GAME NOTES: The Georgia Bulldogs return to Stegeman Coliseum to start a three- game homestand, beginning with a non-conference matchup against the Colorado Buffaloes on Sunday afternoon.

The Buffs are fresh off a three-game homestand of their own and came away victorious in each matchup to improve to 5-1 on the season. They most recently captured a 72-55 victory over San Francisco on Wednesday, but now they head back out on the road where they've lost seven of their last nine.

The Bulldogs' season took a turn for the worse during the NIT Season Tip-Off late last month, where they lost back-to-back games to Gonzaga (88-76) and Minnesota (66-62). However, they returned to the win column in a road matchup with Chattanooga on Tuesday with an easy 86-55 triumph to move to 4-3.

Georgia leads the all-time series with Colorado, 6-3, but the Buffs won the most recent contest in Boulder last December, 84-70.

Colorado actually faced a two-point deficit at the half of its most recent game but turned things around after intermission to pull away for the 17-point win. After shooting less than 41 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, the team improved to shoot a red-hot 66.7 percent in the second stanza, and it also benefitted from scoring 29 points off of 18 USF turnovers. Askia Booker was the catalyst with a game-high 21 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Josh Scott added 12 points and six others put up at least five points.

The primary reason for the Buffs' success this season has been their excellent play on the defensive end of the court, as they hold opponents to a mere 57.7 ppg on 37.4 percent field goal shooting. They're not slouches shooting the ball either, making 47 percent of their field goal tries en route to 68.7 ppg. Scott is one of the Pac-12's best forwards, scoring 16.3 ppg (on 66 percent shooting) and grabbing 8.2 rpg. Xavier Johnson (11.8 ppg) and Booker (11.3 ppg) have also been solid.

Georgia took out its frustrations of its recent two-game losing streak on Chattanooga earlier in the week, as they outshot the Mocs by a commanding margin - 63.3 percent to 31 percent - and dominated the rebounding battle (39-24) on its way to the 31-point win. Kenny Gaines and Marcus Thornton were both outstanding in the triumph with 25 and 24 points, respectively. The duo combined to shoot a lights-out 19-of-22 from the field, with Gaines draining five 3-pointers. Charles Mann was also stellar with 16 points, five assists and five rebounds, while Nemanja Djurisic added 10 points and eight rebounds.

On the season, the Bulldogs' have performed well on both ends of the floor, shooting 48.2 percent from the field for 76.1 ppg while allowing 68.6 ppg on just 39.3 percent shooting. Their success from 3-point range however, has lagged behind. They make just 4.3 long-range buckets per game at a 30-percent clip. Thornton leads the way with 14.7 ppg and 7.3 rpg. Mann stuffs the stat sheet with 12.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 3.9 apg, Gaines (12.3 ppg) and Djurisic (11.9 ppg) are also integral performers.

While Colorado has been outstanding on its home floor, it has struggled of late on the road and will have difficulty taking down an impressive Georgia team after a cross-country trip.