ROWE: Turns out Georgia can do hard things under Mike White

Two and a half weeks ago on its home floor, Georgia lost to Missouri and dropped what was its third straight game at the time. But that wasn’t just any loss. The Bulldogs led by three at the half and got smacked in the mouth for the final 20 minutes as the Tigers coasted to a 13 point victory.

UGA got out scored by 16 points in the second half inside their own place. Adding insult to injury, we all said — media, fans, bracketologist — that the Bulldogs needed that game. It wasn’t a must, as we’ve since learned, but it was a home game against a beatable team. Georgia laid an egg.

Raise your hand if you thought the 2024-2025 season was over at that point. My hand is up. That was it for me. Georgia’s run at its first berth in the NCAA Tournament since 2015 was finished. My reasoning? Mike White and company had simply figured out how to lose. In the mind of this sportswriter, they had perfected a recipe that could both excite Georgia fans for a bit and then deflate them in a crushing manner.

I was wrong. Turns out Georgia, like I have to sometimes remind my five-year-old son, can do hard things. That three-game losing streak was extended to four games but the Bulldogs turned over a new leaf before that. A loss at No. 1 Auburn capped off the streak, but Georgia showed up that day. It lost by 12 but it also fought the Tigers for 40 straight minutes. If you watched, you probably wondered what this team’s record would be if it had played like that all season.

Well, here we are, three games later, all three Georgia wins, and the Bulldogs are more than likely dancing. It started with a win over No. 5 (then No. 3) Florida. Georgia held a huge halftime lead then extended it in the second only to see the Gators roar back and pull ahead, Blue Cain‘s three with under a minute left recaptured the lead, one UGA never gave back.

Then the Dawgs hit the road for two straight and what do you know? They grabbed their first two SEC road wins of the season. They’re 19-11 on the year, 7-11 in the lacquered-floor thunder dome known as the SEC, and there’s a noon tip with Vanderbilt on Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum.

Silas Demary has gone from solid SEC point guard to one of the best in what is easily the toughest league in the sport. Tyrin Lawrence is now healthy and has provided a spark and each game Georgia has gotten something different, yet productive, from its front court.

I’m well aware that it shouldn’t be this hard. Georgia blew a big halftime lead at Arkansas earlier this year and, for all intents and purposes, it should have taken down Mississippi State at home. Flip one just one of those two and the whistled tune sounds much different.

But the same guy coaching the team that has blown leads, wilted in a few big moments, and given it’s fans plenty to be pissed about has also turned this thing around, for now. Since the Bulldogs had the mid-week bye between Missouri and Auburn, we’ve all seen and taken not of a more focused, hungry, and consistent basketball team.

What happens next is anyone’s guess. The regular-season finale against Vanderbilt is certainly winnable and the Dawgs will be favored. That likely gets them in as at least an 11, maybe 10, seed in the SEC tournament. Win one or two in Nashville and, well, let’s just not get ahead of ourselves.

It has been awhile since we’ve had this discussion and it’s kind of nice. What might also draw a smile to the face of a Bulldog fan is the fact that the embarrassment that was Georgia’s second-half showing has yielded one of the best runs we’ve seen from this program in a long time.

Say what you want about this team’s talent, the school’s commitment to the sport, the program’s history, and White as a coach, but that’s really impressive.