ATHENS – Georgia men’s basketball finally knows something about its schedule for the coming season. The Bulldogs, in their third season under coach Tom Crean, will play host to Mississippi State on Dec. 30 at Stegeman Coliseum.
That’s the first of 18 SEC games Georgia will play in a schedule that was announced for all 14 league teams by the league office Friday. Georgia will play some non-conference games but they have yet to be announced. The Bulldogs are coming off a 16-16 (5-13 SEC) season and are now 27-37 (7-29) under Crean.
Georgia’s 2019-20 season abruptly ended, like all teams in college basketball, on March 11 with country’s realization that it was being enveloped in a pandemic caused by a coronavirus. The Bulldogs had just defeated Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC Tournament and were getting ready to face Florida when the event was canceled.
“Seems like a lifetime ago,” Crean said in a statement released by the school. “The rest of the spring, summer and fall have been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. The announcement of our SEC schedule is an important step toward returning to games. It’s a welcome step.”
Georgia will play nine games at Stegeman Coliseum and nine on the road. The SEC Tournament will again be in Nashville, March 10-14.
In addition to facing each conference team once, the Bulldogs will continue to face traditional rivals Auburn, Florida and South Carolina on a home-and-home basis. Georgia will meet LSU and Ole Miss twice twice during regular-season play in the rotation with with non-traditional rivals.
Georgia will face that slate with eight newcomers and just eight letter-winners off last year’s team. Among the departures are leading scorer Anthony Edwards, a would-be sophomore who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, and leading rebounder Rayshaun Hammonds.
Four SEC teams are included in ESPN.com’s “Way-Too-Early” Top 25: Kentucky (5), Tennessee (11), LSU (22) and Florida (25).
While wins have been hard to come by for the Bulldogs under Crean, they’re attracting fans at a record pace. Georgia has attendance records at Stegeman Coliseum in each of Crean’s seasons. Georgia drew 164,071 fans for 17 home date, producing the second-best average attendance mark (9,651) in school history.
For now, Crean’s just glad to know who and when his team will play.
“The leadership and the patience the SEC has exhibited throughout the pandemic has been remarkable,” Crean said. “I’ve thanked them several times before, but I’d once again like to make sure everyone realizes how much every SEC coach appreciates the hard work and leadership of Commissioner Sankey and Dan Leibovitz.”
GEORGIA MEN’S SEC SCHEDULE
- Dec. 30: vs. Mississippi State
- Jan. 6: at LSU
- Jan. 9: at Arkansas
- Jan. 13: vs. Auburn
- Jan. 16: at Ole Miss
- Jan. 20: vs. Kentucky
- Jan. 23: vs. Florida
- Jan. 27: at South Carolina
- Jan. 30: vs. Ole Miss
- Feb. 2: at Auburn
- Feb. 6: vs. Vanderbilt
- Feb. 10: at Texas A&M
- Feb. 13: at Alabama
- Feb. 16: vs. Missouri
- Feb. 20: at Florida
- Feb. 23: vs. LSU
- Feb. 27: vs. South Carolina
- March 3: at Tennessee
- March 10-14: at SEC Tournament, Nashville
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