The No. 3 Florida Gators are playing every night to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and the Georgia Bulldogs are playing to land anywhere in that field of 68.
Georgia just got a résumé-topping win, an 88-83 thriller over Florida on Tuesday at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, to help its case — and it’s a case that needs help. Mike White’s Bulldogs (17-11, 5-10 SEC) checked in as the last at-large team in the field in Tuesday’s Bracket Watch.
That also makes Georgia the 14th SEC team projected in the field, which would smash the record of 11, set by the Big East in 2011. This upset is a significant boost, but there’s still work to do for Georgia, Arkansas (also a projected No. 11 seed), Oklahoma, Texas and Vanderbilt (all No. 10 seeds).
Georgia got it done with a classic home-court ambush to start and a late display of resolve. The Bulldogs were up 39-13 after 12 minutes. That lead eventually disappeared completely.
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When Florida’s Thomas Haugh converted a fast-break layup with 1:28 left, the Gators (24-4, 11-4) had come back to lead 79-78 and were on the verge of the largest comeback win in program history. Georgia was on the verge of the kind of loss that can be tough to overcome.
But White subbed in Blue Cain with 1:08 left and his team down 80-78, on a scoring drought of nearly four minutes. Cain got a look at a deep 3-pointer from the right wing and drilled it.
Georgia’s defense held from there. Georgia’s offense made it possible — five players scored in double figures, led by Silas Demary Jr.’s 21, with an effective field-goal percentage of 63.4 percent. That’s nearly 14 percent better than Georgia normally shoots and nearly 20 percent better than the usually stingy Gators allow.
Will Richard did most of the work to keep Florida in the game with 30 points, but the Gators added 11 missed free throws to their defensive lapses. Florida is in a battle with a handful of other teams for a No. 1 seed, and the SEC will continue to provide opportunities: Texas A&M, at Alabama and Ole Miss to finish the regular season.
This is the marquee win for Georgia on a résumé that includes wins over St. John’s and Kentucky. Trips to Texas and South Carolina and a home game against Vanderbilt close out the Bulldogs’ regular season. The SEC Tournament in Nashville will matter to both of these teams in different ways.
Tuesday’s game, of course, had a bit more meaning than bid chasing for White. The former Florida coach finally got his first win against the Gators since leaving for Georgia. He lost the first six meetings.
(Photo of Silas Demary Jr.: Jeffrey Vest / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
