Georgia basketball might have added the finishing touch it needed to earn an NCAA Tournament bid on Tuesday night in Columbia, S.C.
The Bulldogs (19-11, 7-10 SEC) silenced Colonial Life Arena with a 73-64 victory, marking their third straight SEC win. Many experts believe the home upset of No. 5 Florida, combined with road wins over Texas and the Gamecocks (12-18, 2-15), is enough to earn UGA’s first NCAA Tournament bid in a decade.
Reigning SEC Player of the Week Silas Demary Jr. led Georgia with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Demary helped the Bulldogs build a lead from the opening tip and responded to South Carolina’s biggest threat at taking over in the second half.
That came with 9:27 to go, when a Gamecock three-point play cut Georgia’s lead down to 49-47. Sophomore stars Demary and Blue Cain responded immediately, exploding for an 8-0 run in 94 seconds.
Demary started the run with a contested step-back jumper from the free throw line.
UGA forced a turnover on the next possession and Demary kicked a pass out to Cain, who drilled his first 3-pointer of the night. Demary got possession back quickly and went right back to Cain, who hit another 3-pointer despite a hand in his face.
Georgia was back ahead 57-47 with 7:11 to go.
The Gamecocks battled back to a four-point deficit, but Demary kept the lead with another strong bucket. The 6-foot-5, 195-pounder cashed in another layup for a two-possession lead with 1:23 remaining.
Georgia closed out the win like good teams do, shooting 7 of 7 from the foul line in the final two minutes.
The Bulldogs played a clean brand of basketball, surrendering just eight turnovers in the win. Georgia’s guards turned the ball over just once, a statistic that UGA coach Mike White made sure to underline after the win.
“Think about how far we’ve come from November with our decision-making, our ball toughness, our ball security,” said White, whose team has harmed itself with costly turnovers throughout the season. “Just making simple plays on the road in the SEC, to have one turnover in your backcourt is pretty strong. It gives you a chance.”
The win certainly wasn’t pretty, but that has been true for almost every SEC team to win in Columbia this season. Top-ranked Auburn and No. 5 Florida escaped South Carolina with wins of 66-63 and 70-69, respectively.
Other top-25 teams in Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Ole Miss all beat the Gamecocks by five points or less at Colonial Life Arena.
South Carolina won its last two home games over NCAA bubble teams, Arkansas and Texas.
The Gamecocks kept themselves in the game with a 10-of-23 shooting night from 3-point range. South Carolina entered Tuesday night a 31.6% shooting team from 3-point range.
The matchup also brought over 20 NBA scouts, according to the SEC Network broadcast, as Georgia’s Asa Newell and South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles are both next-level talents in the paint.
Murray-Boyles certainly had the better performance as the clear No. 1 scorer on his team, but Newell had a respectable night with 11 points and two rebounds.
Cain added 15 points with seven rebounds and an assist.
Demary led Georgia to a 40-29 halftime lead with 10 points and five rebounds. He and Newell took an early 6-0 lead and the Bulldogs kept building through the half.
Georgia jumped on a couple of 6-0 runs to build the double-digit lead. Demary shot 2 of 4 from behind the arc while Cain added four points with six rebounds before the break.
The Bulldogs imposed themselves on the Gamecocks in the first half, winning the rebound battle 19-13 and outscoring them 14-10 in the paint.
Georgia swept the season series against South Carolina after winning round one in Athens 71-60. The Bulldogs have won three of the last four matchups against the Gamecocks.
UGA will close its SEC regular-season marathon back in the confines of Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia will top off against Vanderbilt at noon on Saturday (TV: ESPNU).
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