Georgia basketball was off and running against Arkansas on Saturday, spurting out to a quick 11-0 lead at Stegeman Coliseum.

This, in a battle of the two fastest-paced offenses in college basketball, with UGA atop the nation with 24.82 fast-break points per game to the Razorbacks’ second-best 21.12.

So it was exactly the start the No. 21-ranked Bulldogs needed after taking a gut-punch just three days earlier, losing at home to Ole Miss, 97-95, on a last-second shot in overtime.

Coach Mike White, in his fourth season as UGA’s head coach, said he hoped the loss to the Rebels would resonate with his players, to the extent they would take inventory on necessary improvements.

But there was another element present at work for Georgia that White sensed — and was pleased to see play out against Hall of Fame coach John Calipari -- the element of confidence.

The Bulldogs needed every bit of it after Arkansas rallied from 19 down in the second half to tie the game at 68-68, and then 70-70.

That’s when veteran Blue Cain, an original Georgia signee, and Cal transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson, both heated up.

The sort of selfless play that’s needed for teams to achieve synergy unfolded, and Georgia asserted itself defensively and offensively to pull away for the crucial 90-76 home win.

Wilkinson had provided a preview of how the Bulldogs would respond when he exited the Ole Miss postgame after the gut-wrenching loss.

“At the end of the day, it’s one game,” Wilkinson said, perhaps a bit too carefree for White at the time.

“We have 14 more SEC games. We have no time to dwell on this.”

White, asked about Wilkinson’s resilient attitude, had an appreciation for his player’s approach.

“We’re going to have to embrace some of the things we have to improve upon,” White said, “but Jeremiah has a unique level of swagger and confidence offense, and we have to continue to challenge him to stretch himself defensively.”

Wilkinson heard his coach’s message — to the extent he had a team-high four steals against Arkansas — in addition to his team-high 20 points.

The No. 21-ranked Bulldogs (15-3, 3-2) remain on pace for an NCAA tournament berth after getting their first Quad 1 win of the season.

Georgia is No. 27 in “NET” rankings, which is a computerized metric utilized by the NCAA tournament selection committee.

The Bulldogs will also look to remain ranked in the AP Top 25 for what would be a sixth consecutive week when that poll comes out at 1 p.m. on Monday.

Georgia’s momentum and confidence will be tested this week when the Bulldogs travel to play at Missouri at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, and then at Texas at 1 p.m. on Saturday.