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Mike White pushes back on narrative that South Carolina was a must-win for Georgia

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•01/29/25•

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NCAA Basketball: Georgia at Florida
Jan 25, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mike White looks on against the Florida Gators during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Georgia appears to be in position to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time under the leadership of Mike White. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has UGA in the ‘Last Four Byes’ category, with the latest Bracketology update coming on Wednesday. The Bulldogs were fresh off a positive result vs. South Carolina, a game some dubbed as a must-win.

White pushed back on that idea during his postgame press conference, though. He argued no game is truly a must-win, instead viewing them as a chance to go out there and compete. A similar mindset remains true about everything Georgia in the coming weeks.

“None of them are must wins,” White said. “All of them are opportunities. Our practice here in a couple days is must do well, must grow. But we need to celebrate all of them because they’re so hard to come by for sure.”

There are a few reasons as to why beating South Carolina could be viewed as a must from the outside. Georgia had lost four consecutive games and was in danger of free-falling. South Carolina is the lone team remaining in the SEC too and would be a huge blemish on Georgia’s NCAA Tournament resume. Who knows, a loss could have put them back on the bubble compared to being safe.

You can add where the game was being played too — a full Stegeman Coliseum cheering on the Bulldogs. The job did get done with a 71-60 win for the home team.

Georgia’s schedule is not getting easier any time soon either. Of the 10 games remaining, seven are currently ranked in the latest AP poll. Three of them — Alabama, Auburn, and Florida — are in the top five and competing for one-seeds on Selection Sunday.

White knows the difficulty ahead too, outlining where his team needs to get better.

“It doesn’t get any easier,” White said. “Tough road ahead but a lot of opportunities too. Just go to continue to focus on valuing the basketball, defensive rebounding.. Offensive rebounding needs to continue to get a little better.”

Saturday is the next time Georgia will be in action, heading to Tuscaloosa for a massive showdown against Alabama. White is hoping his team can prepare the right way and go into Coleman Coliseum with a positive mindset. Doing so could lead to a massive upset and maybe give Georgia a resume point that will carry through the season.