The Georgia Bulldogs men's basketball program is the men's college basketball team representing the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Established in 1891[dubious – discuss], the team has competed in the Southeastern Conference since its inception in 1932. As of 2020 the Bulldogs have amassed a record of 1,434–1,319. Though it has been historically overshadowed by the school's football program, the Bulldogs' basketball squad has had its share of successes, including a trip to the NCAA Final Four in 1983 under head coach Hugh Durham.
History
Conference affiliations
Stegeman Coliseum
Georgia was a founding member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA), the first collegiate athletic conference formed in the United States. Georgia participated in the SIAA from its establishment in 1895 until 1921. In 1921, the Bulldogs, along with 12 other teams, left the SIAA and formed the Southern Conference.[2] In 1932, the Georgia Bulldogs left the Southern Conference to form and join the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
1931–1932
Coach Rex Enright led Georgia to great success in the old Southern Conference during the 1931 and 1932 seasons. His 1931 team finished with a 23–2 (15–1) record. The Bulldogs were upset in the Southern Conference tournament semi-finals by Maryland, 26–25.
The 1932 team didn't have the dominating record that the 1931 team did, finishing 19–7 (7–4). However, this team did something that the previous year's team could not do in winning the Southern Conference tournament defeating Mississippi State, Virginia, Duke, and North Carolina.
1981–1982
Coach Hugh Durham brought Georgia to its first ever postseason appearance in 1981. That team finished with a 19–12 (9–9) record. They earned a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) bid and the enthusiasm surrounding the program earned them home games in first defeating Old Dominion and then in a loss to South Alabama.
The 1982 Bulldogs were 19–12 (10–8) were once again NIT bound. This time UGA made it all the way to the NIT Final Four defeating Temple, Maryland, and Virginia Tech before losing a heartbreaker to Purdue at Madison Square Garden.
These two teams marked the beginning of a postseason streak of eight straight seasons, longest in Georgia basketball history. This string included three NCAA appearances (including one Final Four in 1983) and five NIT bids. This was a remarkable streak of consistency for a program that had never before experienced the postseason beyond the SEC tournament.
The 1987 Georgia basketball team had multiple key players injured during the season, leaving the team with only seven players on the roster. Coach Hugh Durham had no choice but to alter the playing style of his team after conference play had started, slowing the game down and "taking the air out of the ball." What looked to be a disastrous season, where the team might not win another game, turned into an inspiring one as the team rallied to an 18–12 (10–8) record and earning an NCAA tournament bid. When Durham ordered the NCAA tournament banner to be displayed at Stegeman Coliseum, he had it made in silver, rather than the traditional red, with the initials "TMW" at the bottom. The initials standing for what this team will forever be known as in UGA basketball history, "The Miracle Workers."
1996–1998
Tubby Smith led the Bulldogs to a 21–10 (9–7) record securing its first NCAA bid since the 1991 season. Georgia made the most of it by defeating Clemson and the West Regional's top seed, Purdue, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before losing a heart stopping overtime game to Syracuse in the Sweet 16.
In 1997, Georgia finished 23–9 (10–6) winning the prestigious Rainbow Classic holiday tournament in Hawaii, defeating Washington State, Memphis, and Maryland. UGA beat LSU, South Carolina, and Arkansas to advance to the SEC tournament final in Memphis, losing the final to Kentucky.
Smith's successor, Ron Jirsa, led the 1998 Bulldogs to a 21–14 (8–8) record, reaching the 20 win mark for the third consecutive year for the first time in Georgia basketball history. They would go on to reach the 1998 NIT Final Four winning at Iowa, at North Carolina State, and beating Vanderbilt at home.
