# 2019–20 Georgia Bulldogs basketball team

The 2019–20 Georgia bulldogs basketball team represented the University of Georgia during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Tom Crean, in his second year at Georgia. They played their home games at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia as members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 16–16, 5–13 in SEC play to finish in 13th place. They defeated Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC tournament and were set to take on Florida in the second round. However, the remainder of the SEC Tournament was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2018–19 season 11–21, 2–16 in SEC play to finish in thirteenth place. As the No. 13 seed in the SEC tournament, they were defeated by Missouri in the first round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| William Jackson II | 0 | G | 6'4" | 185 | Senior | Athens, GA | Graduated |
| TeShaun Hightower | 1 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Sophomore | Lithonia, GA | Transferred to Tulane |
| JoJo Toppin | 5 | F | 6'6" | 190 | Freshman | Norcross, GA | Transferred to Georgia State |
| Jack Herring | 10 | F | 6'8" | 210 | Freshman | Memphis, TN | Walk-on; not on team roster |
| Christian Harrison | 11 | G | 6'4" | 200 | RS Senior | Atlanta, GA | Walk-on; graduate transferred |
| E'Torrion Wilridge | 13 | F | 6'6" | 220 | Senior | Beaumont, TX | Graduated |
| Connor O'Neill | 24 | F | 6'6" | 220 | Senior | Roswell, GA | Walk-on; graduated |
| Mike Edwards | 32 | F | 6'9" | 235 | Senior | Westland, MI | Graduated |
| Nic Claxton | 33 | F | 6'11" | 220 | Sophomore | Greenville, SC | Declared for the 2019 NBA draft; selected 31st overall by the Brooklyn Nets |
| Derek Ogbeide | 34 | F | 6'9" | 250 | Senior | Atlanta, GA | Graduated |
| Ignas Sargiūnas | 43 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Freshman | Kaunas, Lithuania | Transferred to Colorado State |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Donnell Gresham Jr. | 0 | G | 6'1" | 203 | RS Senior | St. Paul, MN | Northeastern |

### 2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jaykwon Walton SF | Columbus, GA | Carver-Montgomery (AL) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | Aug 20, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 ||||||
| Toumani Camara SF | Brussels, Belgium | Chaminade-Madonna College Prep (FL) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Oct 1, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Anthony Edwards SG | Atlanta, GA | Holy Spirit Prep (GA) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Feb 11, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Christian Brown SF | Hopkins, SC | Oak Hill Academy (VA) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Mar 15, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Sahvir Wheeler PG | Houston, TX | Houston Christian (TX) | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | May 6, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Rodney Howard C | Ypsilanti, MI | Legacy Charter School (SC) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | May 29, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Mike Peake PF | Chicago, IL | Blue Valley Northwest (KS) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Aug 5, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 3 247Sports: 11 ESPN: 5 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Georgia 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021. "2019 Georgia Bulldogs Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021. ||||||

## Preseason
### SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on October 15, 2019.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | Kentucky |
| 2 | Florida |
| 3 | LSU |
| 4 | Auburn |
| 5 | Tennessee |
| 6 | Alabama |
| 7 | Mississippi State |
| 8 | Ole Miss |
| 9 | Georgia |
| 10 | South Carolina |
| 11 | Arkansas |
| 12 | Texas A&M |
| 13 | Missouri |
| 14 | Vanderbilt |

