FINAL: Georgia 88, No. 3 Florida 83

What Happened

ATHENS, Ga. – Sophomore point guard Silas Demary Jr. scored 21 points, while freshman forward Asa Newell added 15 points and grabbed crucial rebounds leading to late free throws, as Georgia overcame a ferocious comeback that momentarily gave third-ranked Florida a lead, but then made the go-ahead and close-out plays to complete an 88-83 upset victory in their Southeastern Conference game Tuesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.

For UF, the defeat snapped a six-game winning streak and did damage to the team's quest for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament next month. For UGA, the win was the program's first over a top-three opponent in 21 years and was celebrated with a student-body court storm. It also halted a 12-game losing streak in the series against the Gators, dating to the 2020 season.

And it was the first win in seven tries for Georgia coach Mike White over the program he left in 2022 for the vacant UGA post.

Florida, which lost for the first time since Feb. 1 at Tennessee, was led by senior guard Will Richard's career-high 30 points, including five 3s. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. added 18 points, but no other UF player finished in double figures, as the Gators were held to 40.9 shooting for the game, including 36.4 in the first half when the Bulldogs took command of the game and forced the Gators into a night of playing catch-up.

UF trailed by 26 points with just over seven minutes to go in the first half, but began chipping away. The margin was 16 at halftime. It was 10 with 11 minutes to play, then seven inside six minutes. Georgia was up 78-67 with three minutes remaining when the Gators struck for 13 straight points, the last two on a steal and break-away layup by sophomore forward Thomas Haugh for a 79-78 lead, UF's first of the game. Fifth-year guard Alijah Martin made one of two free throws to go up two with 1:08 left.

That's when Georgia guard Blue Cain (12 points, 6 rebounds) hit a 3-pointer with 48 seconds left to retake the lead, starting of the Bulldogs' 10-3 run to finish the game.

Newell, a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, hit four of nine shots, grabbed eight rebounds and hit a free throw with 21.6 seconds to go and another with 10.2 left to pad UGA's late lead. Demary, who hit four 3s, connected on two free throws with 5.5 seconds left to ice it after Clayton hit three free throws with 6.4 seconds remaining to make it a one-possession game.

But it was UGA's all-out first-half offensive assault that set the tone, as the Bulldogs, the 14th-ranked offense in the conference, ripped the Gators for 68-percent shooting in the first period, including seven of nine from the 3-point line (77.8) percent to open a lead as large as 26 -- at 39-13 -- that was the largest deficit for UF this season.

Sophomore **Alex Condon** (21), in his first game for the Gators in two weeks, has issues down low against Bulldogs' leaping center **Cyril Somto** (6).

What it Means

This one hurt in multiple ways, most of them obvious (several mentioned above), but really was a blow to the Gators' need to pad their postseason resume with wins. It was Quadrant 1 opportunity, meaning UF is now 5-4 in such games. Seven teams in the SEC began the day with at least six Q1s, meaning Florida's quest for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament next month was badly dented. It also drew the Gators back to the pack in the SEC standings, though after Wednesday they'll still sit in no worse than third place by a full game over at least three other teams vying for a top-four seed in the conference tournament.

In the Spotlight

It was easily the biggest win for White in his three Georgia seasons -- and the Bulldogs have beaten Kentucky twice on his watch (as well as surging St. John's earlier this season). UGA, firmly on the "bubble" (if not on the wrong side), needed this one badly to improve its NCAA chances. UF became the highest-ranked team beaten by UGA since the Bulldogs upset third-ranked and rival Georgia Tech 83-80 in overtime on Jan. 3, 2004.

Staggering Statistic

That the Florida defense, No. 8 in efficiency coming into the game, could let a Georgia team that came in third-worst in SEC in offensive efficiency shoot 68 percent in the first half (and start a game 15-for-20 from the floor) will be a point of emphasis for the Gators and their staff. And then there were the free throws. Georgia was 22 of 27 at the line (81.5 percent), while Florida went 18-for-29 (62.1 percent). That's a lot of points left out there.

Up Next

Florida (24-4, 11-4) is back home Saturday night against No. 11 Texas A&M (20-7, 9-5), capping off a day that will begin early with ESPN's "Game Day" program on location at Exactech Arena. The Aggies, losers of two straight but very much in contention for a high NCAA Tournament seed, play host to Vanderbilt Wednesday night. Georgia (17-11, 5-10) goes to Texas this weekend.

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu

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