Opinion: Georgia Basketball: A decade of heartbreak and one last hope

By J. Ben Haynes

As a lifelong University of Georgia sports fan, I have the unique perspective of being one of the few die-hard Bulldog men’s basketball fans—and I deeply regret that.

I am graduating college in May, and the last time the Bulldogs made it to the NCAA tournament, my dad checked me out of my sixth-grade biology class so we could watch the game together.

It’s the third-longest drought of any program in Power Four basketball, and on top of that, Georgia has the second-worst all-time winning percentage of any SEC team at .517, ahead of only the University of Mississippi.

For me, it’s the same routine every year.

Fall comes to an end, and as Georgia football prepares for the postseason, the Bulldogs basketball team trots onto the Stegeman Coliseum floor with a clean slate, a new roster, and the most detrimental thing to my psyche—hope.

The 2024-25 edition of Georgia basketball was no different. In fact, my hope level was through the roof because this could be the most talented roster in program history.

Asa Newell, a five-star recruit and the No. 19-ranked prep player in the nation, according to 247Sports, chose the Bulldogs over powerhouses Gonzaga, Alabama and Auburn.

On top of that, head coach Mike White returned both starters in the backcourt—point guard Silas Demary Jr. and shooting guard Blue Cain.

Impact transfers Dakota Leffew and De’Shayne Montgomery were just icing on the cake for what promised to be the long-awaited team that would break the Bulldogs’ 10-year tournament drought.

And although it’s looking bleaker as the weeks pass, this team could still get an at-large tournament bid. But that would be a small consolation prize compared to the years this squad has taken off my life over the last three months.

Georgia was stellar in nonconference play, finishing 12-1 and picking up a huge win over then-No. 22 St. John’s.

Yeah, I had my worries heading into SEC play because it was guaranteed to be a gauntlet, but I never thought it would happen like it has so far.

With an upset win over third-ranked Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Bulldogs’ conference record improved to 5-10, placing them 13th out of 16 teams in the SEC standings.

If the SEC decided to just play one half each game, Georgia would have a 10-5 record and find itself as a lock for the NCAA tournament. And that is exactly why this journey as a fan has been so heart-wrenching.

The Bulldogs have been outscored by a monumental 88 points in the second half so far in conference play.

As a fan, every Tuesday and Saturday feels like déjà vu because Georgia plays lights out in the first 20 minutes, takes a halftime lead, then forgets how to put the ball in the hoop and gets drilled in the second half.

The curse has to be broken eventually.

So, Mike White, if you're reading this, please help your guys pull through and get in the tournament!

It would make all the disappointment over the last 10 years worthwhile...