The Oklahoma Sooners host the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon in an SEC college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 3:30 p.m. ET in Norman, Oklahoma.
The Sooners are listed as 2.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 164.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this SEC college basketball matchup.
Oklahoma vs. Georgia prediction, preview
Oklahoma finally broke its losing streak last Saturday against Vanderbilt. The Sooners won their first SEC game of the season against Ole Miss, then proceeded to rattle off nine consecutive losses until last week’s victory. It must have been a nice relief for Oklahoma to finally get a win, but this team still has major issues. The Sooners can’t get stops. Even in that win, they gave up 91 points to Vanderbilt. Over their last nine games, the Sooners are giving up an average of 86.8 points per game. That is bad news against a Georgia team that can score as well as any team in the nation.
Georgia is averaging 90.8 points per game, the fifth-most in the nation this season. The Bulldogs have some great pieces, including sophomore guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, who is averaging 17.1 points per game. However, Wilkinson will miss his second straight game for Georgia, meaning others need to step up. Georgia needs to get back to winning ways in this game. After a fantastic nonconference run and a solid start to SEC play, Georgia looked like a lock for the NCAA Tournament field. However, the Bulldogs have lost four of their last five games and now sit firmly on the bubble. If Georgia can’t pull out a win here against one of the worst teams in the conference, its season could be over.
Oklahoma vs. Georgia pick
My best bet is on Georgia to cover the short 2.5-point spread. It will be a tough challenge for the Bulldogs without their leading scorer, but in their second game without Jeremiah Wilkinson, the team has had time to adjust. Blue Cain stepped up with 17 points and 11 boards against Florida. The Bulldogs will need both Cain and Kanon Catchings to step up in the scoring department in this one. Georgia pushes the pace as well as any team in the country, ranking fourth nationally in adjusted tempo. If it can get out and run, Oklahoma should struggle to keep up. The Bulldogs know their backs are against the wall and this should be an all-out effort to get back to winning ways.
