ATHENS — It hasn’t taken long for Sahvir Wheeler to establish himself as one of the best Georgia point guards in school history, and Tuesday the sophomore checked off another box being named second-team All-SEC by the Associated Press.

Bulldogs’ freshman K.D. Johnson was also named to the SEC’s All-Freshman Team.

Georgia (14-11, 7-11) opens play in the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at 7 p.m. on Thursday against Missouri (15-18, 8-8) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The Bulldogs beat the Tigers, then-ranked No. 19, in the teams’ first meeting this season, 80-70.

“It’s a great accomplishment, a great award,” Wheeler said in a UGA release. “I’m thankful for all the coaches and media that voted me in. I also want to give a special shoutout to my teammates and my coaches. Without them, I wouldn’t be here.

“I think this also is a testament to how much work I put in during the offseason. To see it come to fruition and see some of my goals accomplished is an awesome feeling.”

Wheeler could have arguably been a first-team choice.

Wheeler led the league in assists (7.2 per game) and double-doubles (7), while also ranking third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.64) and playing time (34.8 minutes per game).

Wheeler led the Bulldogs and was 16th in scoring (14.0) and seventh in steals (1.6 per game).

Johnson, who missed the first 10 games of the season, said he appreciates the recognition but his focus is on the game with Missouri.

It’s an and honor and I’m very happy that I made the team, but, I’m focused on the team and the game that’s ahead of us on Thursday,” said Johnson, who came off the bench to provided instant offense and finished second in scoring on the team (13.6).

“I’m excited about the award, but I’m more excited about the run we’re about to try to go on to get to ‘March Madness.’ We’re just taking it one game at a time.”

The Bulldogs, who were picked to finish 13th, have improved as the season has progressed.

Sophomore Toumani Camara is another Georgia player who could have easily been selected for postseason honors.

Camara averaged 12.8 points and 7.6 rebounds this season, sharing league-high honors with Wheeler with seven double-doubles.

The Bulldogs were one of just three SEC teams to have their three leading scorers be first- or second-year players, joining Auburn and Vanderbilt.

The team traveled by bus to Nashville on Tuesday.