March 11, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward James Scott (4) dunks the ball against the Texas Longhorns in the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images Georgia will look to showcase its historic regular season in its Southeastern Conference tournament opener against upset winner Ole Miss in a second-round game Thursday night in Nashville.
Georgia (22-9) set school regular season records for wins and points and entered the SEC Tournament ranked third in Division I with a scoring average of 90.4.
Coach Mike White knows that was the case for the Bulldogs, who finished seventh in the SEC Tournament.
“We have to turn the page quickly,” White said, “because now the postseason is here and we have a chance to challenge for a championship. We’re definitely going to be in ‘The Dance’ (NCAA Tournament) and we want to dance for as long as we can.”
Most projections have Georgia in the 7-8 seed line for the NCAA Tournament.
The only shock on day one of the SEC Tournament was 15th-seeded Ole Miss’ 76-66 wire-to-wire victory over 10th-seeded Texas on Wednesday. The Rebels (13-19) have lost 12 of their last 13 games.
The Rebels opened a 12-point lead midway through the first half. Texas got within 3 points on Jordan Pope’s 3-pointer with 4 minutes left, but never got closer.
“You have to throw the first punch,” said Rebel forward James Scott, who had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Malik Dia scored 23 points and AJ Storr had 18 for the Rebels, who limited Texas to 35.2 percent shooting from the field and committed just three turnovers.
Ole Miss beat host Georgia 97-95 in overtime off Patton Pinkins with one second left in a regular-season meeting on Jan. 14, when Storr scored 27 points.
“We didn’t come here to Nashville to win one game,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. “We’re here to win one game at a time.”
The Bulldogs’ NCAA Tournament ranking went from precarious to locked in after a strong finish that included a 98-88 win over then-No. On March 3, 16 Alabama broke the Crimson Tide’s eight-game winning streak.
Georgia has won five of its last six games, consistent with White’s decision to bring leading scorer Jeremiah Wilkinson (17.3 points per game) off the bench and place 5-foot-11 point guard Marcus “Smurf” Millender and 6-foot-8 forward Kareem Stagg in the starting lineup.
Wilkinson scored 32 points and made six 3-pointers against Ole Miss.
Georgia’s Kanon Catchings, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward, is the SEC Co-Player of the Week after combining for 55 points and 12 rebounds in wins over Alabama and Mississippi State. He scored a career-high 32 points against Alabama.
The Bulldogs are averaging 6.2 blocked shots per game, tied with Virginia for the best record in Division I. Georgia’s Somto Cyril, a 6-foot-11 center, is tied for 10th in the nation with 2.4 per game.
–Field level media
