Mike White, Georgia Bulldogs look to build on big win over Auburn

Georgia Basketball’s season has been full of firsts under first-year head coach Mike White. His first game, his first win, his first road trip, etc. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs picked up another pair of firsts with a 76-64 win over Auburn. Opening SEC play against the Tigers, the win represented White’s first SEC victory as the Georgia head coach and simultaneously the first White-directed Georgia win over a ranked opponent with the Tigers coming in as high as No. 20. It’s something he want’s his team to celebrate, but not for long knowing that there are still 17 more to go in SEC play.

“A big win for this team and our program to get started,” White said. “Off to a 1-0 start against a high-level program and high-level team in Auburn. Obviously, our best performance of the season and hopefully something that we can build upon. I thought we played really hard, Auburn did too.”

“It’s big. Hopefully, we gain confidence from it,” White added. “I want our guys to feel good about it. I want our guys to celebrate this win. Any win in this league is very difficult. Beating a ranked Auburn team— we just beat a ranked opponent. Our guys have been through a lot. I want them to feel good about it. That said, let’s feel good about it for about two hours because here comes another, and another, and then another. This is a grueling league.”

White’s players certainly heard the message. Terry Roberts, who poured in a career-high-tying 26 points in his first career SEC game, said that the team celebrated in the locker room but was ready for what was to come. Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, another transfer who was playing his first game in the SEC, agreed.

“It shows us that we can beat anybody. They’re a really good team, and we’ve just got to continue to play hard, stay level-headed and go on to the next play … It gives us a lot of confidence for sure,” Roberts said. “That was a really good team. We’ve just got to, you know, stay level-headed and go onto the next one … We were excited, but we’ve got to move on to the next one. We’ve got a big one coming up on Saturday. Gotta get ready for that one for sure.”

“It was good. It was great. Like I said earlier, confidence wise a lot of people outside of here didn’t think we were capable of this, but we knew,” Moncrieffe added. “It was obviously a huge win for us, but going forward, this is the level we have to play at every night in the SEC. It was definitely a good celebration. The coaches were proud of us and wanted us to enjoy the win, but we have to turn the page soon.”

On the play of Roberts and Moncrieffe who led the team in points and rebounds respectively, White had plenty of praise. Roberts admitted that the game has continued to slow down for him as he gets more and more comfortable with his teammates, talented players in their own right that he wants to get involved, while Moncrieffe said that he took the challenge of the coaching staff to be more physical to heart. Whatever it was for both, it paid off.

“We got away with their 21 offensive rebounds. One of the biggest keys to the game… one of the top two or three keys we discussed ad nauseam the last few days,” White said. “It’s easier said than done. I thought (Johni) Broome was phenomenal on the offensive glass. They just attack you in so many different spots with size, athleticism and tenacity. Their ball pressure and disruption defensively was a big factor as well. I thought Terry Roberts played fantastic. He played with poise, he made good decisions. Considering the defensive prowess of Auburn I thought Terry really blossomed. It was a coming out party, and hopefully he can build on that.”

“Confidence. Poise. The game has slowed for him, as it does with most point guards. Surprisingly it happened in his first SEC game as opposed to his second or third,” White continued, speaking on Roberts’ performance. “Hopefully again, there isn’t a step backward. For him, he played really well. That was a high-level point guard game in this league against a high-level defense. Hopefully, he has a few more of those in him. Confidence. Swagger. He led us. He had command. He got us in spots. He made plays in transition. He got to the rim.”

In a season of firsts for all involved in the Georgia Basketball program, one thing that won’t be a first for White will be Georgia’s game at the O’Connell Center, home to the Florida Gators. It might be his first time on the visiting sideline there, but White spent his last seven seasons coaching the Gators, leading them to four NCAA Tournament appearances and some sort of postseason play every year he was there with the exception of the 2020 COVID canceled season.

“Business, that’s it,” White said when asked what emotions he expects to feel come game time on Saturday. “Gainesville’s a place I love. I’ve got five kids that were raised in Gainesville for seven years, and the second half of their development will—Lord willing—be in Athens. But it’s a special place. It’s a place that Kira and myself and our kids, we love and had a great time there. I’ll always be appreciative.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing some family and some friends—I really am, just being honest with you. A lot of people in those stands I’m anxious to see, people I care about, people throughout the community and so on,” he continued. “With that said, when shootaround’s going on, I’m going to be locked in and I expect our guys to be locked in. I’ve got to model it for them. When that thing’s tipped, we’re going down there to see if we can get better and put ourselves in a position to steal one on the road. That’s the name of the game in this league.”

Tipoff on Saturday in Gainesville is set for 1:00 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. Florida comes in at 7-7 on the season after a loss Wednesday night to Texas A&M.