Georgia Men’s Basketball pulled off an impressive upset of the Kentucky Wildcats who came into the game ranked #6 in the country. Coming off a disappointing loss to Ole Miss last Saturday, the Dawgs were hungry for a big win. Kentucky on the other hand, came in confident with a win over the weekend against the then #6 ranked Florida. During that game Kentucky put up their 5th 100-point game of the season but that was not the case against the Dawgs. Mike White and the Dawgs held the Wildcats to just 69 points, only Clemson and Ohio State have also held the Wildcats to below 70 points this season.
After Kentucky won the opening tip off, Georgia set the tone for the rest of the game. The Dawgs were led by Silas Demary and Blue Cain going into half as they both cracked double digits. The Dawgs also shot perfect from the line in the first half going 12-12 and out rebounded the Wildcats by 6. Georgia’s lead grew to 13 at the end of the half after Asa Newell drilled a 3 from the top of the key, with the score being 47-34.
Kentucky was bound to make a run in the second half, and they eventually brought the game back within 5 points. For UGA, their depth was crucial as bench players stepped up and make key plays. As an in-conference game, it was going to get physical, Kentucky even sent Georgia to the line to shoot 38 free throws during the game. The Dawgs efficiency at the line helped seal the win, even though they got outscored by 10 in the paint.
This win marks the first AP top 10 win in over four years for the dawgs, with their last one coming against #9 ranked Memphis in 2020. Defeating Kentucky at home isn’t new for the Dawgs as they accomplished this in early 2023 as well. A game like this only reaffirms the team they can compete with any powerhouse.
UGA being held to just 51 points in their first conference game against Ole Miss showed just how tough of a defensive conference the SEC is this year. The Dawgs have bounced back against a tough opponent but their next five games in the conference consist of 4 top 20 AP poll teams. With Georgia’s win late Tuesday night with an 82-69 victory, they improve under Mike White to 13-2 on the season and an even 1-1 in SEC play.
NOTES:
• With tonight’s result, the Bulldogs have now won their last two contests at home against the Wildcats (75-68 win on Feb. 11, 2023)
• Starting Streak – Georgia rolled ou the same starting lineup for the 15th consecutive game with Cain, Demary Jr., Lawrence, Godfrey and Newell.
• Leading from the Line – Sophomore guards Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. were a perfect combined 13-13 from the free throw line in the win. The Bulldogs 29 total made free throws is good for second-most on the year (30 – Texas Southern on Nov. 10).
• Nonstop Newell – Freshman forward Asa Newell led the Bulldogs in scoring for the eighth game this season with a 17-point outing tonight.
• Second Half Steady – Georgia took a 13-point lead into the halftime break after Newell knocked down a long three-point attempt to beat the buzzer. The Bulldogs then went on into the second half, and despite late pushes from the Wildcats, finished the game up by a 13-point margin.
• Big Time Beat – The result marks the first win over an AP Top 10 program in four years (65-62 win over No. 9 Memphis on Jan. 4, 2020).
Georgia Head Coach Mike White’s Postgame Comments
Opening Statement
“Yeah, a really good win, of course. Kentucky’s one of the best teams in the country, one of the best offenses in the country. Run great stuff, got really good players. Thought our guys responded in a big way from a tough outing in Oxford against a team that defended us at a really high level. Could have been arguably our toughest performance and bounced back in a really big way. This is, of course, our biggest win. Thought we played with a ton of energy, stayed connected throughout, separated the score a little bit there late half. Kentucky came storming back, of course, had another in-game response, showed a lot of maturity and connection there by staying together, getting some stops down the stretch. Did a lot of good things, did a lot of good things. We’ve got to continue to get better and a lot of things we’ve got to continue to work on. It’s a really good win for us, obviously, but it’s a different SEC these days, and all of these are going to be extremely difficult, so we’ve got to move on to the next one pretty quick.”
On his halftime speech…
“Process, same thing. We always look at some things on film, offensively and defensively, try to keep it efficient, but just focusing on that first round of the second half and maintaining intensity and that connection, of course. We weren’t super sharp early in the second half. I’m not sure either team was, but we got some stops, made a couple shots there mid-second half or five or six minutes in, and I thought our crowd was fantastic. It was a big factor in the win.”
On what this win says about the team…
“Yeah, it’ll all come together, and it’s still early. I mean, we’re two games into an 18-game stretch of battles, but it was nice to see it go in a little bit. Asa steps up and hits two big threes. Blue [Cain] saw it going a little bit. Silas hits two threes, happy for him, man. He just takes good ones.He’s worked really hard at it, and he’s turned himself into a good shooter.”
On how the team keeps up the defensive intensity seen tonight….
“They’ve really embraced it, and Silas [Demary Jr.] has led the way, I think, in our backcourt. Blue Cain’s our most improved defender from last season. Dylan’s [James] a guy that didn’t get a lot of opportunity tonight, but he’s got a lot better defensively as well, and then we’ve got front-court guys that can move their feet, and we’ve got length, and can alter stuff at the rim, you know, in Asa [Newell], of course, and Somto [Cyril] did some really good things. It might have been his best game”. “We’ve just got improved length and speed and quickness, and our guys have embraced trying to be the best defensive team that we can be, which just makes you fit in, and this league is all it really does. It’s the best defensive league in the country.”
On what he is most proud of with the win….
“Their connection. It’s a group that really likes each other, and they’re a group that has really productive huddles, productive timeouts, saying the right stuff. Despite the youth, we’ve got a higher level of maturity than you’d think, you know, and a couple of our younger guys especially stick out. Asa and Somto both stuck it out. You know, these sophomores, they got so much experience there late last season. They’re playing more like veterans, at least tonight. You know, we got to continue to do that. We got a ways to go, of course, but proud of our connection and the defensive intensity. Those guys are hard to guard, and I thought our guys left a lot of energy out there on the floor.”