Georgia coach Mike White isn’t buying the preseason math.
As the Bulldogs gear up for another season, White made it clear Wednesday that he thinks his team is being overlooked again - just like it was a year ago. Georgia was picked to finish 11th in the SEC’s 16-team preseason poll, despite bringing back four starters from a program that has reached the NCAA tournament in each of the last two seasons.
“I thought we were underrated last year, I think we’re underrated this year, I honestly do ….” White said. “I think we’re more talented than people think.”
The respect hasn’t shown up in the league’s preseason honors, either. Georgia had no player land on the SEC’s first, second or third team, and the Bulldogs were left outside the league’s list of the 15 best individual players.
That kind of skepticism isn’t new around Athens. But White pointed to last season’s finish as proof his group can outplay expectations.
Georgia was picked 11th and ended up tied for seventh after winning five of its final six regular-season games before dropping its last two, first to Ole Miss in the SEC tournament and then to St. Louis in the NCAA tournament.
This year’s group, White believes, has a different feel to it.
“I want to say we’re one of three in power conference basketball to bring back four starters, and believe it or not we also have nine new guys,” White said. “I like the other guys we brought in; we were able to bring in some winning experience and older experience.
“It’s by far the oldest team I’ve had at Georgia.”
White also said the team’s culture is in a strong place, something he views as critical once SEC play starts piling on the pressure.
“Two years ago we had a wonderful culture, and that team had lost four in a row, that was Asa Newell’s freshman year …. and we didn’t bat an eye, our backs were against the wall, and that team strung together four (wins) in a row,” White said.
“Last year I don’t if we were quite as connected as that group, but this year, our culture is in a really good place, so that will help through all the adversity you’ll see in SEC play.”
If Georgia gets where White thinks it can go, it would make school history. The Bulldogs have a chance to become the first Georgia team to reach three straight NCAA tournaments.
The schedule gives them a few big stages to show what they’re about. Georgia visits North Carolina in Chapel Hill at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13, then plays Duke in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City at 9 p.m. on Dec. 8.
“It’s the bright lights of college basketball,” White said. “And for the University of Georgia to be a part of that, that’s what we all signed up for four years in an effort to rebuild this program.”
Georgia has already taken an early exhibition step, beating Georgia State 94-61 on Oct. 7.
The Bulldogs will play Charlotte at 7 p.m. Friday, then head to Clemson for an Oct. 23 exhibition before opening the season at home against N.C.
Central on Nov. 2.
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Georgia Heads Into Auburn With New Injury Concerns In Key Spots
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Auburn has its own issues, including linebacker Xavier Atkins being out and several other players unavailable, so both sides are heading into the matchup managing more than just the opponent across the line of scrimmage. For Georgia, the bigger concern is how much depth it will have at a few important positions if Bolden cannot go, especially with the game carrying the usual SEC stakes and the added tension that comes with playing on the road. [Read more 🡒]
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What stands out most is how often Stockton shows up in the moments that can swing a game, giving Georgia a calm presence when the pressure rises. His value has less to do with headlines than with the way he helps the Bulldogs function at a high level week after week, even if his work is easy to overlook from afar. For Georgia, though, that quiet reliability has become one of the biggest reasons the offense keeps finding its footing. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart's Georgia Edge Is Sparking A Debate Bulldogs Fans Know Well
Georgia football has long treated the pregame speech as more than just a formality, and the contrast between Mark Richt and Kirby Smart has become part of the programs modern identity. The article looks back at how both coaches tried to flip the switch before kickoff, using different styles to get players locked in mentally and physically while also feeding the intensity that comes with playing in Athens.
Smarts edge has kept that old debate alive among Bulldogs fans, because his approach reflects the hard-charging standard Georgia has built under him. The piece also nods to the way those moments have been remembered and reacted to publicly over time, which is why the subject still has a way of stirring conversation whenever the Bulldogs head into a big game. [Read more 🡒]