NCAA rules allow men’s basketball coaches to hold two exhibition games each year against non-division I opponents. And for many years, Georgia basketball took the traditional route, playing two exhibitions against Division II opponents or traveling squads, consisting of washed-up former collegiate players.

However, in recent years, the NCAA has banned the use of games against these traveling exhibition teams and a new option has emerged: scrimmaging against Division I opponents.

The catch?

No fans (and no concession dollars), no media, and no publicity can be issued from either participating school about the game. It is strictly an opportunity for two coaches to learn about their squad. Unfortunately, they have to do so without the pressure of fans and the bright lights attached.

Georgia began taking this route with one of their two preseason allotments last season when they traveled north up I-85 for a closed scrimmage with Clemson prior to the season.

Bulldogs’ head coach Mark Fox continued this game when he came to Georgia, taking the Bulldogs to Little John Coliseum for a closed scrimmage with Oliver Purnell’s No. 24 ranked Tigers, Saturday.

The game consisted of three 20-minute halfs with the scoreboard resetting at the start of each half.

“I think scrimmages can be good if you play the right people and do it the right way. It was a good experience for us at Clemson,” Fox said. “This team needed to play against somebody else.”

The Bulldogs fared better than you might expect against one of the ACC’s top teams, trading wins of each half with the Tigers and tying them in one half, according to senior Albert Jackson.

“I think we stacked up great,” Jackson said. “I have no complaints about our scrimmage. We played with them or outplayed them during the scrimmage. I think it gave us a lot more confidence because we were better than they thought we were going to be.”

“As a team, I think we played pretty good,” junior center Jeremy Price said of their play against Clemson. “We impressed ourselves. We played hard, and we competed.”

Sophomore point guard Dustin Ware added: “I think, at the end of the scrimmage, I thought it was decent, not where we wanted to be, but we’re definitely headed in the right direction.”

The Bulldogs faced a difficult enough task in itself, facing Clemson’s vaulted attacking, full-court press style defense, but with the Bulldogs still stuck just getting down the basics of Fox’s new triangle offense, Fox spent little prior practice time on his packages for breaking full court presses, resulting in far too many turnovers.

“We had a lot of turnovers,” sophomore forward Travis Leslie said. “But we’ve been working on it in practice, so we’re going to bring them down.”

Fans’ first chance to get a look at the revamped Dogs, and Fox’s first game in Stegeman Coliseum, will come tonight against North Georgia at 7. Tonight will be the Bulldogs’ final opportunity of the preseason to compete against another team before beginning their season November 13 against New Orleans.

“We’ll need this exhibition [today] to play in front of people, but we’re far from a finished product, and we use any experience to get better,” Fox said.

And after seeing Division II LeMoyne College defeat No. 25 Syracuse on Tuesday night, the Bulldogs aren’t taking a win for granted, despite the obvious disparity in talent.

“Definitely,” Jackson said of that loss serving as a wake-up call, heading into Friday’s match. “You should always take every team serious, but especially for the younger guys, it’s more of, in men’s basketball, you’ve got to take every team serious because you never know who can come out and beat out who, no matter what division they’re in.”