Georgia's NCAA Tournament run came to an abrupt and lopsided end on Thursday, as the No. 8 seed Bulldogs (22-11, 10-8 SEC) were routed 102-77 by No. 9 seed Saint Louis Billikens (29-5, 15-3 A-10) in the Round of 64 at KeyBank Arena. The 25-point defeat was Georgia's largest loss of the season and their second consecutive year exiting March Madness with a blowout loss to a lower-seeded opponent.
“Obviously very disappointed in our effort, starting with myself,” Bulldogs head coach Mike White said. “We weren't very prepared. We weren't very prepared to compete at the level that I thought we would. Did not see this coming. Tough way to end a season. Didn't give Saint Louis much of a game.
Georgia never led in the game and trailed by as many as 40 points, laying bare the one-sided nature of the contest.
“Honestly, just being honest with you, I did not see that coming,” said White. “Expected to win the game. These guys have practiced really hard all week, been locked in without preparation, and played as disconnected as we’ve played all season.”
Statistically, the Bulldogs were outmatched across the board. They shot just 35% from the field and 26% from three-point range, while allowing Saint Louis to convert 58% of its shots. The Billikens also controlled inside, outscoring Georgia 66-28 in the paint and outrebounding them 47-36. Saint Louis' ball movement made the disparity clear, as they amassed 27 assists compared to the Bulldogs nine
The game quickly spiraled out of control. After falling behind 49-32 at halftime, Georgia conceded a 23-0 run that extended the deficit to 67-32 early in the second half. The Billikens held a 78-47 lead with 11 minutes remaining and surpassed 100 points with four minutes left.
Individually, Jeremiah Wilkinson provided the only bright spot for the Bulldogs with 30 points, including 16 in the first half. However, the team's main scorers were ineffective, as Kanon Catchings went 0-for-11 from the field and Somto Cyril made little difference. Marcus Millender was the only other player for Georgia to reach double figures with 10 points.
For Saint Louis, Dion Brown led the way with 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting, while Amari McCottry finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Robbie Avila contributed 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
The loss ended a season in which the Bulldogs went 22-11 and exceeded preseason expectations, but couldn't turn that momentum into a deep postseason run.
