Georgia men’s basketball saw its seven-game winning streak end Tuesday night as the No. 18 Bulldogs fell 92-77 on the road to Florida in just their second true away game of the season.
Georgia entered the night as nearly a 10-point underdog against the defending national champions, a Florida team who recently dropped out of the AP Top 25 after a two-point loss to Missouri on Jan. 3. Despite a heavy roster turnover in the offseason, the Gators’ chemistry was evident as they controlled the second half behind their frontcourt and a punishing effort on the glass.
The Bulldogs started fast and physically. Sophomore center Somto Cyril opened the scoring with a tip-in layup, and jumpers from Jordan Ross and freshman forward Kanon Catchings gave Georgia a 6-2 lead just over two minutes into the game. Florida answered with dunks from forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon, setting the tone inside.
The opening 10 minutes were tight, with both teams pushing pace and trading baskets.
The game turned at the 10:14 mark of the first half.
After a made floater from junior guard Blue Cain, Cyril was whistled for a foul on Florida center Rueben Chinyelu. It appeared Cyril retaliated after being shoved by Chinyelu during the play, swinging his forearm and catching the left side of Chinyelu’s face. After a review, officials ruled the contact a flagrant-2 foul, ejecting Cyril.
From there, everything went downhill for the Bulldogs. Without its primary rim protector, Georgia had no effective answer inside. Haugh and Condon repeatedly finished at the rim, and the Bulldogs struggled to generate stops or sustain offensive rhythm. Head coach Mike White, who led Florida from 2015-22, was forced to turn to freshman forward Kareem Stagg and center Justin Abson for extended minutes as the game tilted toward the home team.
Florida capitalized with an 8-0 run to take a 30-21 lead with 8:38 remaining before White called a timeout.
Georgia clawed back before halftime behind Marcus “Smurf” Millender, who provided a spark off the bench. The junior guard scored 11 first-half points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting in the first half, keeping the Bulldogs within reach as leading scorer Jeremiah Wilkinson struggled, shooting 1-for-7 with two points before the break. Wilkinson scored 31 points in Georgia’s 104-100 overtime win over Auburn on Jan. 3, but just couldn’t seem to get it going on the road.
Georgia entered halftime down just 41-40.
The second half quickly slipped away as Florida steadily built separation by capitalizing on turnovers and dominating the glass, finishing with 22 offensive rebounds that led to constant second-chance opportunities. The Gators pushed the lead into double digits midway through the half and stretched it to as many as 21 with about six minutes remaining. Condon and Haugh each finished with 21 points and multiple blocks.
“Those offensive rebounds give them extra opportunities,” White said. “The cumulative effect of those frontcourt guys coming at you in waves wore down our ability when we’re trying to rebound against them with guards.”
Georgia continued its season-long struggles from 3-point range, shooting just 21% from deep, and missed opportunites to put up easy points, specifically at the free throw line, where it shot just 65%. The Bulldogs finished with only six assists and were out-rebounded by more than 20.
Millender led Georgia with 18 points and added three rebounds and two steals. Dylan James scored 16 points, six rebounds, a steal and a block. Wilkinson never got comfortable offensively, being held to just two points all night.
Cyril’s absence loomed large, but White stopped short of pointing to it as the sole reason for the loss.
“Obviously, he lost control of his emotions. He’s an emotional kid, and he’s come a long way, but we’ve got to play with more maturity and make better decisions,” White said. “Is he an enormous factor for us? Absolutely. Is that why we lost the game? No. It didn’t help, but there’s a lot of things we could have done better.”
The loss marked the first time this season Georgia lost in regulation, and the first time it looked outpaced and outmatched. Without its defensive anchor, the Bulldogs were unable to counter Florida’s physicality or depth.
No. 18 Georgia fell to 1-1 in SEC play and 13-2 overall, while Florida responded with what looked like a much-needed statement win at home to extend its record to 13-1 against Georgia over the last 14 meetings.
The Bulldogs return to action Saturday afternoon as they continue their road-stretch against South Carolina.