2008 SEC Tournament: The Dream Dawgs
In the 2007–2008 season, Georgia's men's basketball team came into the 2008 SEC men's basketball tournament with a 13–16 overall record and a 4–12 conference mark. At one point, the team sustained two five-game losing streaks during a 2-of-12 stretch in conference play. In the first round of the tournament, Georgia was slated to play Ole Miss, who had beaten the Bulldogs in the season-closer, securing the Rebels' only road SEC win of the season. The game went into overtime after Rebel David Huertas hit all three free throws after a three-point shooting foul, and looked to go into a second extra period after Chris Warren did the same. However, with 0.4 seconds left in overtime, Georgia senior Dave Bliss banked in the game-winner to shock the Rebels and send Georgia into a second-round matchup with Kentucky.
On the night of March 14, 2008, tornadoes hit Atlanta, in whose Georgia Dome the SEC Tournament was housed. The Georgia-Kentucky matchup was rescheduled for the early afternoon of March 15, 2008, with the winner advancing to play the SEC West's #1 seed, Mississippi State, later that evening. The remaining games in the tournament would be played at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, the basketball complex of Georgia Tech, UGA's in-state rival. Again playing an overtime game in which Georgia star Sundiata Gaines fouled out, Georgia freshman Zac Swansey hit a turnaround three-point jumper with 1.4 seconds left to give the Bulldogs the team's first ever win over Kentucky in the SEC Tournament.[4] That night, Georgia defeated Mississippi State 64–60 to become the first team since Kentucky in 1952 to win two tournament games in one day, and the first-ever #6 seed from a division to advance to the modern (post-1992) SEC tournament finals.
In the finals, Georgia faced Arkansas, which had lost to Georgia 82–69 in the regular season. Georgia prevailed again, at one point leading the Razorbacks by nineteen points en route to winning its first tournament championship in 25 years. Sundiata Gaines and Terrance Woodbury were both named to the All-Tournament Team, with Gaines winning the tournament's MVP. The improbable list of achievements—winning the tournament as a 6-seed, playing two games in one day to reach the finals, playing two games (against Kentucky and Mississippi State) in which Gaines fouled out with a substantial amount of time to play, doing it on a rival's home court, and winning four consecutive elimination games following a season during which their longest winning streak stood at three—earned the 2007–2008 team the nickname of Dream Dawgs.[5]
With the victory, Georgia secured itself an automatic bid in the 2008 NCAA tournament. Georgia's appearance in the tournament was the tenth overall in team history and the first since the 2002 NCAA basketball tournament. After their SEC Championship run, the Bulldogs were seeded 14th in the NCAA Tournament, playing against the #3 seeded Xavier Musketeers. After developing a lead early in the 2nd half, the Bulldogs could not hold on, as Xavier went on to win 73–61.
Coach Dennis Felton failed to follow up the surprise successes of 2008 with victories in 2008–09, and he was fired on January 29, 2009.
2009–2018: Mark Fox era
On April 3, 2009, Nevada head coach Mark Fox was announced as the next head coach of the Bulldogs.[6]
In nine seasons with Fox, the Bulldogs posted a 163–133 record and made the NCAA tournament twice, in 2011 and 2015. In both instances, the Bulldogs exited in the Round of 64.[7]
Fox was fired on March 10, 2018 following an 18–15 finish to the 2017–18 season as the Bulldogs failed to qualify for any postseason competition.[8]
2018–2022: Tom Crean era
On March 15, 2018, former Marquette and Indiana head coach Tom Crean was announced as the next head coach of the Bulldogs.[9]
Anthony Edwards, first overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, played his only year of college basketball for the Bulldogs in 2019-20.
2022–present: Mike White era
On March 13, 2022, former Florida head coach Mike White was announced as the next head coach of the Bulldogs.[10]
Team awards and records
Conference championships
Georgia has won one regular-season Southeastern Conference championship (1990) and two conference tournament championships (1983 and 2008). The Bulldogs were SEC Eastern Division co-Champs in 1994–1995. Georgia also was the Southern Conference champions for 1931–1932.
The Bulldogs have appeared in the NCAA tournament 12 times. Their combined record is 7–12. However, their appearances in 1985 and 2002 have been vacated by the NCAA making their official record 5–10.
