The fifth-ranked Georgia men’s tennis team are in action in Gainesville, Florida this weekend to take on No. 6 UCLA and No. 8 USC in the SEC/Pac-12 Showdown.
 
The action begins Saturday as the Bulldogs and Bruins meet for the fifth time in the last four seasons. On Sunday, Georgia will take on the Trojans in a rematch of last year’s NCAA Round of 16 match that sent the Bulldogs to the quarterfinals. Both matches will be played at 10 a.m.
 
 
This will be the fourth edition of the SEC/Pac-12 Showdown. It has been held in consecutive years on the campuses of USC, Georgia, UCLA, and now Florida. Live streaming will be available throughout the weekend at the link at the top of the page.
 
 
Saturday’s match between the Bulldogs and Bruins will be the fifth in the last four seasons, including four installments of the SEC/Pac-12 Showdown and one meeting in the ITA National Indoor Tournament. The Bulldogs lone win in that stretch came in the 2015 edition of the clash between the two conferences, a 4-2 win for Georgia in Athens. Current Bulldog volunteer assistant coach Nick Wood clinched the match on the No. 5 court to clinch the match over then-No. 4 UCLA.
 
 
When the Bulldogs and Trojans last took the court against each other, it was in Tulsa with a trip to the NCAA quarterfinals on the line. With the match tied at 3-3, Austin Smith was facing a match point down 5-3 in the third set, but battled back to complete Georgia’s dramatic 4-3 victory over Southern Cal.
 
 
Georgia and USC were scheduled to play on Jan. 31 of last season as part of the SEC/Pac-12 Showdown, but the match was rained out. However, the meeting in the NCAA tournament brought enough excitement. Said Manny Diaz after that match: “Without a doubt, that was one of the best college tennis matches I have been a part of in a long time.”
 
 
CLICK HERE for the complete match notes.