Georgia got a much-needed signature win to bolster its lacking NCAA Tournament resume, upsetting No. 3 Florida 88-83 on Tuesday night in Athens, Georgia. The unranked Bulldogs stormed out of the gate, leading by as many as 26 points in the first half, then held off a wild Gators comeback after halftime. Florida erased the Georgia advantage, taking the lead with 1:28 to play before the Bulldogs retook it for good in a frenetic closing stretch.
The win is Georgia’s first over an AP-ranked top-three team since defeating Georgia Tech 83-80 in double overtime on Jan. 3, 2004.
Georgia’s Silas Demary Jr. led the team with 21 points, and five different UGA players scored in double figures. The offensive explosion marked the most points against an against SEC opponent the season and the Bulldogs’ highest point total against a top-10 team since 1994.
Florida incredibly erased the huge deficit to take the lead for the first time at 80-78 with just under 90 seconds remaining in the second half. But just as it seemed as UGA was ready to melt all the way down, the Bulldogs rallied for a 10-3 run over the game’s final 47 seconds — propelled by a gutsy shot from Blue Cain.
Georgia had lost 17 straight against top-three opponents and eight straight against ranked teams coming into the game.
Success from the 3-point line aided the upset as Georgia finished 10 of 19 from beyond the arc, the most it has made against an SEC opponent all season. Florida canned 11 of its 32 3-point attempts but missed 15 of its 27 shot attempts that qualified as layups, per Stat Broadcast. The Gators also converted just 18 of its 29 free throw attempts.
Jerry Palm projected Georgia among his First Four out of the NCAA Tournament’s 68-team bracket entering the day, but the win — its third in a Quadrant 1 opportunity — will push the Bulldogs toward right side of the bubble picture.
Florida, meanwhile, falls to 24-4 on the season and 11-4 in SEC play, leaving Auburn and Alabama alone at No. 1 and No. 2 in the league standings.
