Georgia Basketball hitting milestones, continuing betterment of program in NIT

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Basketball’s run through the NIT has come with the Bulldogs surpassing several milestones. An appearance in the postseason for the first time since 2017? Check. And if you’re going to make it to the postseason, you might as well win while you’re there. Mike White’s squad did that too, a first since 2016. Above all though, we’ve seen the Bulldogs change the narrative on their 2023-24 season. While working to reform the public perception of Georgia’s program, UGA has overcome frustration and disappointment to see success and excitement – something that is, and should be, celebrated in Athens.

“It’s really big. We don’t take it lightly,” White said about the Bulldogs winning 20 games for the first time in the last eight seasons.

“We were picked near the bottom. We all know that, right? But we had higher expectations and standards within our program,” he continued. “If we finished a few of those we potentially would be in the other tournament. But I love the character that our guys are showing. Playing with gratitude, playing with appreciation. ‘Hey, you guys, thanks for the opportunity. We’re going to take full advantage.’ That’s huge. It’s really big. To get to 20 is really big of course.”

Getting to 20 wins isn’t the ultimate goal, but it’s a step in the right direction. Georgia guard Noah Thomasson, a graduate transfer who chose the Bulldogs over other options out of the transfer portal this time last year, said that when he was recruited to Athens, the vision was improvement. To him, hitting the 20-win mark is a huge testament to this team and the continued process that is building the program up to a better place.

“It’s a process. You know, Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Thomasson said. “Last year they won 16 games, and now we’re up to 20. So the goal is to keep getting better and better every day. And next year, even when I’m not here, I want to see them keep making more strides, whether that’s the NCAA Tournament [or not]. Keep making strides to be a better program and bring Georgia basketball back.”

Georgia athletics director Josh Brooks feels the same way. Speaking during a radio interview on 92.9 The Game this past Friday, Brooks, like the Bulldogs, looks at the NIT as an opportunity. Georgia wasn’t going to turn down the chance to keep its season alive, even if it wasn’t competing for a chance at a National Championship, because the program is only going to be better for it in the future.

“You’ve got three freshmen starting on the road in March, playoff basketball at Wake Forest and Ohio State. Those are two places where it got pretty loud, and you’re talking about basketball crowds that know when to get into it. It got pretty intense. It got a little dicey there against Ohio State, but we responded. Those are growing moments,” Brooks said.

“That was never an issue for us because we’re in a growth state of our program,” he added about the idea of ‘opting out’ of the NIT. “We have respect for this postseason tournament. It’s not the tournament we aspire to be in, but at the same time, we’re playing basketball in March and soon to be April and we understand the growth of where we’re trying to take this program.”

MORE: Georgia playing best basketball at season’s end against all odds

As clearly is evidenced in the comments of both White and Brooks, the NIT isn’t the goal for Georgia. The Bulldogs want to be back in the NCAA Tournament – a place they haven’t been since 2015 – and they truly believe that they can do that in the near future. However, in the present moment, playing in Indianapolis is an opportunity that’s been earned through three tough wins over power conference opponents.

“It’s been interesting to watch. With SEC Basketball, we get a little bit of a reputation of being a physical league. I don’t know if that’s just a mindset carryover from football, but I have noticed that watching us play Xavier, Wake Forest and Ohio State, I felt like those games were less physical,” Brooks said. “Maybe we weren’t the most physical basketball team, so we actually play better and match up better. In this league, we’ve got to be more physical because we’ve seen the bodies, the rebounding and the physicality of SEC Basketball.”

Two SEC teams remain, and they’ll be playing on opposite ends of the spectrum this week. Alabama takes on top-seeded UConn with a spot in the National Championship Game on the line. Meanwhile, it’ll be Georgia and another Big East brand, Seton Hall, squaring off in Indianapolis, trying to make it to the NIT Championship Game. So, while it’s not the NCAA Tournament and it’s not where the Bulldogs aspire to be in the long run, it’s a major opportunity and another sign of steps towards success being made with the basketball program in Athens.

“Our toughness, our willingness to want to continue to compete and keeping fighting to win another was on full display. I’m just really proud of this group. NIT Final Four, very honored to get to Indianapolis and be a part of this thing. It’s really cool, and I’m happy for our guys,” White said after the win at Ohio State. “When you’re playing as hard as these guys are playing right now and you’re getting the amount of 50-50 balls we’re getting and extra possessions and flying around and playing for one another, you can overcome some of that stuff, some of your B and C play because in terms of effort, we were an A tonight.”

Tip time for the semifinal game between Georgia and Seton Hall at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is set for Tuesday night at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The winner between the Bulldogs and Pirates will battle for a title against either Indiana State or Utah on Thursday.