Mike White shares Georgia has had no opt-outs ahead of NIT

Georgia did not hear its name called on Selection Sunday, missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the eighth year in a row. However, the year is not completely done as head coach Mike White has accepted a big to play in the NIT. Xavier will come to Athens as Georgia’s first-round opponent, scheduled for Tuesday.

With how the college basketball calendar is laid out, it would be easy for current Georgia players to opt out of the NIT. They could look ahead to the future and prepare for the 2024-2025 season whether that’s with the Bulldogs or not.

Fortunately, White says nobody has decided to sit out thus far. Georiga can play as many as five more games and to this point, they expect to be at full strength.

“Nobody has told me that to this point,” White said on opt-outs. “Things could change, who knows. I would rather not speculate. We were at full strength in practice today.”

The NCAA transfer portal opened on Monday just hours after the Selection Committee announced the Field of 68 and then the NIT sent out invitations. Players are free to be on the move despite the postseason getting started just under 48 hours later.

White does not believe any of his guys will be looking elsewhere yet. Maybe once the season changes, there will be some roster turnover for Georgia. But for now, the goal is to win as many NIT games as possible and bring some positive momentum into the program.

Georgia earns NIT bid after finishing season over .500

A better season was likely hoped for in Athens, wanting to compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. White was hired away from Florida to bring back postseason basketball but to this point, the NIT is the closest Georgia has been.

SEC play was tough this year, finishing with a 6-12 record. Georgia lost six games in a row during the heart of the schedule, two of which were heartbreakers to Florida and Alabama. The former was a double overtime game while the Crimson Tide stormed back from a 14-point halftime deficit to win by nine.

Overall, Georgia finished at 17-16 — the program’s first winning record since 2020-2021 under Tom Crean. Making the NIT is a positive step in the direction after not having postseason basketball since 2017.

Hopefully, it can translate to better results next year and make a push for the Big Dance.