Georgia Basketball headed in right direction after Kentucky win

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Basketball defeated Kentucky on Saturday, and while the Wildcats aren’t the National Championship contender folks are used to seeing from the blue blood, the 75-68 victory was a big one for the Bulldogs nonetheless. Amidst a rough stretch in the season dropping six out of seven coming into the game, the win reminds fans of the trajectory head coach Mike White has the program going on only in year one.

“A great win for our guys, I am really happy for our guys,” White said after the game. “Great environment, I am appreciative to our fans. It was a special day honoring the final four team that came back and I look forward to spending time with those members, support staff members and staff and seeing Coach. It was cool day for Georgia Basketball, our fans were great, obviously we played really well, this was a big win for us.”

In front of a sold out Stegeman Coliseum crowd, White’s group got revenge for an earlier loss against the Wildcats. Georgia led Kentucky by eight at halftime at Rupp Arena before falling by 14. Oscar Tshiebwe had himself a massive second half on his way to 37 points and 24 rebounds, starting the recent skid for the Bulldogs. UGA would lose three straight after the fact, struggle to beat a South Carolina team that’s only won two games in its last 12 outings before falling three more times in a row including ugly road losses by 20+ at Auburn and Texas A&M. Throw in a loss to Ole Miss whose only other win was over that South Carolina squad and Georgia was in a bad spot with several tough matchups still to go. Any excitement that had surrounded the 10-3 record in non-conference play and the 3-1 start in the SEC was a thing of the past. That is until Saturday’s performance.

Kario Oquendo led all scorers with 21 and did most of his damage in the first half to give Georgia the lead going into the locker room. Justin Hill was consistent through all portions of the game as he poured in 15 for his third straight double-digit scoring performance, all out of the starting lineup. Braelen Bridges found life in the second half to score 12 points and finish with a game-high +22 plus-minus, providing strong play on the defensive end and offensive support at a time of need.

“Early on, we responded to adversity very poorly. We took some jumps forward, obviously, and at times we’ve taken a couple steps back and a couple forward. It’s all part of the process of course, and tonight was another couple steps forward in that category,” White said in speaking about the team’s response to adversity, both in-game and in the context of the season as a whole. “We had some maturity and had some connection, and it didn’t seem, overall, that we got as rattled as we’ve been and as defeated with our body language. We saw some of that on film from the other day. But some of that too is making winning basketball plays which allow you to feel better about yourself. We played with more mental toughness today.”

“You know, it’s been a tough stretch for us. You know, and the environment at home has been great. Our record at home has been good and we have played well at home. We had a couple that we didn’t quite take advantage of down the stretch of course. That’s the SEC. Right? That’s what it is and to bounce back like this at home against a very good team is great for our guys,” he continued. “Our guys, our guys work. We prepared. I thought we prepared really well going into the Ole Miss game and prepared equally as well today. We probably played a little bit better, but again Ole Miss had a lot to do with that the other day too. So these guys will continue to work. We’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

Sure, postseason basketball for the Bulldogs still might not be in the cards. However, without Saturday’s win, the slim chances slip even closer to none. With a 15-10 overall record and 5-7 mark in the SEC to its name, Georgia starts a push to the finish line by taking on LSU at home Tuesday. After that it’s back to the road against No. 3 Alabama and an Arkansas team fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Then, to close out the regular season, Georgia hosts Missouri and Florida – both currently in the picture of the big dance – before closing things out at South Carolina on March 4. Tip time for Tuesday’s contest against the Tigers is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.