The Georgia Bulldogs have captured headlines with Anthony Edwards being considered a top 2020 draft pick, but that has masked the fact that they have been struggling on defense.

The Bulldogs have given up at least 77 points in five out of their past six games, which includes an 80-77 game against Division II Chaminade, and has left the team ranked 167th in the country in points per possession allowed.

The task on Friday in Athens, Ga., is to hold down an SMU Mustangs bunch that ranks 13th in the country in points per possession and has brought into the fold TCU transfer Kendric Davis, who missed the first four games of the season. Since Davis entered the fray, he’s failed to score at least 16 points once and has hit all 18 of his free throws.

While the Mustangs have held three of their past four opponents to 58 points or fewer, those opponents were Hartford, Abilene Christian and Northwestern State, who all rank in the bottom half of the country in nearly every offensive metric. When they played a step-up game against Georgetown on Dec. 7, the defense was exposed to the tune of 91 points.

Georgia is playing at a rapid pace, ranking seventh in the country in average possessions per game, which should lead to a shootout in SEC country.

The play: SMU-Georgia, Over 148¹/₂.