Mike White admits Georgia executed poorly down the stretch

Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs are feeling the anguish of missed opportunity on Sunday.

Last night, White’s squad was defeated by Vanderbilt 85-82, as the Commodores came into Athens and left victorious. However, Georgia had their chances, but they didn’t exactly execute perfectly down the stretch, something White spoke on following the loss.

“You don’t want your best shooter shooting a 30-footer off the bounce, of course,” stated White. “We could’ve executed maybe a little bit better. I thought Vandy did a really good job with Jordan Wright pushing Jabri [Abdul-Rahim] — not pushing, I shouldn’t say that word, with his physicality, getting through that pin-down. They guarded it well.

“But Jabri, to his credit, I thought he made a little bit of something out of nothing. Almost draw contact, and it almost went in. To compliment the rest of the game he played for us.”

Regardless, it’s still been a fantastic start to the Mike White era for the Bulldogs, as Georgia sits at 13-6 on the season at the moment.

While the loss to Vanderbilt stings, the future — both immediate and long-term — is bright. The Bulldogs will look to right the ship sooner rather than later, and get the bad taste of a loss out of their mouth.

Mike White apologizes to fans after loss to Vanderbilt

Moreover, this time a year ago, Mike White was probably not too well-liked in Athens. He was coaching for the arch-rival Florida Gators and eventually pulled off two wins against Georgia. Now, he is with the Bulldogs and has the program trending in the right direction, bringing excitement to Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia was not able to deliver on Saturday though, dropping a game to Vanderbilt by three. With a 1:00 p.m. tip-off time, the crowd was there in full force to support the team. Nobody left the arena happy but White made sure to apologize to the fans and make sure they knew of his appreciation.

“I’m never going to sit here and talk to our fans a bunch because we got our work cut out for us,” White said. “I preach to our guys all the time about the exterior noise. Let’s focus on what we need to focus on. But I will say, I am disappointed for our fans. I just am because they came out. Our guys have worked and had some wins.”

Heading into Saturday, Georgia had yet to lose a home game. Teams such as Auburn have come through to Athens and left with a loss. Unfortunately, the streak is now over thanks to Vanderbilt.

“We have a streak at home,” White said. “I’m really disappointed for our guys, disappointed for our fans. I hope they will come back and support us because it was rocking in there. Fun environment and I wish that they were rewarded with a W.”

Georgia will be back at it next Saturday, facing off against South Carolina at home. A road trip to Tennessee will be in the middle, as White will look to continue to the positive start of the 2022-2023 season.

Being .500 in SEC play is considered a positive for the Bulldogs, no matter what point of the season we are in. The home fans are buying into the program as well, even if White does have to issue an apology for the display against Vanderbilt.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this article.