Huge Bulldog logo going almost from one three-point line to the next Stegeman Stadium might be the first thing Georgia basketball That’s what fans see when they enter the old arena this season, but the players on the field have increased the anticipation for this season.

Georgia kicked off a new season Monday night with the addition of several high-profile new players, including five-star freshman Asa Newell.

He did not disappoint, breaking the record for most points by a Georgia freshman with 26 points in his first game; This was a goal set by the legendary Dominique Wilkins in 1979. However, the new-look Bulldogs fell short to their opponents by a score of 83-78. Season-opening victory over Tennessee Tech at Stegeman Coliseum.

This was the first of three home games against teams where Georgia will have a large talent advantage ahead of a Nov. 15 game at Georgia Tech. Next up is Texas South on Sunday at 15:30

Here are three things we learned:

Georgia basketball freshman Asa Newell, oh my.

Georgia didn’t start out like gangsters, but Newell did.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound forward captured the excitement from the first moment, scoring eight points in the first six minutes. At the 24th second of the game, he scored on a low block, made a layup, made a Eurostep move for a two-handed dunk, and scored an offensive rebound to put Georgia ahead 16-11.

Newell finished the game with a double-double: 26 points, 11 rebounds and added three blocks on 13-of-22 shooting.

Newell had four dunks in the first half, including a Blue Cain alley-oop, and scored 16 points in the first half.

With 5:19 left, he stole the ball and made a left-handed dunk, but he couldn’t do it. He blocked his shot on one side and got the offensive rebound on the other side, making the score 78-71.

Georgia Bulldogs get surprising boost from Tennessee Tech

Tennessee Tech was picked to finish last in the 11-team Ohio Valley Conference, but former Arkansas coach John Pelphrey had his team play well above expectations.

The Golden Eagles took the lead with Georgia 10 times in the first 20 minutes and took the lead 43-42 with 18:45 left in the game.

Georgia was a 25 1/2-point favorite, but gave up too many open 3-point attempts and Tennessee Tech took advantage, going 11-of-27 from behind the line; three of those were from Northern Colorado transfer Mehki Cameron, who plays at Eagles’ Landing. Christian Academy in Atlanta.

Tennessee Tech was trailing by five points before the Clemson transfer. RJ Godfrey (10 points) scored off an offensive rebound and made a steal and dunk to take the lead 72-63 with seven minutes left in the game.

Georgia backcourt has experience, but consistency remains a work in progress

Blue Cain defeated Silas DeMary Jr. in a 114-76 rout of UCF last week. and after getting big plays from Vanderbilt transfer Tyrin Lawrence, the trio went 3-for-12, including 0-for-6 from 3 in the first half.

Mount St. Louis, who was sidelined with an ankle injury before the season. Mary’s transfer Dakota Leffew filled the void. He scored 18 points and was 4/6 in 3 seconds, while the rest of the team was 0 for 12.

With 14:13 left in the game, Demary picked up his fourth foul and scored 6 points on 1/6 shooting.

Cain, who had 20 points against UCF, scored nine points but missed his first five 3-point attempts, and Lawrence scored seven points on 1-of-6 shooting.

This article first appeared in the Athens Banner-Herald: Asa Newell is the real deal, but Georgia basketball struggles in opening win