Georgia gets chance for big win against Texas A&M

Georgia is primed to host No. 15 Texas A&M on Saturday, the first of five ranked teams on the Bulldogs' remaining schedule.

South Carolina's loss to Alabama earlier this week leaves its ranked status in question. But Georgia (9-5, 2-2 SEC) is still yet to grab a win over a team ranked in the top 100 in RPI since beating Georgia Tech a month ago.

Georgia's past four games have been a seesaw of road losses and wins at home. A loss on the road to Florida was followed by a resounding win over Missouri. The difference in Georgia's loss in Oxford was a layup with time expiring, but Georgia bounced back to trounce Tennessee on Wednesday night.

Saturday's game against Texas A&M (14-2, 4-0 SEC) marks Georgia's first consecutive home games since SEC play began in January.

"It's a mission to try to win your next game," Georgia head coach Mark Fox said. "The league is different this year, for sure. But it's really about trying to win your next game. I think with the rule changes this year there have been a lot of squirrely scores this year, as people adjusted."

Georgia's 81-72 win over Tennessee was in large part to the lights out shooting of the Bulldogs' backcourt. Junior guard J.J. Frazier shot 10-for-14 and senior guard Kenny Gaines shot 8-for-12 to combine for 51 points, including 10 of Georgia's 12 3-pointers.

Sophomore forward Yante Maten didn't find the same consistency regarding his scoring effort -- his 10 points were the result of a 5-for-15 night from the floor -- but his eight rebounds were consistent with his average of 7.4 per game.

"Sometimes shots fall, and sometimes they don't," Maten said. "That comes and goes, even with the best. Things like rebounding you can always control. That's more about effort and timing."

Maten said rebounding, however, will be crucial to Georgia's success against Texas A&M, which, he said, that takes advantage of second chances.

"It's definitely a big game," Maten said. "(Texas A&M) is a great team from the one to the five."

There is some acknowledgment that this game carries more weight than, perhaps, a home game against Tennessee.

It's not surprising, however, the game-by-game focus is still prevalent among Georgia's players. Guard Charles Mann, who tallied 10 points against Tennessee, said the most important thing for Georgia to focus on, at this point in the season, is having fun playing basketball.

The wins will come with it.

"Have fun and take it one game at a time," Mann said. "If we have fun and give it everything we have we can live with the results."

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Georgia gets chance for big win against Texas A&M ."