GAME NOTES: A battle of the Bulldogs is on tap for Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, as 10th-ranked Gonzaga takes on Georgia in the NIT Season Tip- Off.

The winner will advance to Friday's championship game to play either Minnesota or St. John's, while the losers also play Friday in the third-place game.

Georgia opened the campaign with a clash against intrastate rival Georgia Tech and lost the road battle, 80-73. However, it has gained momentum heading into this event with three straight wins. It downed Florida Atlantic on their home floor on Sunday, 74-61.

Gonzaga, meanwhile, has lived up to its billing as a nationally-ranked team this season with four victories all by double-digit margins, most notably against then-nationally ranked SMU on Nov. 17, 72-56. It most recently dismissed St. Thomas Aquinas last Saturday, 109-55, and its 4-0 start called for a bump into the most recent poll from No. 13 to No. 10.

The teams have split four all-time meetings, with the home team winning each time.

Georgia built an eight-point halftime lead over FAU its last time out and never surrendered that advantage down the stretch, holding a double-digit lead for most of the second stanza. Although it shot only 2-of-8 from 3-point range, its overall field percentage was impressive (.459). It also outscored FAU at the foul line (16-6) and won the rebounding battle (45-32) in the convincing win. Marcus Thornton was the catalyst, logging a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds while also blocking five shots. Kenny Gaines netted 15 points and Nemanja Djurisic flirted with a triple-double by posting eight points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

On the season, UGA shoots 46 percent from the field for 77.2 ppg, giving itself a comfortable cushion over its opponents (.384 FG percentage, 67.8 ppg). Thornton (14.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Djurisic (13.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg) are mainstays in the frontcourt. Gaines (12.8 ppg) and Charles Mann (11.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.5 apg) are also integral pieces of the puzzle.

Gonzaga did what was expected against a lower-level opponent last week, as it outshot St. Thomas Aquinas by a staggering margin (67.7 percent to 30.8 percent) while dominating both the rebounding (43-21) and turnover (16-9) battles in the 54-point triumph, its largest margin of victory in the history of McCarthey Athletic Center. Angel Nunez put up 24 points and 11 rebounds in just 19 points off the bench, while Kyle Wiltjer (17 points, 11 rebounds) also logged a double-double. Byron Wesley scored 22 points, Domantas Sabonis had 19 on 8-of-8 from the field and Przemek Karnowski rounded out the balanced effort with 10 points.

Gonzaga has been on the positive end of a number of blowouts, leaving it was a staggering +42.0 scoring margin this season while shooting lights out from the field (.561) and 3-point range (.425). On a team with seven players scoring at least 9.0 ppg, Sabonis comes off the bench to lead the way with 14.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg. Wiltjer (13.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg), Wesley (12.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Nunez (10.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg) are all equally active on the scoreboard as they are on the glass. Rounding out one of the deepest rotations in the country are Gary Bell Jr. (10.8 ppg), Kevin Pangos (10.3 ppg, 5.8 apg) and Karnowski (9.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg).

Gonzaga will be in for a difficult task venturing outside of its home arena for the first time to play a solid Georgia squad, but it does look like a legitimate national-title contender in the early going and has the talent to be the odds-on favorite in this event.