### Preseason All-SEC teams

The Bulldogs had one player selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 18, 2019* 7:00 pm | | Valdosta State | W 93–81 | – | 18 – Edwards | 7 – Edwards/Wheeler | 6 – Camara | Stegeman Coliseum (N/A) Athens, GA |
| October 25, 2019* 7:00 pm | | at Charlotte | W 77–69 | – | 19 – Crump | 7 – Crump/Hammonds | 4 – Wheeler | Dale F. Halton Arena (2,117) Charlotte, NC |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 5, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Western Carolina | W 92–71 | 1–0 | 24 – Edwards | 12 – Hammonds | 4 – Fagan | Stegeman Coliseum (8,722) Athens, GA |
| November 12, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | The Citadel | W 95–86 | 2–0 | 29 – Edwards | 9 – Hammonds | 8 – Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (8,058) Athens, GA |
| November 15, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Delaware State Maui Invitational tournament campus site game | W 100–56 | 3–0 | 26 – Hammonds | 14 – Hammonds | 7 – Edwards/Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (8,167) Athens, GA |
| November 20, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Georgia Tech | W 82–78 | 4–0 | 26 – Hammonds | 9 – Hammonds | 5 – Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (10,205) Athens, GA |
| November 25, 2019* 2:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Dayton Maui Invitational Tournament quarterfinals | L 61–80 | 4–1 | 11 – Fagan | 4 – Hammonds | 4 – Wheeler | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| November 26, 2019* 2:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 3 Michigan State Maui Invitational Tournament conslation 2nd round | L 85–93 | 4–2 | 37 – Edwards | 6 – Edwards | 4 – Wheeler | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| November 27, 2019* 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Chaminade Maui Invitational Tournament 7th place game | W 80–77 | 5–2 | 24 – Edwards | 8 – Hammonds | 3 – Gresham, Jr. | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| December 4, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | North Carolina Central | W 95–59 | 6–2 | 21 – Edwards | 9 – Hammonds | 6 – Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (7,738) Athens, GA |
| December 14, 2019* 8:00 pm, P12N | | at Arizona State | L 59–79 | 6–3 | 15 – Fagan | 8 – Hammonds | 4 – Wheeler | Desert Financial Arena (9,067) Tempe, AZ |
| December 20, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN | | SMU | W 87–85 $^{2OT}$ | 7–3 | 21 – Hammonds | 11 – Hammonds | 8 – Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (10,351) Athens, GA |
| December 23, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN | | Georgia Southern | W 73–64 | 8–3 | 23 – Edwards | 10 – Hammonds | 7 – Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (10,412) Athens, GA |
| December 30, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Austin Peay | W 78–48 | 9–3 | 17 – Hammonds | 9 – Camara | 6 – Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (9,800) Athens, GA |
| January 4, 2020* 1:00 pm, CBS | | at No. 9 Memphis American/SEC Alliance | W 65–62 | 10–3 | 15 – Hammonds | 12 – Hammonds | 7 – Wheeler | FedExForum (17,272) Memphis, TN |
| SEC regular season |||||||||
| January 7, 2020 9:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 14 Kentucky | L 69–78 | 10–4 (0–1) | 23 – Edwards | 6 – Camara | 3 – Harris/Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) Athens, GA |
| January 11, 2020 12:00 pm, ESPNews | | at No. 5 Auburn | L 60–82 | 10–5 (0–2) | 18 – Edwards | 9 – Hammonds | 3 – Tied | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| January 15, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Tennessee | W 80–63 | 11–5 (1–2) | 26 – Edwards | 7 – Gresham Jr. | 4 – Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (10,313) Athens, GA |
| January 18, 2020 8:30 pm, SECN | | at Mississippi State | L 59–91 | 11–6 (1–3) | 19 – Edwards | 4 – Hammonds | 4 – Edwards | Humphrey Coliseum (6,585) Starkville, MS |
| January 21, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 15 Kentucky | L 79–89 | 11–7 (1–4) | 16 – Tied | 8 – Hammonds | 3 – Edwards | Rupp Arena (20,135) Lexington, TX |
| January 25, 2020 5:30 pm, SECN | | Ole Miss | L 60–70 | 11–8 (1–5) | 15 – Harris | 8 – Harris | 4 – Hammonds | Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) Athens, GA |
| January 28, 2020 8:30 pm, SECN | | at Missouri | L 69–72 | 11–9 (1–6) | 23 – Edwards | 10 – Edwards | 3 – Edwards | Mizzou Arena (8,541) Columbia, MO |
| February 1, 2020 1:30 pm, SECN | | Texas A&M | W 63–48 | 12–9 (2–6) | 29 – Edwards | 15 – Edwards | 5 – Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (10,156) Athens, GA |
| February 5, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Florida | L 75–81 | 12–10 (2–7) | 32 – Edwards | 6 – Edwards | 4 – Wheeler | O'Connell Center (9,889) Gainesville, FL |
| February 8, 2020 6:00 pm, SECN | | Alabama | L 102–105 $^{OT}$ | 12–11 (2–8) | 24 – Wheeler | 12 – Edwards | 8 – Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (10,041) Athens, GA |
| February 12, 2020 6:30 pm, SECN | | South Carolina | L 59–75 | 12–12 (2–9) | 16 – Edwards | 6 – Howard | 2 – Tied | Stegeman Coliseum (8,857) Athens, GA |
| February 15, 2020 3:30 pm, SECN | | at Texas A&M | L 69–74 | 12–13 (2–10) | 15 – Hammonds | 7 – Hammonds | 7 – Wheeler | Reed Arena (7,106) College Station, TX |
| February 19, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 13 Auburn | W 65–55 | 13–13 (3–10) | 18 – Edwards | 8 – Hammonds | 4 – Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (10,181) Athens, GA |
| February 22, 2020 6:00 pm, SECN | | at Vanderbilt | W 80–78 | 14–13 (4–10) | 19 – Edwards | 5 – Tied | 5 – Wheeler | Memorial Gymnasium (10,378) Nashville, TN |
| February 26, 2020 6:30 pm, SECN | | at South Carolina | L 90–94 $^{OT}$ | 14–14 (4–11) | 36 – Edwards | 9 – Hammonds | 4 – Edwards | Colonial Life Arena (11,613) Columbia, SC |
| February 29, 2020 6:00 pm, SECN | | Arkansas | W 99–89 | 15–14 (5–11) | 26 – Edwards | 9 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Stegeman Coliseum (10,017) Athens, GA |
| March 4, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Florida | L 54–68 | 15–15 (5–12) | 14 – Edwards | 10 – Hammonds | 6 – Wheeler | Stegeman Coliseum (10,007) Athens, GA |
| March 7, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at LSU | L 64–94 | 15–16 (5–13) | 17 – Edwards | 8 – Hammonds | 2 – Tied | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11,697) Baton Rouge, LA |
| SEC tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2020 7:00 pm, SECN | (13) | vs. (12) Ole Miss First round | W 81–63 | 16–16 | 22 – Hammonds | 11 – Hammonds | 8 – Wheeler | Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN |
| March 12, 2020 3:30 pm, SECN | (13) | vs. (5) Florida Second round | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
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