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Georgia's tournament hopes take another hit in loss to Missouri

Jeremy Johnsonby:Jeremy Johnson•02/15/25•

JeremyO_Johnson

Georgia Basketball
Feb 8, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mike White shakes hands with Mississippi State Bulldogs center Gai Chol (34) after Mississippi State defeated Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

ATHENS, Ga – Georgia further complicated their presence on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament after a defeat at the hands of Missouri on Saturday.

The No. 21 ranked Tigers rolled the Bulldogs 87-74 in Stegman Coliseum on Saturday evening. The loss puts Georgia at 17-10 and 4-9 in SEC play.

“It’s a tough loss. Missouri is really good. We played good for 20,” head coach Mike White told reporters after the game. “We couldn’t establish ourselves for the rest for the 20. Missouri is really good. Credit those guys. They do a fantastic job. They played well. They’re hard to guard. They changed their defense. Missouri has a chance to make a run in March.”

The SEC is full of contenders with 14 teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. Georgia entered the game as ‘the last team in’ in Lunardi’s ‘Brackatolgy’ projections.

Things weren’t bad for Georgia the entire game.

The Bulldogs won the first half. Georgia led 41-38 going into the locker room for halftime. They shot an efficient 61 percent from the field.

Things took a turn in the second half. Missouri went on a game-deciding 19-4 run from the 13-minute mark to the under-8-minute media timeout. Georgia made a few late charges late in the game but never closed the gap under 10 after Missouri’s mid-second-half run.

The Tigers outrebounded Georgia 36-27. Missouri shot 47 percent but hit nine 3-pointers to Georgia’s five.

The Bulldogs got solid offensive output from freshman forward Asa Newell. He paced the Bulldogs with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Georgia guard Silas Demary added 16 points. Blue Cain chipped in 14 points.

Georgia will have a full week to prepare for the No. 1 ranked team in the country Auburn. The Bulldogs will travel to the plains to face the Tigers for the second time this season. Tipoff for that game is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Auburn won the first match-up in Athens 70-68 back on Jan. 18.

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