Mike White finally took a bite out of his former program as the Georgia Bulldogs head coach on Tuesday night.

And it couldn’t have come at a better time with UGA in need of a resume-building win with the NCAA tournament approaching.

Georgia still sits on the outside looking in, per ESPN expert Joe Lunardi, with a three-game stretch ahead that includes a game at Texas, at South Carolina, and then home to Vanderbilt.

It sets up for a sizzling finish.

But the Bulldogs’ 88-83 win over No. 3-ranked Florida was not without its own flair and drama, as the Gators rallied from 26 down to take a 79-78 lead with 1:19 left on the strength of a 12-0 run.

That’s when White decided on a play to free-up Blue Cain for a clutch 3-point shot that put Georgia back ahead for the remainder of the game.

This Georgia basketball team — arguably the best in 10 years — showed it can stand firm against elite competition, holding on for its first win over an AP top 5-ranked team since 2004 while Kirby Smart watched from the edge of his court side seat.

White entered the night at Stegeman Coliseum 0-6 as Georgia’s head coach against the Florida program he formerly coached.

White left the Gators program with many Florida fans frustrated, to the point there was a growing vocal negativity in the community, which led to Georgia’s opportunity to hire him away.

“It’s special, it is, it’s a little different,” White said. “It does (mean more), I can’t lie to you — if I said it doesn’t, I’d be lying.”

White, as Florida’s head coach, had won six in a row over Georgia, himself before leaving Gainesville for Athens.

Indeed, the Gators had won 12-straight in the rivalry — the longest streak in the teams’ series history — including a 30-point win in Gainesville, Fla., over Georgia (89-59) on Jan. 25.

“You become a little bit hungrier, a little more locked in, because of the way we played down there,” said White, who led Florida to four NCAA tournaments out of the six available to him (Covid wiped out one NCAA tourney) during his seven-season stint leading the Gators.

“We finished really strong, we found a way, our connection and toughness down the stretch was admirable.”

Georgia’s mental bandwidth had been tested, having lost nine of its last 11 games while facing a Gators’ team that had won nine of its past 10.

White, undeterred, kept teaching and fixing things.

Those free throws that had been a problem? Georgia was 22 of 27 from the free-throw line against Florida.

And, those prior 3-point shooting woes? The Bulldogs were 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) shooting beyond the arc.

“It’s confirmation that the basketball Gods of the game, they will reward you if you work and live right, and we have rally good guys,” White said. “This group continues to grow and connect and get better.”