Best Game Ever

for a UGA player.

I've been around Georgia basketball for a little while.  Won't say how long, but even my Blog will soon go into its 8th year.

I have never seen a performance like the one J.J. Frazier had on Saturday.  37 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists.  12 of 14 from the floor, 7 of 7 from behind the arc, and 6 of 8 from the line.  And he rebounded his own missed free throw late in the game.

Frazier reminded me of Chris Jackson from way back when, playing for LSU.  Jackson used to have incredible games, but his supporting cast, guys like Stanley Roberts and Shaquille O'Neal, was much better.  I'm not saying that Frazier will have the career that Jackson had, but Frazier was all money all game for UGA against Mississippi State.

Frazier's outburst also reminds me of Litterial Green.  Green had big scoring outings, too, back in the 90's.  People expected Green to score, though.  He was a highly recruited 2-guard from Mississippi.

Frazier's game was better than any of my memories of Green's exploits, in that nobody imagined Frazier would explode.  No one expected him to pull down 7 boards, either.

Besides that, Frazier runs the point.  He had responsibility for bringing up the ball against pressure.  He wasn't just floating around the perimeter, waiting for someone else to drive the ball and kick it out to him.

I'll leave it to the stats guys to see if anyone has gone shot the ball as efficiently as Frazier.  I doubt it.  Dustin Ware went bonkers back in 2010, hitting 7 three-pointers on 9 attempts.  I think that was the game at Tech.  Ware was certainly good that day, but Frazier was better.  The difference is that Ware scored 21 points for the entire game, meaning that the only points he scored were from behind the arc.  Ware didn't hit any two-point baskets, and never went to the foul line.

Bottom line is that Frazier gets my "best game ever" designation because he played way above his 5' 10", 150-pound stature.  He hardly missed a shot, hit big shots and got the key rebound, then iced the game at the free throw line.

When Frazier was recruited, I wondered how he would finish against bigger guys.  Well, if he can gun it from deep and throw in an occasional finger roll like he did Saturday, the big guards in the league are going to have their hands full.

Great game, J.J.  Best I remember.  Congratulations.

DM