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MBB: Dawgs Return to The Stege To Face Texas

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)

Location: Athens, Ga.

Game Giveaway: The first 750 UGA students will receive a free “Spike Hat.”

TV: SEC Network (Rich Hollenberg, play-by-play; Pat Bradley analyst)

Radio: Georgia Bulldog Network – Sirius 386 (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer)

The Starting Five

• Georgia returns to a sold-out Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday afternoon looking to continue building momentum following an 86-78 victory over Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night.

• Somto Cyril is on the verge of shattering Georgia’s single-season field goal percentage record. With two more FGs, Cyril will qualify for the record. He could do 2-for-30 and still break the current mark.

• Blue Cain has notched 20-point performances in each of Georgia’s last two games at Oklahoma and Kentucky…after have two 20-point tallies in his first 94 games as a Bulldog.

• After using the same starting five for 19 of 22 games, UGA has used a different lineup in four of its last five outings. Blue Cain is the only Bulldog to start every game, extending his streak to 67 straight nods. 

• Georgia entered this weekend leading the nation in percentage of field goals that are dunks at 18.7 percent (163 of 808 FGs). Individually, Somto Cyril is the nation’s top dunker with 70 rim rattlers.

Entering Today’s Game:

Blue Cain is…

• 7 3-pointers from No. 15 Jabri Abdur-Rahim

• 10 3-pointers from co-No. 13s Ty Wilson and Ray Harrison

• 22 3-point attempts from No. 12 Ray Harrison

Somto Cyril is…

• 2 blocks from No. 11 Trey Thompkins

• 4 blocks from No. 10 Chris Daniels

• 5 blocks from No. 9 Marcus Thornton

• 8 blocks from Co-No. 7 Willie Anderson and Nicolas Clayton

Among UGA’s Season Leaders

Somto Cyril is…

• 12 blocks from No. 6 Lavon Mercer (’80)

The Opening Tip

Georgia returns to the friendly confines of historic Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday afternoon to host Texas in a 3:30 p.m. ET matinee.

The Bulldogs are coming off an impressive 86-78 win at Kentucky on Tuesday, just Georgia’s fifth victory in 45 trips to Rupp Arena. Blue Cain’s second-straight 20-point outburst led the Bulldogs to their first W in Lexington since 2009. 

According to bracketmatrix.com, Georgia is a unanimous pick for the NCAA Tournament, with the Bulldogs appearing in all 118 projections for “March Madness” by various bracketologists as of Thursday.

As of Friday, the Bulldogs led all 365 D-I programs in fastbreak points (21.2 ppg) and blocks (6.5 bpg) and also were among national leaders in scoring (No. 7 at 90.2 ppg) and bench points (No. 12 at 34.1 ppg). 

Georgia has a deep rotation playing at a pace among the country’s quickest. 

Eleven Bulldogs are averaging double-figure minutes, and they have combined to record 106 double-figure scoring outputs this season. Jeremiah Wilkinson is averaging a team-high 17.2 ppg, while Blue Cain is contributing 13.9 ppg, Marcus “Smurf” Millender is chipping in 12.1 ppg, and Kanon Catchings is adding 10.6 ppg.

The Bulldogs entered this weekend ranked in the top 10 of the oft-used metric KenPom.com in both average offensive possession length (No. 9 at 15.2) and adjusted tempo (No. 10 at 72.3).

Scouting The Longhorns

Texas improved to 17-9 overall and 8-5 in the SEC with its 88-85 victory over LSU on Tuesday night in Austin. The Longhorns were just 11-8 when UGA and UT met less than a month ago in Austin, but that contest started a six-game winning streak in seven games.

Dailyn Swain literally does everything for Texas, leading the Longhorns in scoring (17.7 ppg), rebounding (7.4 rpg), assists (3.3 apg) and steals (1.8 spg).

Texas’ balanced offensive attack also includes Matas Vokietaitis, averaging 15.5 ppg, Tramon Mark contributing 13.3 ppg, and Jordan Pope chipping in 12.8 ppg. 

Series History With Texas

Georgia owns a 9-6 lead in all-time matchups with Texas, including a 4-0 mark in Athens. 

The Bulldogs and Longhorns last met in Athens on Jan. 26, 2019, as part of the SEC-Big 12 Challenge. Tyree Crump scored a game-high 21 points – largely due to shooting 6-of-8 from 3-point range – to lead five Bulldogs in double figures in a 98-88 decision. 

