HPU Panthers vs. UGA Bulldogs: a preview of the men's basketball game
December 15, 2023
High Point University Men’s Basketball has been playing extremely
well as they are on a current five-game winning streak and are looking to
carry that momentum into Athens, Ga. against the tough University of
Georgia Bulldogs team that is also on a winning streak themselves, of
four games.
The red hot (6-3) Georgia Bulldogs face off in a tough battle against
the also red hot (8-3) High Point Panthers at 5 p.m. ET in Stegeman
Coliseum in Ga. The game will be aired on SEC Network.
The Bulldogs started the season off a little bumpy, losing three of their first five games although their three losses came against (7-2) University of Oregon in the season opener, (8-2) Providence College that is looking to climb into the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll, and the No. 24 team in the AP Top 25 rankings, the University of Miami Hurricanes.
Since their rocky start, the Bulldogs have pulled off four wins in a row including two huge wins against Wake Forest (6-3), and Florida State (4-4). The Bulldogs are trying to continue their winning streak as they host the High Point Panthers led by the Big South Conference leading scorer, Duke Miles.
The High Point Panthers are led by the Big South Conference’s player of the week and 6’3” junior guard Duke Miles who is currently leading the conference in scoring at 19.5 points a game, as well as 4.4 assists per game which is third in the conference. Miles has scored 20 points in five out of his last six games, and is going to need to do so again if HPU is going to beat the Bulldogs.
HPU started off the year rocky as well, losing three of their first six games, but have since put together an excellent five-game winning streak including wins against Morgan State, Western Carolina, and North Florida. However, the Panthers will face its toughest test of the season as they head to UGA.
The Panthers will also need major contributions from Mississippi State transfer and the 6’7” sophomore forward Kimani Hamilton who is second on the team in points at 14.6 a game, and leading the team in rebounds at eight per game. Kimani has been playing very well over his past four games, recording over 15 points in each of those contests.
The other two HPU guards, Minnesota transfer and 6’4” sophomore guard Abdoulaye Thiam as well as 6' 2” junior guard Kezza Giffa, who has played at UTEP and Daytona College before transferring to HPU, will both also need to be major players in tomorrow’s game. Both guards are averaging over 12 points a game, so their presence is going to need to be felt against the Bulldogs.
HPU has been shooting the ball terrifically as a team, as they have shot a team 49.7 percent from the court overall, and 38.7 percent from beyond the arc. The team’s shooting as a whole is a big reason for the Panther’s five game winning streak and success so far this season, as that shooting has translated to HPU’s averaging 89.1 points per game which leads the Big South Conference.
The key to the Bulldogs winning tomorrow’s game will need to be their defense and stopping the high-scoring High Point Panthers. Head-to-head, the Bulldogs will not be able to keep up with HPU’s scoring pace, as the Bulldogs are only averaging 72.1 points per game while shooting a remarkably worse 40.4 percent from the court overall, and 31.7 percent from beyond the arc.
UGA will need to find offense and scoring from their two senior guards, 6’4” Noah Thomasson who is averaging 12.8 points per game, and 6' 8” Jabri Abdur-Rahim who is leading the Bulldogs in points at 13 per game. The Bulldogs will also need freshman 6’5” guard Silas Demary Jr. to step up and provide production off the bench as he has been a huge help thus far this season averaging 8.6 points a game, and leading the team with 2.2 steals a game.
It is still very early in the season, but this is a big monumental game for both teams as both are looking to continue their winning streaks heading into late December. A power-5 win for the Panthers would be huge for the program not just for this season but for future years. This is a statement game for HPU to show that they belong on the big stage alongside other very good teams such as the UGA Bulldogs.