Georgia’s battle with Tennessee on Wednesday night was the kind of game that leaves a team both exhausted and hungry for redemption. It took 45 minutes of intense, physical basketball before the Bulldogs fell just short in an 86-85 overtime thriller. Now, with their first losing streak of the season on the books, Georgia has no time to dwell-they’ve got the SEC’s top team, Texas A&M, rolling into town on Saturday.
At 16-5 overall and 4-4 in SEC play, Georgia finds itself at a crossroads. The Bulldogs are back home, licking their wounds from a hard-fought loss to the Volunteers, and staring down a Texas A&M team that’s been lighting up scoreboards and climbing the conference standings.
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
Forward Kanon Catchings, who dropped 22 points in the loss to Tennessee, knows exactly what’s at stake.
“Just play hard,” Catchings said after the game. “Figure out how we can win this next game because it’s a big one. Every game in the SEC is big.”
He’s not wrong. The SEC is a gauntlet this season, and Georgia is in the thick of it.
Wednesday night’s matchup against Tennessee was a prime example of just how physical and unforgiving this conference can be. Despite being undersized against a Volunteers squad loaded with length and muscle, the Bulldogs kept it close by shooting right around 50% from the field and hanging tough through every possession.
But the size mismatch eventually caught up with them. Tennessee dominated the glass-pulling down 52 total rebounds, including a staggering 26 on the offensive end. Those second-chance opportunities turned into 24 points, and that was the difference.
Still, Georgia didn’t back down. Smurf Millender was electric down the stretch, scoring four points in the final 68 seconds of regulation to force overtime.
Then he nearly willed the Bulldogs to victory in the extra frame, scoring 9 of Georgia’s 11 overtime points. His late-game layup came just a second too early-and one possession too short-when the Bulldogs needed a three to extend the game.
Head coach Mike White didn’t sugarcoat the rebounding disparity but stood by his team’s effort.
“A lot of those rebounds, we just weren’t getting,” White said. “I don’t mean to be negative about our rebounding potential.
[Tennessee is] the number one offensive rebounding team in the country. And when they’re playing Ament, Estrella, and Okpara at 6’10”, 6’11”, and 6’11”… and we’re out there with four-guard lineups, I anticipated getting out-rebounded.
If it was even close on the glass, we’d be sitting here smiling. But by 25?
That’s tough. Twenty-six offensive rebounds?
Tough.”
Despite the loss, White was proud of his team’s fight.
“We fought tonight. Our guys played hard.
It was live in there. Tennessee earned it.”
Now, the focus shifts to Texas A&M-and the Bulldogs won’t have much time to regroup. Inclement weather delayed the Tennessee game by a day, shrinking Georgia’s prep window for an Aggies team that’s been one of the biggest surprises in the SEC this season.
Under first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, Texas A&M has embraced a high-octane style dubbed “Bucky Ball”-and it’s working. The Aggies are playing fast, pressing full-court, and launching threes at a high clip. According to TeamRankings.com, they average 77.0 possessions per game, more than any team Georgia has faced this season.
Statistically, the Aggies are putting up numbers that jump off the page. They rank third in the SEC in scoring at 91.8 points per game, second in three-point percentage (37.3%), and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73). It’s not just one or two guys carrying the load either-six different Aggies are averaging double figures.
The names to know? Rashaun Agee is a force in the paint with 13.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting over 51% from the floor.
Ruben Dominguez is one of the SEC’s most efficient shooters, hitting 44.3% from deep. Rylan Griffen is right there with him, shooting 44.6% from beyond the arc and averaging 11.6 points per game.
Mackenzie Mgbako adds another scoring option at 10.4 points per game, along with nearly five boards.
This is a team that doesn’t just play fast-they play smart, and they play together. That’s a dangerous combination.
For Georgia, the challenge is clear: recover quickly, tighten up the rebounding, and find a way to slow down one of the most dynamic offenses in the conference. Saturday’s matchup isn’t just another game-it’s a measuring stick. And for a Bulldogs squad looking to get back on track, it’s an opportunity they can’t afford to miss.