The University of Georgia’s basketball team kicks off its pursuit of a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance on Monday against North Carolina Central in Athens, Georgia. The Bulldogs are looking to build on their steady progress under head coach Mike White, who has led the team to 78 wins in his first four seasons—the highest total for any Georgia coach during that timeframe.
Last season marked a significant achievement for Georgia as they recorded 22 wins, their best result since 2002, finishing with a NET ranking of 33rd and a KenPom ranking of 35th. The team secured an No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament but was eliminated in the first round after a loss to Saint Louis, ending the game 102-77.
“We want to get back to the NCAA Tournament,” White stated. “We feel like we’ve got a chance to get back, and the next step is to play better when we get there. There’s no reason we can’t do that. We expect to do that, and I hope our fans have the same expectations.”
Preseason predictions have Georgia finishing 11th in the Southeastern Conference media poll. The team has shown competitiveness in exhibition games, winning two out of three contests, with victories over Georgia State and Charlotte, and losing to Clemson in a close matchup.
This season, Georgia returns three double-digit scorers: Blue Cain (13.1 points per game, 5.1 rebounds), Kanon Catchings (11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds), and Marcus “Smurf” Millender (12.0 points, 4.1 assists). In addition to six returning players, White has infused the roster with five transfers and four freshmen to enhance the team’s prospects.
Among the new additions, James Scott, a 6-foot-11 senior with experience at Charleston, Louisville, and Ole Miss, stands out with a career field-goal percentage of 75.9%. He averaged 3.9 points and 4.6 rebounds last season. Brady Dunlap, who scored 11 points against Georgia in the last NCAA Tournament, has transferred from Saint Louis. Other notable transfers include Freddie Dilione V (14.0 points per game at Penn State) and Andrew Osasuyi, who contributed 3.7 points and 1.7 blocks per game at St. Bonaventure.
On the other hand, North Carolina Central, which finished last season with a 14-18 record, was selected to finish fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) this year, even though the team retains only senior guard Ryan Archey. Head coach LeVelle Moton, now in his 18th season, emphasized the need for greater size, signing five players who are 6-foot-9 or taller.
The last encounter between these teams took place on November 12, 2023, when Georgia rallied in the final minutes to secure a 64-54 victory. White acknowledged the significance of the upcoming game against a historically competitive program, remarking, “This game is huge for us against a program that’s won a lot of games and is always competing at the top of their league.”
