ATHENS — When Georgia coach Mike White said he’s never had a week like the one he just had, we can’t be sure if it’s entirely true. He endured some real stinker seasons as an assistant at Jacksonville State in the early 2000s, and he was part of a few losing teams at Ole Miss, first as a player and a couple of others as an assistant coach a decade later.
But White’s point is well-taken when talks about how the Bulldogs have had their heads handed to them here of late. Georgia absolutely was not competitive in losses on the road against Alabama and Arkansas in its past two outings. It lost the pair by a combined 81 points.
Oof.
So, White probably was being genuine when he said, “I haven’t had a week like this and a lot of our guys haven’t,” after Tuesday’s 97-65 loss to the Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Ark.
Thankfully for White and the Bulldogs (16-12, 6-9 SEC), they’re back home in the more comfortable confines of Stegeman Coliseum. They’re 13-2 in the 60-year-old building this season and, if not for an injury and some unfortunate breaks, realistically could be undefeated in those games.
Regardless, with a win in one of their two remaining home games, the Bulldogs would equal the program’s most single-season regular-season home victories at Stegeman.
So, it is with a modicum of optimism that Georgia prepares for Saturday’s game against Missouri (1 p.m., SEC Network). And there is plenty of motivation to fuel the Bulldogs as they enter the final three-game stretch of the regular season. That includes the home finale against Florida on Tuesday night and a road trip to South Carolina on March 4.
“We have to keep things in perspective,” White said. “We have done some good things. We have a chance to get to 17 (wins) and solidify a winning season. Maybe we get to 18, who knows? Let’s focus on Missouri.”
The remaining games certainly are all winnable, but Georgia’s opponents arrive with much to fight for as well. The Tigers (20-8, 8-7) are coming off an emotional 66-64 overtime win over Mississippi State at home Tuesday. Suddenly, with three games to go, they find themselves in position to earn one of the double-byes for the SEC Tournament.
One of the highest-scoring teams in the league, Missouri comes in as a consensus 6.5-point favorite, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers. The Tigers are No. 62 in Ken Pomeroy’s college basketball rankings heading into the weekend, while Georgia comes in at 133.
Of course, nothing is being taken for granted.
“Definitely going to be challenging, as (are) all games in the SEC,” Missouri first-year coach Dennis Gates told reporters Thursday in Columbia. “Georgia is coming off a tough loss, so we have to be able to offset emotionally how they feel about that by protecting their home court.”
Georgia can start on defense. Earlier in the season, that much-improved aspect of the team distinguished it from last season’s six-win team. However, the Bulldogs have been battered by offensive barrages lately, giving up 205 points in the past two games.
They can expect to get more of the same from the Tigers. Only Alabama, with 83.3 points per game, scores more than Missouri (79.8). Georgia averages 69.3.
A deep team that plays a lot of players and likes to go fast, the Tigers are led by 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward Kobe Brown (16 points, six rebounds). But the player the Bulldogs might need to be most aware of is Tre Gomillion. A 6-4 guard, Gomillion came with Gates to Missouri from Cleveland State and hails from Augusta. After sitting for an extended period because of a groin injury, Gomillion came of the bench for eight points, 10 rebounds and two steals and made several critical plays in overtime against Mississippi State.
As for Georgia, White has had to remind the Bulldogs this week of how well they have played at home all season. The last time they were at The Steg, they knocked off Kentucky and LSU in back-to-back games. The way Georgia did it was playing with defensive intensity, rebounding, taking good shots on offense and getting to the foul line. It will have the same requirements Saturday.
It promises to be an emotional day as the Bulldogs will hold Senior Day beforehand, even though the final home game of the season is not until Tuesday. Georgia will recognize five players in the pregame ceremony.
Former walk-on Jaxon Etter is the only one of the players who will have started and finished his career with the Bulldogs. The others are guards Terry Roberts and Mardrez McBride and forwards Braelen Bridges and Jailyn Ingram. Georgia will need a good effort from all of them Saturday, something it hasn’t gotten consistently on the road.
“I’m thankful for the wins that we’ve gotten,” White said. “We’re obviously better at home, like everybody else is. We’ve won some at home that we were fortunate to win, that were really, really close. It’s a tough league.”
The last time Missouri visited Athens, Georgia knocked off the 20th-ranked Tigers 80-70 on Feb. 15, 2021.
