Tuesday night was a big night for Georgia basketball.
The Bulldogs closed out their home slate with a victory over No. 16 Alabama, defeating the Crimson Tide, 98-88, in Stegeman Coliseum.
Georgia played one of its most-complete performances of the season — according to coach Mike White — and the statistics back up his claim.
The Bulldogs shot 53% from the field, 44.8% from beyond the arc and 88.2% from the foul line. They also out-rebounded Alabama, 40 to 30.
The game did not come without its issues, though. A technical difficulty made the shot clock unusable, requiring the public address announcer to count down from 15 seconds late in the game. However, it did not affect Georgia’s momentum, as the Bulldogs rolled to a victory.
The win all but clinched Georgia’s second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament — a feat it has not accomplished since 2002 — which is an impressive achievement considering where the Bulldogs were before White took over in 2022.
Georgia was coming off a 6-26 season, which included a 1-17 record in conference play. Now, the Bulldogs are going dancing for the second consecutive year.
Check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
Which former Bulldog was known as “the man who broke the drought”?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Monroe Freeling among 3 Georgia players to boost NFL earnings potential
Monroe Freeling was one of a few Georgia players to improve his draft stock at the NFL combine in Indianapolis and position himself to make more money.
But potentially, how much more money might Freeling be worth?
NFL draft projections are an inexact science, to be sure, but it’s not a leap to suggest Freeling separated himself from other offensive tackles with his physical traits and combine drill performances.
A recent post-NFL combine mock draft by Yahoo Sports projects Freeling to be the No. 6 overall pick and play for former UGA offensive coordinator and current Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken.
The 2025 NFL draft saw Ashton Jeanty selected No. 6 overall, landing a pre-slotted rookie contract valued at $35.9 million, per the Sportico.com database.
Spotrac.com, which also specializes in NFL contract data, suggests the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft will receive a contract worth $40 million.
Freeling’s 6-foot-7 frame features the longest wingspan (84½ inches) among this year’s crop of offensive tackles, the better for blocking speedy, athletic edge-rush specialists.
The UGA junior from Charleston, South Carolina, started only 16 games in his collegiate career and was projected as a late first-round pick entering the NFL combine before turning heads Sunday with an eye-opening 4.93-second time in the 40-yard dash at 315 pounds.
Freeling also had a 33½-inch vertical jump and 9-foot-7 broad jump, ranking in the top five among offensive linemen in both drills.
UGA athletics daily recap
Tuesday, March 3:
Home:
- Men’s basketball defeated No. 16 Alabama, 98-88.
Away:
- Baseball defeated Kennesaw State, 11-1, in eight innings.
Departing Georgia wide receivers provide positive outlook on position room
Georgia’s wide receiver room was very well represented at the NFL combine this past weekend. The performances of Zachariah Branch, Colbie Young and Dillon Bell were one of the main talking points on Saturday.
Their performances should provide a big boost to James Coley and the Georgia wide receiver position.
But the strong showing from Georgia’s former wide receivers only further highlights how much talent the Bulldogs have to replace at the position next season.
In addition to Branch, Young and Bell, the Bulldogs also have to replace Texas A&M transfer Noah Thomas.
The position will be under a microscope, even with quarterback Gunner Stockton returning for another season.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach circled the wide receiver position as one of intrigue going into spring practice, due in small part to the personnel losses the Bulldogs have experienced.
“The Bulldogs need young wideouts Talyn Taylor, Thomas Blackshear and CJ Wiley to continue to improve,” Schlabach wrote. “Isiah Canion, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, was a big pickup from the transfer portal. He caught 33 passes for 480 yards with four touchdowns at Georgia Tech in 2025.”
Young was asked about the young wide receivers and specifically mentioned the same three names in Taylor, Wiley and Blackshear.
He thinks all three can help Stockton keep the Georgia offense rolling.
Photo of the day
Quote of the day
Bell on Taylor:
“He’s nasty, bro. He’s a real-life 5-star, I’ll tell you that. He like that. That’s pretty much all I can say. I don’t want to give too much because I know Coach (Smart) will get on me if I tell the world too much, you know. But he like that.”
Georgia counting on Chris Cole
With CJ Allen moving on to the NFL, Georgia has a hole to replace in the middle of its defense.
Chris Cole would seem like the most obvious replacement. He played significant snaps last season for the Bulldogs, doing a little bit of everything in the middle of the Georgia defense.
He finished with 59 tackles. He had two pass breakups to go along with 7.0 tackles for loss.
But perhaps most importantly, Cole had 4.5 sacks last season for the Bulldogs. That was the most of anyone on the team.
And for as much as Georgia wants Cole to replicate what Allen did as the leader of the defense, the Bulldogs need Cole to continue to improve as a pass rusher.
ESPN’s Schlabach circled Cole as the player to watch this spring.
“The Bulldogs had only 20 sacks last season, which tied for 107th in the FBS,” Schlabach said. “Outside linebacker Chris Cole had 4.5 of those and is coming back.”
Cole has already shown he can do a bit of everything during his time at Georgia. When current Philadelphia Eagle Smael Mondon went down with an injury during the 2024 season, Cole stepped in as a third-down linebacker for the Bulldogs. He was strong in coverage, due in no small part to being a safety in high school.
Georgia landed Cole as a 5-star prospect in the 2024 signing class. To this point, he’s lived up to that billing.
But Georgia needs him to take another step forward in 2026.
Trivia answer
Fullback Theron Sapp
