Jeremiah Wilkinson powers No. 23 Georgia past Auburn in overtime of SEC opener

Conference play has arrived, and Georgia basketball opened the SEC season victoriously, beating Auburn 104-100 in overtime Saturday afternoon.

The win improved No. 23 Georgia to 13-1 on the season, tying for its second-best start in program history.

A burst of electricity coursed through Stegeman Coliseum as Georgia and Auburn battled. Every minute was filled with cheers, chants and claps, as the teams furiously fought for a win.

“A game that I know I’ll remember forever,” coach Mike White said. “Just the way it ended — incredible tale of two separate responses.”

White’s message before the game was simple. He wanted Georgia to “play hard as heck and have fun.” He even wrote the words on the team’s whiteboard, encouraging the Bulldogs to enjoy the start of conference play instead of stress over it.

He likely didn’t foresee a game as exciting as the one that played out.

The matchup included 10 ties and 11 lead changes, including three within the game’s final five minutes.

“Our guys were just eager,” White said. “The moment can’t be too big … I just don’t want our guys feeling any pressure. Let’s fly around and have some fun — these guys are pretty good when we’re doing that.”

Georgia held a five-point lead with 12 seconds remaining in regulation before a layup and free throw from Auburn cut it down to two points.

With five seconds left to play, junior guard Blue Cain inbounded the ball across the court to sophomore center Somto Cyril, who was practically waiting under the basket for a dunk. The perfectly executed play gave Georgia a four-point lead, eliciting a rousing cheer from Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia appeared destined for its first win against Auburn in nearly three years.

And then came the whistle.

The dreaded noise occurred after Auburn forward Keyshawn Hall’s 3-point attempt, signaling a foul on Georgia’s Jeremiah Wilkinson. The sophomore guard’s body language indicated he clearly disagreed with the call, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Auburn would have a chance to tie the game — maybe even win it — but it would take skill and a whole lot of luck.

And that’s exactly what the Tigers received.

Hall’s first two free throws sailed through the net, and he purposely missed the third one. His teammate Kevin Overton grabbed the rebound and hit a jumper. It just beat the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

The sequence weighed heavily on Wilkinson, who was still owning up to the foul in the hallway after the win.

“Everybody in the huddle was just telling me that they got my back,” Wilkinson said. “I was like, ‘I can’t let my team down like that.’ We just controlled the whole game, and now I mess up at the end of the game.

So, it was really just, respond.”

Wilkinson had spent the previous night in Stegeman Coliseum’s gym, practicing his shots until the clock struck midnight. The work showed up in overtime, as he made both of Georgia’s field goals.

His first, a 3-pointer with under two minutes left, put the Bulldogs ahead, while his second, a 3-pointer with one minute remaining, extended their lead to four points.

“It could have been incredibly deflating,” White said. “When you’ve got the win 99% in hand. Especially (for) Jeremiah … Jerry knows this, he won us the game in overtime. I love coaching him.”

Wilkinson led Georgia with 31 points, a season high and five shy of matching his career high. Junior guard Smurf Millender added 24 points, while Cain and Cyril each tallied 15.

The Bulldogs scored at least 100 points for the seventh time this season, extending their program record. It marked Georgia’s first time surpassing the mark against an SEC opponent since Feb. 8, 2020, when it put up 102 points against Alabama.