Georgia is struggling without leading scorer Jeremiah Wilkinson

After winning 16 of its first 19 games, Georgia has hit a wall in SEC play. The Bulldogs have lost five of their last six games, the most recent by 16 at Oklahoma, one of the worst teams in the league. With just under four weeks until Selection Sunday, Georgia is trending toward the NCAA Tournament bubble, making tomorrow’s game a very big opportunity for the Bulldogs to reclaim momentum.

One of the reasons for Georgia’s recent slide? Leading scorer Jeremiah Wilkinson missed the last two games, both losses, with a shoulder injury. The sophomore point guard is averaging 17.1 points per game and has scored in double figures in all but four games this season, his first in Athens since transferring in from Cal. He also leads Georgia in steals (41) and made three-pointers (52).

Wilkinson unexpectedly showed up as “out” on the SEC Availability Report before Georgia’s game vs. Florida last week. He traveled with the team to Saturday’s game at Oklahoma, but did not dress. Georgia coach Mike White had no answers for Wilkinson’s absence or status when asked after the 94-78 loss.

“I have no idea. The thought hadn’t crossed my mind today. I was just locked in on Oklahoma. If I knew, I’d let you know,” White said. “You know, obviously, he would make a difference whenever he’s on the court for us. But we didn’t defend it at a high enough level to give ourselves a chance.”

Georgia goes as Wilkinson goes. He scored 31 to lead the Bulldogs to the 104-100 OT win vs. Auburn to start SEC play. He had 22 points, including four threes, in Georgia’s win over Arkansas a few weeks later. In his last game before this absence, he scored 18 points in an 83-71 win over LSU. In Georgia’s losses to Tennessee and at Florida, he scored just eight points total.

The Bulldogs led the nation in scoring during non-conference play, averaging 98.3 points through their first 10 games. Now, they rank seventh at 90.3. If you just look at SEC play, they’re eighth in the conference at 80.9 points per game. Junior Blue Cain has stepped up in Wilkinson’s absence, scoring 17 points vs. Florida and 20 vs. Oklahoma, but Georgia’s offense still sputtered without its best offensive threat. The Bulldogs mustered just 66 points vs. the Gators and 78 vs. the Sooners.

“He’s probably our best isolation player. He’s our best guy, especially against teams that are super extended like that, that force you to put your head down,” White said of Wilkinson last week. “His speed, of course, getting to the rim and just getting layups. He’s got a unique ability at 6-foot-1, even at this level. It’s just very rare to just put his head down and go for a layup, right? Maybe he gets three or four of those in a game. When you get off to a tough start, he’s also a guy who just plays with an incredible level of confidence, too.”

We’ll find out more about Wilkinson’s status when the SEC Availability Report drops tonight. Kentucky should be able to beat Georgia even with him on the floor, but it would certainly make life a little easier if he misses his third straight game.