WICHITA, Kan., — One set of Bulldogs looked like a team that had made the NCAA Tournament for 26 consecutive seasons.

The other looked very much like a team playing its first NCAA Tournament game in over a decade.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs hounded Georgia from the jump, roaring out to a 27-3 lead thanks to some hot 3-point shooting and general unpreparedness from Georgia.

Mike White’s team never cut the lead closer than 14, as Georgia saw its season end with a 89-68 defeat to Mark Few’s Gonzaga Bulldogs. They will advance to face No. 1 seed Houston on Saturday.

For Georgia, its season came to an end rather quickly. Gonzaga raced out to a 13-0 lead early in the game. The lead mushroomed to 24 before a Silas Demary Jr. basket gave Georgia its second made field goal of the half.

Coming into the game, Gonzaga had a considerable advantage in NCAA Tournament experience. The Bulldogs had made nine consecutive Sweet 16s, while Georgia had just one player who had ever participated in an NCAA Tournament game.

In the first half, Gonzaga had a significant edge when it came to 3-point shooting. Gonzaga made 8 of its 11 3-point attempts in the first half, with one of those misses being a full-court heave just before the buzz. Nolan Hickman knocked down all four of his first-half 3-pointers, giving Gonzaga a 48-27 halftime edge. He finished the game with 18 points, while Khaliff Battle added a team-high 24 points and 8 rebounds.

Gonzaga had four players finish in double-figures, as Braden Huff had 24 points to go along with 8 rebounds and Graham Ike added 13 points. Gonzaga finished the game making 12 of its 18 3-point attempts.

Georgia shot nowhere near as well as Gonzaga did in the opening half, making just 1 of its 13 3-point attempts. Add in 10 first-half turnovers compared and you have a recipe for how Georgia trailed by three touchdowns, 48-27, at halftime.

Georgia finished the game making only 5 of its 26 3-pointers. Hickman alone had five for Gonzaga.

Asa Newell played hard for Georgia, leading the Bulldogs with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Gonzaga recruited Newell hard so it’s no surprise he was perhaps the only Georgia player who looked capable of playing for Few’s team.

Silas Demary also showed up for the Bulldogs, finishing with 15 points. Most of his damage though came from the free throw line, as Demary shot just 3 of 14 from the field. Somto Cyril and Blue Cain each had 10 points but 16 of those combined 20 points came in the second half.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Gonazga was the better Bulldog on Thursday. Few’s team has been to nine consecutive Sweet 16s and a win on Saturday against Houston would push that to 10.

Georgia meanwhile will have to wait another year to win an NCAA Tournament game. While White’s team ended a 10-year absence from the NCAA Tournament, Georgia still has not won a game in the NCAA Tournament since 2002. A win that was later vacated. Before that, you’d have to go back to 1996 to experience a Georgia basketball NCAA Tournament win.

The Bulldogs will have to replace senior guards Dakota Leffew and Tyrin Lawrence, while Newell seems poised to be a potential first-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Georgia will have to build around Demary and sophomore guard Blue Cain, while also making sure it retains its young core.

Even with a sour ending, this was still a successful season for Georgia coach Mike White. He got Georgia back into the NCAA Tournament and exceeded preseason expectations. There were big home wins over teams like Florida and Kentucky. The journey this Goergia team went on deserves to be remembered fondly.

Thursday’s result however was forgettable. And it shows how much more work must be done if Georgia is going to turn itself into an annual March participant and winner.