The Longhorns led 21-13 before a Crump 3-pointer ignited a 17-2 spurt that put Georgia up 30-23 with 9:27 left in the first half. Texas tied the game twice, but the Bulldogs answered with a 13-4 run and never trailed thereafter.

FYI, Anthony Edwards sat court side at that contest and committed to the Bulldogs 16 days later on Feb. 11.

UGA and UT also faced off less than a month ago in Austin when Texas erased a seven-point halftime deficit en route to an 87-67 victory. Somto Cyril scored 11 first-half points to lead the Bulldogs to a 37-30 advantage at the intermission. The Longhorns opened the second stanza with an 8-0 run and used that momentum to upset then-No. 21/22 ranked Georgia.

Last Time Out

Blue Cain’s second consecutive 20-point performance led Georgia to an 86-78 victory over Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Tuesday, the Bulldogs’ first win in Lexington since 2009. Marcus “Smurf” Millender added 14 points and eight assists – the single-game high for UGA this season.

After being tied at 31 with 3:39 left in the first half, Georgia went on an 8-3 run to close out the period and take a five-point lead into the intermission. 

Although the Wildcats made it a one-possession game seven times in the second stanza, the Bulldogs led the entire 20 minutes. Kentucky closed to within 81-78 with 2:13 remaining, but a Somto Cyril stickback sparked a 7-0 surge to end the night.

“We played with a ton of intensity, and I thought our guys from the jump really sat down and defended,” head coach Mike White said. “Offensively, we cut hard, we shared it, we made good decisions, we flew to the offensive glass. I don’t think there was just one guy that played great. I thought that we had eight or 10 guys play well and defensively, we were really connected.”

MGolf: Mookie DeMoss Chosen as the Next Head Coach for the Bulldogs.

Mookie DeMoss, a former player and current assistant for the Georgia men’s golf team, has been chosen as the next head coach for the Bulldogs.

DeMoss will succeed Hall of Famer Chris Haack, who has announced that he will retire at the end of the season.

“Georgia Golf is the best program in the country, and I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be a part of it,” DeMoss said. “What Coach Haack has done here over the last 30 years is truly incredible. I’ll always be grateful to him for giving me the chance to play for him and later to coach alongside him. I’ve learned so much from him over the years, and I’m thankful to call him a mentor and a friend.

“I also want to thank Josh Brooks and President Morehead for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to lead this program. We have an awesome group of guys on this team and a special group coming in. I’m grateful for the chance to be part of their journey and help them grow on and off the course.”

A native of Duluth, Ga., DeMoss played for the Bulldogs from 2011-15, earning All-America honors and captaining the team to the NCAA Championship semifinals in his senior year.

After a stint in professional golf, he returned to Athens to join Haack’s staff, helping the team reach consecutive NCAA postseason appearances in 2024 and 2025.

“Mookie understands the proud tradition of Georgia men’s golf and what it takes to be successful at the national level,” J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks said. “As a former student-athlete and now assistant coach, Mookie has been a part of great teams here at the University of Georgia and is someone our alumni and current student-athletes will connect with. We are thrilled that Mookie will be the leader of our Bulldog golf program.” 

DeMoss’ impact was also visible on the recruiting trail as he was integral in securing the No. 1 signing class for 2026, which includes both the reigning U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur champions.

“I am excited about the future of our program under Mookie’s leadership,” said Haack, who will be an advisor to DeMoss for 2026-27. “While I cherish the memories we’ve made over the last three decades, I am thrilled about where this program is headed.”

DeMoss and his wife, Betsy, are both University of Georgia graduates and have two daughters, Jane and Virginia.

Quotes about Mookie DeMoss

Sepp Straka
“I could not be more excited about Mookie being the next head coach at Georgia. I got to play with him for four years, and I couldn’t think of a guy better suited for that position. He was an incredible captain on the team and has leadership skills required to be the best head coach in the country. More importantly, he is a great person. Families will love to send their kids to play for a guy like Mookie, I know there’s nobody I’d rather want coaching my kids in golf as well as in life.” 

Keith Mitchell
“Mookie understands this better than anyone what it takes to be successful at this level, having played under Coach Haack for four years and coached with him for three. There is no doubt in my mind Mookie will elevate the UGA Men’s Golf Team to new heights, thanks to his incredible work ethic, attention to detail, and passion for greatness. I have had the honor of being a teammate, roommate, and even student of Coach DeMoss over the years, and can say I’m envious of the current and future UGA Men’s Golfers to be able to learn and grow under his leadership.”

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