Loss shows just how much Georgia must grow for NCAA Tournament success

Gonzaga dominated from the jump. It scored the first 13 points of the game. By the time Georgia made its second basket, Georgia trailed 27-3.

Georgia’s lack of experience clearly hurt. Gonzaga guard Nolan Hickman, whose five 3-pointers were as many as Georgia’s entire team, saw it on the court.

“My guys were kind of like calm, composed, very energetic, ready to go,” Hickman said. “I don’t quite want to bash any of the Georgia guys, but it (NCAA experience) showed. It showed in the first possession of the game.”

Georgia’s play in the 89-68 loss would lead one to believe the Bulldogs were simply happy to be here. The frustration on Silas Demary Jr.‘s face runs counter to that though.

The Georgia point guard who helped elevate this program in 2025 knows there are further steps to be taken forward so that getting to the NCAA Tournament is no longer seen as lofty goal, but rather the bare minimum.

“Obviously, this year, nobody expected us to be here, so I think just building off this year and knowing the confidence that we can get here and believing in our coaches and then mainly believing in ourselves,” Demary said. “I feel like if you don’t believe in yourself, you’re never going to get anywhere in life.”

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Having a player like Demary will go a long way in helping Georgia contend next season. The Bulldogs must retain Demary, given the improvements he made during the season. He had 15 points and four assists in the loss.

Georgia has nearly certainly seen the last collegiate game of Asa Newell. The projected first-round pick finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. He got to share a nice moment with his brother, Jaden, at the end of the loss.

The Bulldogs know they’ll be losing senior guards Tyrin Lawrence and Dakota Leffew. Given the nature of the sport, Georgia will probably lose some players to the transfer portal as well.

But as coach Mike White noted after the game, Georgia had the second-youngest roster in the SEC. Demary, Blue Cain, Somto Cyril and RJ Godfrey would be an excellent starting point for what Georgia can play with next season. The Bulldogs have the No. 19-ranked recruiting class per 247Sports and with this NCAA Tournament bid under their belt, proof of concept for players in the transfer portal.

“You’d like to sell a Sweet 16 or a Final Four, and maybe we’re able to do that one day,” White said. “But it starts with selling NCAA Tournament and selling Silas Demary and Asa Newell and their teammates. These are the positives that these guys accomplished this year. You can come to Georgia and do something similar.”

Along the way this season, Stegeman Coliseum became a tough place to play. Georgia had a real home-court advantage in wins over Florida and Kentucky. Even with multiple four-game losing streaks, White’s team got off the mat and rallied to make the NCAA Tournament.

Georgia was overwhelmed by Gonzaga. Mark Few’s team is the standard in the sport when it comes to sustained NCAA Tournament success. A win on Saturday over No. 1 seed Houston would mark 10 consecutive Sweet 16 berths.

White’s team ended a 10-year NCAA Tournament drought. Even if today isn’t the day to reflect positively on that accomplishment, it still means something to White and the Georgia program.

“We’ve just got to continue to recruit high-level players and high-level people, protect our culture every day, continue to get better, continue to develop people and develop players offensively and defensively,” White said. “I think we generated some excitement this year with our recruiting base. We’ve got a lot to sell at the University of Georgia. We’ll continue to sign guys like these two guys, and we’ll build off of this.”