Georgia earns redemption in victory over Arkansas: ‘We wanted to respond.’
An irritated Georgia basketball team walked into Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs knew they let a win slip out of their hands four days prior against Ole Miss and wanted another chance to get back on the court. Georgia believed it was stronger than the defeat it suffered the last time out and craved an opportunity to prove it.
And it did.
The No. 21-ranked Bulldogs defeated No. 17 Arkansas, 90-76, in a game they never trailed.
“The Ole Miss loss hurt a lot,” junior guard Blue Cain said. “It pissed everybody off … We just wanted to respond. We knew we were better than that.”
Georgia led the Razorbacks for 39 of the game’s 40 minutes, but its victory was far from comfortable. Arkansas erased a 19-point lead to even the score with nearly seven minutes remaining before a 20-6 run from the Bulldogs secured their win.
The Razorbacks’ surge brought a sense of dread back into Stegeman Coliseum, as recent history — involving blown leads against Auburn and Ole Miss, Georgia’s previous home conference opponents — appeared destined to repeat itself.
But this time, Cain and sophomore guard Jeremiah Wilkinson refused to let it happen.
The two Bulldogs scored 10 consecutive points as Georgia turned a tie into a 10-point lead.
“We talked after the last game (about) how we were gonna respond to a tough game, tough loss that we know we should have won,” said Wilkinson, who finished with a team-leading 20 points. “This is the way we come out and respond.”
Georgia’s motivation for redemption was evident the moment it took the court. The Bulldogs began the game with an 11-0 run, putting Arkansas in an early hole before it had a moment to process.
Georgia, known for its offensive prowess with a league-leading average of 96.4 points per game, relied on its defense to jump on the Razorbacks. The Bulldogs forced 11 turnovers in the first half, including four in the game’s first five minutes.
“That just shows how bought in we were to what (coach Mike White) is saying in practice and in the huddle,” Wilkinson said of the defensive effort. “And just knowing that the showing we had (against Ole Miss) wasn’t good enough. We can’t come out and give up that many points in our home and let somebody else come in and lose a game on a missed box. So, we just had to lock in and do the little things.”
Georgia extended its lead to 13 points by halftime and held a 19-point advantage with 15:56 left in the game. And then, the comeback came.
Arkansas strung together runs of five, 11 and nine points to close the gap before a 3-point shot from Darius Acuff Jr. tied the game at 68 with less than seven minutes left. After around one minute of exchanging shots with the Razorbacks, the Bulldogs scored 10-straight points to pull ahead.
Cain, who finished with 18 points — his most in SEC play this season — helped lead the charge.
“Blue Cain played his best game in a long time,” White said. “His mindset wasn’t ‘let’s see how many I can score in this one.’ It was the correct winning mindset. Really proud of him. He was playing at a high level, and he’s just struggled lately. He sold out these last couple days and today to playing hard.”
Cain had a rough start to conference play, averaging only nine points per game. He missed every shot he attempted against Ole Miss — excluding free throws, where he finished 3-of-4 — shooting 0-of-7 from the field and 0-of-4 from beyond the arc.
White benched Cain with eight minutes left against the Rebels but penciled his name back into the starting lineup for Arkansas, and the junior guard rewarded him with his best performance of the season. Along with Cain’s 18 points and three assists, he made an impact on defense with three rebounds and two steals.
“(White) just told me he believed in me,” Cain said. “Obviously I had a tough night. I’ve been struggling a little bit. But he just told me he believed in me, the team believed in me.”
Those words, plus the likely slightly harsher ones that sparked Georgia’s extra motivation, might have just earned the Bulldogs the victory.
About the Author
Olivia Sayer joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May 2025 as an intern on the sports beat. She is earning a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia with a minor in sport management and a sports media certificate. Olivia previously held the titles of digital and assistant sports editor at The Red & Black.
