LEXINGTON, Ky. – Georgia came to Rupp Arena seeking a signature victory in its mostly resurgent season. But it left Kentucky bluer than the home crowd.
The Bulldogs (13-5, 3-2 SEC) opened strong but unraveled as the first half continued, leading to a 105-96 loss against the No. 8 Wildcats (14-3, 4-1). It was Georgia’s first road loss this season and its 12th consecutive defeat in Kentucky. Georgia last won in Lexington on March 4, 2009.
The final score didn’t do the game justice; the Bulldogs trailed by 28 at the 7:55 mark of the second half. Georgia got the full might of a top-10 team maximizing its ability.
“A lot of it (was Kentucky making tough shots),” Bulldogs coach Mike White said. “I think when we look at the film, we’ll confirm that a bunch of those were pretty contested. But they’ve got to be more heavily contested to beat a team like this on the road. Some of them, we needed to negate in the first place where we’re running certain guys off the line and make them drivers. That said, they are so good at driving and kicking to the next guy. … As skilled a team as there is in college basketball.”
Georgia’s offense hit two of its first three 3-pointers and built a 10-8 lead in the first four minutes. But the Bulldogs suffered an unfortunate sequence from which they never recovered.
Kentucky senior guard Antonio Reeves scored five straight points to give the Wildcats their first lead. Sharpshooter Reed Sheppard nailed a deep 3 that extended the advantage to 16-10. The Bulldogs turned it over on the ensuing possession, leading to a Reeves’ 3.
In 39 seconds, Georgia’s two-point lead had transformed into a 19-10 deficit. That was part of a 15-3 Wildcats run that produced a 10-point lead.
“They hit some tough shots,” said Bulldogs guard Silas Demary Jr, who scored a career-high 22 points. “I feel like we were there, a little late at times but we were there. Just some big-time shots, man. Sometimes those things happen.”
The Bulldogs don’t have the firepower to play catchup, especially compared to Kentucky’s offense that was shooting nearly 40% on 3-pointers as a team entering Saturday. The Wildcats shot 14-for-25 (56%) on 3s. After making two of its first three 3s, Georgia went 5-for-21 (24%) the rest of the night.
The first-half deficit grew to 41-24 after three straight 3-pointers from Croatian seven-footer Zvonimir Ivisic, who was finally cleared to play by the NCAA ahead of the game.
Kentucky coach John Calipari said Ivisic was open because Georgia didn’t know he could shoot 3s. White, when asked if they knew he could shoot so effectively, said: “I don’t think anyone would’ve anticipated him shooting with that level of confidence that quickly in his first appearance in a college game.”
White continued: “Fantastic. The way he shot it. The way he passed it. The way he screened. He’s a unique player and complements their other players really well.”
Georgia guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim scored a career-high 34 points on 7-of-14 shooting. It’s the most points a Bulldog has scored in a single game since Anthony Edwards had 36 against South Carolina in February 2020. Abdur Rahim’s seven 3s were also tied for the third-most in school history.
This marked just the Bulldogs’ second loss in the last 13 games. For as delightful a turnaround as this season has brought – Georgia is just three wins shy of its 2022-23 total – the Bulldogs still lack a signature win that could help push them into the NCAA tournament. They’ve faced three ranked opponents, Miami, Tennessee and Kentucky, and lost to them all (with the closest contest a six-point home loss to the Volunteers).
“We just need to respond better,” Abdur-Rahim said. “We’re right there. I promise we’re right there. We just have to do a better job responding and be a little more connected. We’re already pretty connected, but to take the next step, I think we need to be a little more connected.”
How the Bulldogs fare over the next month and in the conference tournament will determine whether they crack the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015. The Bulldogs haven’t won a tournament game since 2002.
The Bulldogs return home Wednesday when they host LSU at 6:30 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum. White’s second return to Gainesville, where he coached from 2015-2022, looms when Georgia heads to Florida on Saturday.
