Entering SEC play the Florida Gators were well positioned to make a run at the conference’s regular season title given they had a relatively easy schedule, but that chase took a hit when they lost their opening game to Missouri. Now 9-5 (0-1 SEC) the Gators will head back home for a game they’ll probably need to win if they want a chance at finishing at the top of the league when they welcome the Georgia Bulldogs (13-1, 1-0 SEC).
In year four under Mike White the Bulldogs have started to gain some buzz, particularly with their 13-1 record and the kind of speedy play style White has sold. So far the Bulldogs are 2nd in the country in pace and 2nd in the country in average possession league, and that style has allowed them to dominate lesser competition. There has been plenty of opportunity for that as Georgia has played one of the weakest schedules in the entire country (334th, according to KenPom) but they have taken care of business and more. Some of their results include a 94-29 win over Maryland Eastern Shore, a 120-81 win over Morehead State, a 123-81 win over Tennessee Tech, and a 103-74 win over West Georgia. Now, all these teams are at the bottom of the sport, but Georgia’s dominance and surpassing the expected result has allowed them to crawl up the metrics and they now sit at 26th in KenPom.
In terms of high-major non-conference opponents, Georgia has wins over Xavier, Cincinnati, and Florida State, with the win over the Seminoles not only being their most impressive but also coming against a common opponent with the Gators. Georgia blasted Florida State 107-73, a much, much wider spread than when Florida beat them by just 2. The lone loss for Georgia in non-conference play came to Clemson in overtime on a neutral floor which isn’t a bad loss at all from a resume standpoint.
The start of SEC play saw Georgia take on Auburn which turned into an OT thriller with Georgia winning 104-100, led by Jeremiah Wilkinson who had 31 points including a number of big ones in the extra period. The blowouts in non-conference play and the overtime win over Auburn to start league play has Georgia playing with a lot of confidence, though the Gators will be the toughest game they have faced so far.
White’s first three years at Georgia were all about defense and toughness, while his teams struggled to score and make shots. Losing some key players from the 2024-25 roster, White had some major rebuilding to do in the portal. Realizing the limitations of his previous teams, he went after guards that lacked size and physicality but had the ability to put the ball in the hoop. This included Jeremiah Wilkinson who was productive at California, 5’11” guard Marcus Millender who hit 43% of his threes at UTSA, and Justin Bailey who hit a remarkable 45% of his threes at Wofford. Traditionally White prioritized players who could defend, so this was a major departure from his typical strategy.
So far, it has worked.
Wilkinson, who many people thought was too small to compete in the SEC, had an electric non-conference slate averaging 18.3 points per game, and he was Georgia’s best player against Auburn particularly in overtime where his ability to go and create an open shot was masterful. Not only does he score effectively but he’s been efficient, he doesn’t turn the ball over, and he’s a crafty defender on the other end, and it looks like he might be one of the most underrated transfers in the SEC.
Millender was another player that a lot of SEC teams wouldn’t touch due to his 5’11” stature, but White was a believer and thought his scoring would translate to the league. Incredibly slippery and with a threatening jumper, Millender had 24 points against Auburn to also put himself on the SEC radar. Because of his small stature there are limitations when it comes to finishing inside and with some physicality defensively, but for a team that needed scoring Millender has provided it.
Smaller guards have given Florida some issues this season due to Florida’s bigger bodies not being as good at guarding in space, and as Georgia puts multiple talented perimeter players on the floor there are going to be some interesting matchups. Blue Cain, a smooth 6’5” wing, has been one of Georgia’s best returners averaging 15.6 points per game, and with many of his minutes coming at the “3” it should make for a very interesting matchup with Thomas Haugh.
Georgia doesn’t have much size on the perimeter but they do have some good bodies in the frontcourt, particularly with 6’11”, 260 pound Somto Cyril bringing the pain to the inside. Though not the most versatile offensively he’s a strong defender who is excellent at blocking shots, and he’ll have an important role of trying to keep the Gators off the glass. Notably, Georgia has been very bad at defensive rebounding ranking 233rd nationally–and the fact that this is the case despite the Bulldogs playing a soft schedule suggests that they could have a very rough time in this area when they take on the Gators.
Looking at the huge point totals Georgia has put up you might think they have a tremendous offense and while overall it is pretty strong (top 25 in KenPom) it is largely due to their transition attack and then the late clock isolation abilities of their guards, and they have still struggled to get good looks in the halfcourt. Keeping Georgia out of transition will be a priority for the Gators, and they’ll likely do that by continuing to hammer the offense glass and try to make Georgia players stay back as opposed to getting a head of steam on the break. Georgia has been willing to abandon the defensive glass at times in favor of getting out and running, but they may be far less willing to do that against Florida. Another key for the Gators will be slowing down the crafty guards who showed against Auburn just how explosive they can be, as Florida does not want to be in a situation where the better shooting backcourt is the one that wins.
Florida and Georgia will tip off Tuesday, January 6th at 7 PM ET and it will be televised on SEC Network.