Beginning a second consecutive March Madness campaign for the first time since 2002, Jeremiah Wilkinson and record-setting No. 8-seed Georgia will battle Robbie Avila and No. 9-seed Saint Louis in the opening round Thursday night at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

This time around, the Bulldogs will be hoping to leave more of an impression on the tournament after last year’s debacle against Gonzaga that saw Georgia fall behind 27-3 before ultimately losing by 21.

If they prevail against the Billikens, in what will be only the third meeting all-time between the teams and first since 2010, Mike White’s crew will earn the Bulldogs their first NCAA win in 24 years. 

“I think last year was a tough loss,” junior guard Blue Cain said. “It happened really fast. We know that it’s a cool experience, but we have to be ready to play from the tip.”

Explosive, balanced offenses power both of these teams, and the game is the only first-round matchup to feature two top-ten scoring offenses, with the Bulldogs and Billikens ranking fifth and tenth in the nation, respectively, in points per game.

Wilkinson, six points away from 1,000 career collegiate points, is one of four Bulldogs averaging double figures in points per game, while Avila, the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, is one of four Billikens in that range. 

Avila, known for his distinctive pair of sports goggles, led his team in points and assists per game while shooting 42% from distance, a rare set of skills for a center. He leads all centers in 3-point makes per game this season and is one of just three centers in NCAA history with at least 200 makes from beyond the arc.

Saint Louis, making its first tournament appearance since 2019, is prolific as a team at scoring and defending the 3-point line. The Billikens are second nationally in 3-point percentage, with Avila and teammate Trey Green, who shoots 46% from range, constituting their strongest perimeter weapons. 

Defensively, the Billikens allow opponents to convert on less than 40% from the field overall, a nation-leading mark, and surrender only a 29% clip on opponents’ 3-point attempts. That could be problematic for Georgia, which will need consistent shooting from Cain, Kanon Catchings, Marcus “Smurf” Millender and others to outlast the Billikens in a shootout.

Saint Louis’ other biggest strengths are moving the ball well and cleaning up on the defensive glass. The Billikens led the A-10 in assists with 18.3 per game and are third nationally with 29.7 defensive rebounds per game.

However, there are also a few areas where Georgia will feel advantaged. For one, the pressure will be off of Georgia’s interior defense, which has struggled this year against physical, tall SEC teams. Saint Louis is poor on the offensive glass, however, and so Somto Cyril, named to the All-SEC Defensive Team, should be able to contend for plenty of rebounds and maximize Georgia’s number of possessions.

Georgia also forces plenty of turnovers, leading the SEC in steals per game, and the Bulldogs capitalize on the fastbreak, where they lead the nation in points per game. They should force plenty of turnovers against a Saint Louis team that was the third-worst A-10 team this year by turnover margin. 

“We’re a good team, and I’m sure our opponent feels the same way,” White said. “There’s not many teams in the country that can find themselves down 23 points in a conference tournament and make it a one-possession game and have a chance down the stretch. This team’s very resilient.” 

“We’ve got some toughness, and this team has gotten better throughout the year, so hopefully we can continue to show that,” he added.

Georgia tips off against Saint Louis at 9:45 p.m. Thursday on CBS. The winner will take on the winner of the game between No. 1-seed Michigan and No. 16-seed Howard in the second round. 

The Pick

There might not be another matchup in this bracket that lies on as much of a razor-thin edge as this one. The deciding factor ultimately should be that Georgia has not only proved itself competitive against much better opposition than Saint Louis has, but momentum also favors the Bulldogs; Georgia had won five of its last six games before losing to Ole Miss in the SEC postseason, while Saint Louis is 4-4 in its last eight games. 

If the Bulldogs can stop the Billikens from shooting lights-out from distance, Saint Louis’ offense will stutter, whereas Georgia is more versatile and has a cast of players that can hurt defenses in different ways. The higher seed will just edge this high-scoring duel.

Prediction: Georgia 85, Saint Louis 82