Georgia Falls Out of AP Top 25 After Second-Half Collapse at Texas: What It Means for the Bulldogs Going Forward
For a few weeks, Georgia basketball had the look of a program turning the corner. A 16-4 record, a spot in the AP Top 25, and the kind of fast-paced, high-energy play that made you think Mike White’s squad might be more than just a nice early-season story. But a humbling 87-67 loss at Texas over the weekend brought all of that momentum to a screeching halt.
Let’s be clear: losing on the road to Texas-a Quad 1 opponent-isn’t inherently disqualifying. But it’s the way Georgia lost that raises red flags.
The Bulldogs held a 37-30 lead at halftime and looked poised to notch another signature win. Then came the second half, where everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
Georgia was outscored 57-30 after the break, a 27-point swing that flipped a competitive game into a lopsided defeat.
That kind of collapse doesn’t just hurt in the moment-it has ripple effects. Georgia dropped out of the AP Top 25 entirely, falling from No. 21 to the “receiving votes” category with just 49 points. In the world of rankings and tournament seeding, perception matters, and a 20-point road loss-especially one where the wheels came off after halftime-leaves a lasting impression.
So what happened?
Basketball is a game of runs, and Georgia hit a wall at the worst possible time. The offense stalled coming out of the break, while Texas caught fire-particularly from beyond the arc.
That combination is lethal in today’s game. Momentum swung hard, and Georgia never found a way to stop the bleeding.
The result was a second-half meltdown that has fans and analysts alike asking tough questions.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Georgia had just climbed to a projected No. 7 seed in the latest Bracketology update.
That’s likely to change with the next update, as ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and others reassess the Bulldogs’ tournament résumé. One road win at Missouri isn’t enough to offset a blowout loss like this, especially when the non-conference schedule didn’t offer many tests.
Outside of Clemson, Georgia didn’t face much resistance before SEC play.
That’s not to say the season is lost. Far from it.
At 16-4 overall and 4-3 in the SEC, Georgia is still in a strong position to make the NCAA Tournament. But the margin for error just shrank.
The Bulldogs need to protect home court this week with two critical conference matchups on deck-Tennessee comes to Athens on Wednesday in a Quad 1 opportunity, followed by a Quad 2 game against Texas A&M on Saturday.
These are the kinds of games that can define a season. Win both, and Georgia steadies the ship and rebuilds its tournament profile. Drop one-or worse, both-and the pressure ratchets up heading into February.
There’s also a bigger-picture question at play: can Georgia’s current style of play hold up against elite competition? Mike White has leaned into a high-tempo, aggressive approach that’s helped the Bulldogs rack up wins, especially against lesser opponents.
But against teams with real March aspirations, that pace can backfire if not managed carefully. When the offense sputters and the defense can’t get set, things unravel quickly-as we saw in Austin.
White has done an admirable job turning this program around, but this loss was a reminder that there’s still work to do. He’s now been outmaneuvered by four notable head coaches this season, with Sean Miller joining that list after Texas’ second-half clinic. Georgia’s system can be effective, but it needs to evolve if the Bulldogs want to compete deep into March.
The good news? There’s still time.
The SEC schedule offers plenty of chances to build a tournament-ready résumé. But Georgia needs to respond-and fast.
Because in college basketball, it’s not just about how you start. It’s about how you finish.