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Georgia coach Mike White expressed surprise — and not the good kind — after a 16-point win in Monday’s season opener.
“Honestly, I thought we’d play a lot better than that,” he said. “We just had a conversation with the guys about how much better we have got to be and where our focus has got to be.”
His Bulldogs (1-0) will try to iron things out on Friday night in Athens against Presbyterian (0-1), a team picked to finish second in the Big South preseason poll.
White expects his players to push themselves without constant reminders from the bench.
“I just thought we coached effort a lot tonight, and I didn’t expect to do that with these guys,” White said after Monday’s game.
Kanon Catchings led Georgia with 16 points in the 78-62 victory against North Carolina Central. Blue Cain added 15 and Marcus “Smurf” Millender scored 12 after making 9 of 10 free throws. Cain and Ole Miss transfer James Scott led the Bulldogs with six rebounds apiece.
White praised the Bulldogs’ rebounding effort on the defensive end but said everything else needs work.
“A lot is left to be desired offensively with our execution, and defensively with our effort and press,” he said.
Georgia set a school record with 22 regular-season wins in 2025-26 to secure a second straight NCAA Tournament bid. Six players returned, but the Dawgs also lost key pieces. Leading scorer Jeremiah Wilkinson transferred to Arkansas. Somto Cyril, the SEC leader in blocks, left for Miami, while Jake Wilkins, son of program legend Dominique Wilkins, is now at Cal.
Presbyterian fell 87-78 at home in Monday’s opener against St. Thomas. The Blue Hose have one winning season (2018-19) since transitioning to Division I in 2007-08, though preseason optimism was high.
Coach Quinton Ferrell said his team wasn’t as sharp on either end as they needed to be. St. Thomas, a program that achieved full NCAA Division I status before the 2025-26 academic year, made 12 of 24 shots from 3-point range, while the Hose finished just 7-for-28 from beyond the arc.
“A lot of guys had some quality looks. We just didn’t make enough of them,” Ferrell said.
Triston Wilson led Presbyterian with 19 points, while Jaylen Peterson and EJ Smith added 18 apiece.
–Field Level Media
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