Trey Thompkins had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead Georgia to a relatively easy 69-51 win over Auburn in the first round of the SEC tournament at the Georgia Dome.

The 6-foot-10 junior made 8 of 15 from the field, including 3 of 5 3-pointers, to spark the Bulldogs (21-10), who are squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Thompkins, who earlier in the week was named first-team All-SEC, scored 14 in the first half to stake Georgia to a 34-23 lead. Auburn never got any closer than 10 points in the second half.

Georgia's Travis Leslie added 12 points and 10 rebounds and Gerald Robinson had 11 points and a game-high six assists.

Auburn (11-20) got a stellar performance from freshman Chris Denson, who scored a career-high 21 points, making 9 of 10 field goals. Earnest Ross, Auburn's leading scorer who put up 30 against the Bulldogs during an overtime loss during the regular season, had a horrible game, making 1 of 10 from the field and scoring only four points.

Georgia advances to play Western Division champion Alabama at 1 p.m. in the second round on Friday.