ATHENS — Coach Mike White is taking his Georgia basketball team into Atlanta for an exhibition game against Georgia State.

The Bulldogs, coming off their first NCAA tournament appearance in 10 years, will play the Panthers at 7 p.m. on Oct. 15 at the 8,000-seat Georgia State Convocation Center.

The exhibition game marks the first time since 2018 Georgia has played Georgia State in men’s basketball and is part of The CareSource Invitational.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to play exhibition games, especially one so close to home,” White said in the UGA release. “It’s a meaningful way to spotlight mental health – an issue that touches countless lives – and to use our platform to raise awareness and support.”

Georgia State men’s basketball coach Jonas Hayes, a former UGA men’s basketball player (2001-04) and assistant coach (2013-18), was in agreement.

“We are excited to be able play Georgia in an exhibition game and help raise awareness surrounding mental health topics,” Hayes said. “We are thankful to able to bring awareness to support mental health as it impacts so many people.”

Georgia State and Georgia have played eight regular-season games dating back to the Bulldogs’ 1983 Final Four campaign.

Georgia has a 5-3 edge in those matchups, but the Panthers won the most recent contest, a 91-67 victory at the 2018 Cayman Islands Classic.

Georgia State went on to earn an NCAA Tournament bid that season.

The exhibition game marks the second matchup of the teams in Atlanta, and the first in the GSU Convocation Center.

The Panthers are 1-0 in Atlanta against UGA after defeating the Bulldogs in the Georgia Dome in 2001 in a game played as a “test event” for the facility to host 2002 Final Four.

Georgia is projected to make the NCAA tournament once again this season by ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi, who sees the Bulldogs as a No. 10 seed that would open the tourney against projected No. 7-seed USC.

Georgia, once again, has a daunting schedule that will see them play at least 16 games against teams that made the NCAA tournament last year — 15 of them SEC members.

The Bulldogs open the regular season with five-straight home games before facing Xavier at 9 p.m. on Nov. 21 in Charleston, S.C.

Georgia basketball schedule

(some SEC mid-week game dates not finalized)

• Nov. 3 Bellarmine (Athens)

• Nov. 5 Maryland-Eastern Shore (Athens)

• Nov. 9 Morehead State (Athens)

• Nov. 14 Georgia Tech (Athens)

• Nov. 17 Florida A&M (Athens)

• Nov. 21 Xavier, 9 p.m. (Charleston, S.C.)

• Nov. 23 Clemson/ W.Virginia (Charleston, S.C.)

• Nov. 29 Tennessee Tech (Athens)

• Dec. 2 Florida State (Tallahassee)

• Dec. 18 Western Carolina (Athens)

• Dec. 22 West Georgia (Athens)

• Dec .29 Long Island (Athens)

• Jan. 3 Auburn (Athens)

• Jan. 6/7 at Florida (Gainesville)

• Jan. 10 at South Carolina (Columbia)

• Jan. 13/14 Ole Miss (Athens)

• Jan. 17 Arkansas (Athens)

• Jan. 20/21 at Missouri (Columbia)

• Jan. 24 at Texas (Austin)

• Jan. 27/28 Tennessee (Athens)

• Jan. 31 Texas A&M (Athens)

• Feb. 7 at LSU (Baton Rouge)

• Feb. 10/11 Florida (Athens)

• Feb. 14 at Oklahoma (Norman)

• Feb. 17/18 at Kentucky (Lexington)

• Feb. 21 Texas (Athens)

• Feb. 25/26 at Vanderbilt (Nashville)

• Feb. 28 South Carolina (Athens)

• March 3/4 Alabama (Athens)

• March 7 at Mississippi State (Starkville)

• March 11 SEC Tournament (in Nashville)