February 28, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Kanon Catchings (6) dribbles against South Carolina Gamecocks guard Kobe Knox (4) at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Image There is no guarantee in March.
But if Georgia can pull off a win against Mississippi State in the regular season finale Saturday afternoon in Starkville, Mississippi, the Bulldogs will likely earn a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament.
Georgia (21-9, 9-8 SEC) enters the tournament ranked No. 9 but must finish in the top eight to earn a bye. Considering that three of the four teams (Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Missouri) are one game ahead of the Bulldogs in the SEC standings, a win for Georgia would likely do little considering they would have to face teams with better records.
Even better, the Bulldogs will be on a much better footing for their first back-to-back NCAA Tournament bid since 2001-02. They entered Friday’s game ranked 30th in the NET rankings and 29th in Wins Above Bubble (WAB).
They have won four of their last five games, including a 98-88 win over No. 16 Alabama on Tuesday.
Against the Crimson Tide, Georgia shot 13-for-29 (44.8%) from 3-point range. Forward Canon Catchings scored a career-high 32 points on 7-for-13 shooting from long range. The Blue Canes added 16 points, Marcus Millender had 12 and freshman Karim Stagg had 10.
“We’re growing a little bit,” Georgia coach Mike White said. “This was as good a win as we’ve ever had.”
Mississippi State (13-17, 5-12) is trending in the opposite direction as the SEC Tournament approaches. The Bulldogs have lost four straight and have trailed by 25, 24 and 34 points in their last three games, respectively.
The most recent was Tuesday’s 108-74 loss to Florida, in which the Gators shot 61.7 percent while committing just five turnovers. Josh Hubbard had 21 points for the Bulldogs along with Jayden Epps (14) and Ja’Borri McGhee (12) also reached double figures.
Mississippi State trailed 47-35 at halftime and led 61-39 after the break.
“We knew it was going to be a challenge… but we got whipped up,” Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said. “I’m not happy with how it got away from us.”
–Field level media
