII Group denies being in breach of contract.

UGA did not respond to a request for comment on VII Group’s legal issues.

This will be the Bulldogs’ second appearance in the five-year history of the Hoopsgiving tournament. On December 18, 2022, Braelen Bridges scored 18 points in 18 minutes to lead Georgia in a 77-62 victory over Notre Dame at State Farm Arena.

Although it’s about 1,800 miles from Phoenix to Atlanta, the Lopes have at least one local connection. Senior guard Collin Moore played three seasons at Georgia State, located about a mile down the road from State Farm Arena. He has an average of 10.6 points.

“I’m going back to my second home,” Moore, a resident of Little Rock, Arkansas, told reporters in Phoenix. “I have many family and friends who support me and I appreciate each and every one of them.”

Tyon Grant-Foster and JaKobe Coles give Grand Canyon averages of 16.0 ppg and 15.9 ppg, respectively. As Vanderbilt’s head coach from 2016 to 2019, the Bulldogs were 3-1 against Drew.