Cincy, but no Tech, on nonconference slate for UGA hoops

ATHENS — Georgia’s men’s basketball season will start in less than two weeks.

The Bulldogs will open against Columbus State on Nov. 25 at Stegeman Coliseum. That’s the first of seven nonconference games that will precede the beginning of SEC play against Mississippi State on Dec. 30.

Highlighting the nonconference slate is a Dec. 19 date against Cincinnati.

Georgia’s other nonconference games will be against Northeastern (Dec. 22), Gardner-webb (Nov. 29), Jacksonville (Dec. 4), Montana (Dec. 8) and Samford (Dec. 12). All of the games will be played in Athens before extremely limited crowds.

Both Northeastern and Montana have been picked to win their respective conferences this season, while Cincinnati returns three starters from last season, when the Bearcats tied for the AAC regular-season title.

However, the Bulldogs will not play Georgia Tech, as the rival schools were unable to reschedule their original November date. It will be the first time since 1934 the teams haven’t played in basketball. This comes after the schools are playing a football season without meeting for the first time since 1924.

“Both schools tried to find a way to make it work this season, but due to changes in the conference schedules, the existing nonconference schedules after Nov. 25, exam schedules and a lot of other different things made it where it just wouldn’t work out,” Georgia coach Tom Crean said.

Georgia also was unable to keep previously scheduled games against Memphis and SMU. The Bulldogs will play an 18-game SEC schedule starting with Mississippi State in Athens on Dec. 30, then the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee. Game times and television information will be announced at a later date.

Georgia is coming off a 16-16 (5-13 SEC) season and is 27-37 (7-29) under Crean.