The Georgia Bulldogs have come into the 2011-12 season with an extremely young team and devoid of two players who will be on NBA rosters when the league resumes. While Coach Mark Fox has used the first three games on his schedule to work out consistency issues with his young and inexperienced squad, two ranked foes appear on the schedule ready to tussle with the Bulldogs this week.
First comes the contest Monday night versus the No. 17 California Golden Bears at the Progressive CBE Classic in Kansas City, as Mike Montgomery brings a loaded and experienced squad to the BBQ Belt. Then on Friday, the Bulldogs prepare for the rematch from last year's 65-57 loss to the Xavier Musketeers at home. Some believe that Xavier, now No. 12 in the country, might boast one of the best backcourts in America with the combo of Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons.
Georgia is 3-0 on the season, and a victory over either ranked team would be a huge confidence boost for their season.
Here is the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll for Week 3:
| ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll: |
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| RK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS |
| 1 | North Carolina (30) | 3-0 | 774 |
| 2 | Kentucky (1) | 4-0 | 732 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 3-0 | 708 |
| 4 | Connecticut | 4-0 | 668 |
| 5 | Syracuse | 4-0 | 652 |
| 6 | Duke | 4-0 | 640 |
| 7 | Louisville | 3-0 | 555 |
| 8 | Memphis | 1-0 | 497 |
| 9 | Florida | 2-1 | 480 |
| 10 | Baylor | 3-0 | 443 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 3-0 | 438 |
| 12 | Xavier | 3-0 | 394 |
| 13 | Alabama | 5-0 | 379 |
| 14 | Kansas | 1-1 | 327 |
| 15 | Michigan | 3-0 | 288 |
| 16 | Pittsburgh | 2-1 | 252 |
| 17 | Marquette | 4-0 | 241 |
| 18 | California | 3-0 | 216 |
| 19 | Gonzaga | 3-0 | 208 |
| 20 | Florida State | 4-0 | 189 |
| 21 | Missouri | 3-0 | 181 |
| 22 | Vanderbilt | 3-1 | 179 |
| 23 | Arizona | 4-1 | 134 |
| 24 | Texas A&M | 3-1 | 65 |
| 25 | Creighton | 4-0 | 62 |
Others receiving votes: Mississippi State 58, Purdue 48, Villanova 48, Texas 31, UNLV 23, Cincinnati 23, Northwestern 22, Temple 20, Cleveland State 20, Saint Louis 12, Michigan State 12, George Mason 10, Illinois 8, Long Beach State 8, San Diego State 8, Saint Mary's 6, Oklahoma State 6, Washington 3, Virginia 2, Indiana 2, Marshall 1, Harvard 1, Notre Dame 1