Georgia’s rally came up one step short Friday night in Clemson, where the Bulldogs erased an 11-point second-half hole and still left Littlejohn Coliseum with an 82-80 preseason exhibition loss on a buzzer-beating layup.
The game swung late. Georgia was down 75-67 with 3:46 to play, then pieced together a 13-5 run to drag itself level.
Kanon Catchings delivered the tying shot, hitting a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to make it 80-80. It was the first time the score had been tied since 15-15 at the 12:56 mark of the first half.
Georgia even had a chance to get off the floor with a stop. The Bulldogs contested Clemson’s layup with three seconds left, but the Tigers tracked down the rebound and finished the game at the horn.
Catchings led Georgia with 19 points, while Brady Dunlap added 16 and Marcus “Smurf” Millender scored 11. James Scott pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Millender also handed out a team-best four assists, and he and Blue Cain each finished with two steals.
The foul line proved costly for Georgia. The Bulldogs made just 64.3 percent of their free throws on 14 attempts, while Clemson converted 75.7 percent of its 37 trips.
Afterward, Georgia coach Mike White pointed to Clemson’s execution in the closing stretch and the foul disparity.
“Clemson executed down the stretch. They did a great job of drawing fouls throughout the game.
We've got to clean a lot of things up, but we were competitive against a very good program on the road. We have a lot to learn from tonight, both positively and negatively.”
In Other News...
Georgia Bye Week Comes At A Huge Time In The SEC Race
Week 8 has set up a crowded SEC picture, with Georgia and Kentucky tied for first in the conference standings as the league heads into another pivotal stretch. For Georgia, the timing of the bye week on Oct. 24 could hardly be better, giving Kirby Smarts team a chance to catch its breath before a high-profile meeting with Florida on Oct. 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Smart has already pointed to the growing parity across college football as one reason the race feels tighter than ever, citing the way talent is spread around and how player compensation has changed the landscape. For Georgia, that reality makes the pause even more valuable, because every week in the SEC can reshuffle the standings, and the Bulldogs will return to a schedule where there is little margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Could Face A Surprising Playoff Rest Debate Soon
Georgias bye week comes at a useful moment in the regular season, but it may also be the start of a much bigger conversation about rest. Sitting at No. 5 in the AP Poll, the Bulldogs are positioned in a way that keeps both the SEC title path and the College Football Playoff picture very much alive, with the possibility of earning a first-round bye if they keep winning and claim the SEC Championship.
Georgia could also end up in a different kind of rest spot if it falls out of the SEC title game race, and thats where the debate gets interesting. A bye during conference championship weekend has historically been viewed by some as more favorable than waiting for a first-round playoff break, which means the Bulldogs may be staring at a scenario where the most valuable pause of the season is not the one that comes with the biggest reward. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Suddenly Has No Margin For Error Against Texas A&M
Alabamas October slide has shifted the tone around Kalen DeBoers team in a hurry, and Georgia has already seen enough to know the gap between a fast start and a safe one can vanish quickly. The Crimson Tide are dealing with a string of injuries to players such as Ryan Coleman-Williams, Racin Delgatty, Zabien Brown, EJ Crowell and Terrance Green, and DeBoer has already pointed to those setbacks while trying to steady a roster that has come back to the pack after losses to Georgia and Tennessee.
Now the pressure only rises with Texas A&M next on the schedule, because Alabama can no longer afford another misstep if it wants to keep its College Football Playoff path clear. The lingering question is whether any of those injured players can return soon enough to help, or whether this is simply the stretch where the Tide have to survive on what is left and find a sharper version of themselves before the season gets away from them. [Read more 🡒]