It was a good weekend for Georgia athletics.

First of all, the men’s basketball team defeated Mississippi State 102-96 in Starkville, Mississippi, to finish the regular season with 22 wins — the most in program history. The Bulldogs earned the No. 7 seed in the SEC tournament and will face the winner of Texas-Ole Miss on Thursday night.

It’s a heck of a turnaround for coach Mike White, who took over a Georgia team before the 2022 season that posted a 6-26 record the year prior with a 1-17 mark in conference play. This season, the Bulldogs went 10-8 in SEC matchups, their first time finishing with a winning record in 10 years.

Georgia baseball also had itself a big weekend, earning a four-game sweep of Queens that included three run-rule victories. The Bulldogs will now have a few days off — with no midweek game amid the university’s spring break — before conference play begins Friday against Tennessee.

Finally, Georgia football earned a commitment from 4-star cornerback Jerry Outhouse Jr. The native of Fort Worth, Texas, said he is excited for the developmental opportunities Georgia offers.

Check out the rest of our coverage below.

Trivia time

What was Georgia football’s first undefeated season?

Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.

Georgia MBB closes out regular season in impressive style

With a spot in the upcoming NCAA Tournament all but secured following Tuesday’s win over No. 16 Alabama, Georgia set out Saturday to become a record-setting program.

And the Bulldogs did just that, defeating Mississippi State in Starkville 102-96 for their 22nd win of the season, the most ever for this program in the regular season.

Kanon Catchings scored 23 points, and Georgia erupted for 60 second-half points in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Georgia (22-9, 10-8 SEC) finished the regular season with the most wins in program history and its first with fewer than 10 losses since 2002-03. The Bulldogs also improved to 8-0 this season when scoring at least 100 points.

Next up in the list of records for the Bulldogs is the most overall wins in a season, which is 24, done twice before in 1982-83 and 1996-97.

Mississippi State (13-18, 5-13) led 47-42 at halftime, marking the first time the team held a halftime lead since Feb. 18 against Auburn. Georgia quickly responded after the break, using a series of 3-pointers to flip the momentum. Catchings hit multiple shots from deep during an early second-half run that helped Georgia take control.

UGA finished 17-of-29 (59%) from 3-point range and shot 88% from the free-throw line while winning its fifth game in the last six.

UGA athletics weekend recap

Men’s basketball: closed out regular season with win

Baseball: swept four-game series with Queens

Softball: dropped series in Arkansas

Gymnastics: posted best score in 17 years

Men’s tennis: dropped both matches

Women’s tennis: split matches

Jordan Davis record-setting contract another win for Georgia DL ‘culture’

Anyone who interacted with defensive lineman Jordan Davis during his Georgia tenure knew he was special.

From leading the Georgia band on his Senior Day to being the centerpiece on one of the best defensive teams of the 21st century, Davis left a mark as large as he is in Athens.

As a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Davis now has a contract that reflects his greatness. After being a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Davis signed a three-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles for three years and $78 million. It’s the largest contract ever given out for a nose tackle, with Davis getting $65 million guaranteed.

A lot of Georgia people were proud to see Davis rewarded. Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott is certainly among those, given how important the longtime Georgia coach was to Davis and now the Georgia program.

Davis signed with Georgia in Scott’s first full recruiting class back during the 2018 signee. At that point, Davis was a 3-star prospect who some saw as an offensive tackle prospect. But Scott, who came to Georgia after a brief stop at North Carolina, believed in Davis.

The mammoth defensive tackle proved to be an insert contributor on Georgia’s 2018 defense. With each season in Athens, Davis’s role grew. He focused more on conditioning, maturing and growing as a leader as he did his best to keep his body in shape.

Nine defensive linemen coached by Scott have been drafted since arriving in Athens, with eight coming in the previous four NFL drafts. The best teams at Georgia have been led by their defensive linemen.

It’s a credit to Scott and what he’s been able to build in Athens.

Photo of the day

Georgia wide receiver Colbie Young (left) makes a touchdown catch against Clemson in 2024. (Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com/AJC Freelancer)

Georgia football throwback

Aug. 31, 2024: Georgia beat Clemson 34-3 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

4-star CB Jerry Outhouse Jr. commits to UGA

Jerry Outhouse Jr. just knew he had to be a Dawg.

The 4-star DB from Texas committed to Georgia on a live feed hosted by 247Sports. The 4-star chose the Dawgs over a pool of finalists that included Arizona State, Florida, Texas Tech and UCLA.

But that’s not the stuff you came to DawgNation.com to read regarding the sixth commitment of the 2027 class in Athens. With this decision, Crowley becomes the second defensive commitment in the class.

He’d been a silent UGA commitment for well over a month. Why was it Georgia?

“That’s because of Kirby (head coach Kirby Smart) and Donte (defensive backs coach Donte Williams),” he said. “Those are two people that I really have a good bond with. I can see myself playing with them. The way they send people to the big league and the way they do stuff at Georgia and how hard they work.”

“I feel like I like being pushed to my max.”

Trivia answer

1896