By BRANDON ZIMMERMAN
Staff Writer

Atlanta – After Georgia’s thrilling 79-76 comeback victory against Mississippi State in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in the Georgia Dome Thursday night, head coach Ron Jirsa admitted he had yet to think about the Bulldogs’ quarterfinals opponent, Ole Miss.

"To be honest, I haven’t scouted Ole Miss yet for Friday’s game," Jirsa said. "But I know they’re playing extremely well, they’re an outstanding team, they’re the 10th-ranked team in the country right now."

When the Rebels (21-5 overall, 12-4 SEC) take the floor with Georgia today at 3:15 p.m. in the Georgia Dome, they will be carrying a seven-game winning streak.

But that shouldn’t scare the Bulldogs.

Ole Miss had been winners of 10 of 11 when it stormed into Stegeman Coliseum for a Jan. 28 matchup with the Bulldogs. But Georgia toppled the then-No. 12 Rebels, 70-68, led by forward Larry Brown’s 14 points.

And even more promising for the Bulldogs, they have improved since that first meeting, according to Rebel head coach Rob Evans.

"Georgia is a really different team since we first saw them," he said. "They’ve regrouped, and they have a lot of confidence now. But I coach Ole Miss. My concerns are with my team."

In order for Georgia to advance to Saturday’s semifinals, freshman power forward Jumaine Jones must equal Rebel All-SEC forward Ansu Sesay’s performance.

Sesay is averaging 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds, including 10 double-doubles this season. Jones has nine double-doubles this season and has exploded recently for Georgia.

The 6-foot-7 freshman is averaging 18.3 points and 10.9 rebounds in his last nine games, including a solid performance in his first-ever SEC Tournament game Thursday in which he scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

The fact that the Rebels relaxed Thursday, not having to play due to their first round bye, is also a concern for Georgia. But according to Bulldog guard G.G. Smith, Georgia is a more seasoned tournament team and is not susceptible to fatigue.

"We’re an experienced tournament team," Smith said. "We have a lot of depth and have played deep in the postseason in the last three years, so we’re not afraid to play back-to-back games."