The Mike White Era is Off to a Solid Start in Athens. Georgia Looking to Continue SEC Winning-Streak Against UK

The Dawgs are off to a 3-1 start in SEC play in Mike White's first season in Athens. Georgia may not be UK's usual gimme this go-round.

As football continues to dominate the sports landscape in Athens, Ga., a new era of basketball has begun for the Georgia Bulldogs. 

After a mediocre four years that saw just one season with a winning record, UGA let go of Tom Crean, opting to bring in former Florida skipper Mike White — who left after the 2021-22 season. 

White was in charge of the Gators for seven seasons, winning at least every 15 games each campaign, making four NCAA Tournaments along the way. UF was able to get out of the first weekend just once, reaching the Elite Eight in the 2017 tourney. His hiring by Georgia was a surprising one. 

Improving from last season's 6-26 (1-17 SEC) record wasn't much of a challenge for this edition of the Bulldogs, but White and his team are off to a great start and will enter Rupp Arena on Tuesday night with a 13-4 record that includes three conference victories. 

The Dawgs are currently No. 93 in the NET Rankings and No. 83 in KenPom. The quality of opponents haven't been great for UGA, but its taken care of business — for the most part. In games against Quad 3 and 4 teams, Georgia is 10-1, with the lone slip up being a 79-77 loss on the road at Georgia Tech on Dec. 6. 

The record against Quad 1 and 2 opponents? Just 3-3, though it's highlighted by a 12-point triumph over now-No. 16 Auburn in Athens to open SEC action. Since then, UGA fell by seven points to Florida in Gainesville, held Mississippi State to 50 points in a bounce-back victory, then even nabbed its first road win of the season, defeating Ole Miss 62-58 in Oxford. 

It's nothing overly-impressive, but the Dawgs have made a much greater impression thus far than any other team in the post-Mark Fox era. 

Leading the way for White's club is point guard Terry Roberts. A transfer from Bradley, Roberts averages 15.6 points-per-game on 38.9 percent shooting. His scoring is fifth in the SEC, and his numbers have inflated against conference competition thus far, jumping up to 20.3 PPG. He's also third in the SEC with 4.2 assists-per-game, though the Bulldogs are next to last in the conference, averaging just 12 APG. 

Behind Roberts is a familiar face in Kario Oquendo. The 6-foot-4 junior guard scored a team-high 22 points in UGA's 92-77 loss in Lexington last season — the only meeting the teams had in 2021-22. Oquendo adds 13.1 PPG, 3.4 rebounds-per-game and shoots 3-pointers at a 36 percent clip, a top-20 mark in the conference. In Georgia's win over Ole Miss, Oquendo closed out the game on a solo 12-4 run. 

White's team make a living on the defensive end, allowing just 63.9 PPG, the 47th-best mark in the nation and third-best in the SEC. UGA does well on the glass, collecting 39.1 RPG, just 0.8 behind UK. It's a spread out attack, as eight Dawgs average over three boards, led by 5.5 from forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe. 

Georgia is still a ways away from being considered an NCAA Tournament team, but it's currently on a much-faster track than anyone anticipated when White took over heading into the 2022-23 season. Kentucky has had its number over the years, winning 130 of 157 total matchups, including 15 of the last 16 games. 

The last time the Bulldogs won inside Rupp Arena was in 2009. The game is the first of two between the teams this season, as the Wildcats will return the trip, playing inside Stegman Coliseum on Feb. 11.

UK coach John Calipari's record against UGA is 20-3, while White has an all-time record of 4-10 against the Wildcats. Tipoff between Kentucky and Georgia on Tuesday is set for 9 p.m. EST and will air on ESPN. 

More on how a players-only meeting shifted Kentucky's momentum HERE. 

John Calipari found vindication in Kentucky's victory over the Volunteers. More HERE.

Game notes from the win can be found HERE.

Hear what Antonio Reeves and Jacob Toppin had to say about the win HERE.

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