An unsteady start vs. Gonzaga brings Georgia's historic season to a crashing end

Ken Sugiura, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Mar 20, 2025

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WICHITA, Kan. — Georgia’s most important game in a decade tipped off at 3:35 p.m. local time Thursday.

No more than 17 real-time minutes later, the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015 was effectively over. That’s how long it took for coach Mike White’s team to haplessly fall behind by 20 points against Gonzaga.

Taking a flurry of punches from the opening bell, Georgia could never recover in a game that far more bore the appearance of the 1-16 matchup (Houston and SIU Edwardsville) that preceded it than the 8-9 game that it actually was. Gonzaga easily advanced with an 89-68 win.

Georgia was no match for the tournament-tested crew from Spokane, Wash., which played with the confidence and efficiency of a team that was making its 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and Thursday won its 10th consecutive opening-round game.

Early, UGA players appeared tentative and nervous, exacerbating their season-long turnover problem. They had difficulty handling Gonzaga’s defensive pressure.

Star freshman forward Asa Newell lost the ball out of bounds on a dribble. Guard Silas Demary Jr. tossed up a jumper that glanced off the backboard without touching the rim. On a pick-and-roll, guard Dakota Leffew bounced a pass off his target’s leg.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga stroked 3-pointers, was deliberate and aggressive with the ball in the post and confidently attacked the basket.

These Bulldogs were the picture of confidence and poise, while the ones from Athens looked unready for the moment.

White watched helplessly as a team that had reached historic heights was pickpocketed and spun around like gawking tourists in the big city.

White finally saw enough when Gonzaga forward Ben Gregg had his low-post shot blocked by Georgia forward Justin Abson, but then ripped the loose ball away from Abson and flipped it in for a basket.

White called a timeout for the first time in the game. The score was 27-3 in Gonzaga’s favor and barely eight minutes of game time had elapsed.

It made Gonzaga guard Nolan Hickman’s pregame assessment of the challenges that tournament newcomers face appear most prophetic.

“I think the first-timers, it’s a challenge for them,” Hickman said Thursday. “It’s something that they just haven’t experienced before.”

After the bobble-filled start, who on Georgia’s side could argue the point?

All of the talk about the SEC-representing Bulldogs being battle-tested by a historically competitive conference rang hollow inside INTRUST Bank Arena.

If there’s a positive to be gleaned for White’s program, it’s these two things. After getting off the floor from the early knockdown, the Bulldogs looked far more like the team that had won 20 regular-season games and took down eight tournament teams.

In what would figure to be his final game in Georgia’s red and black, Newell finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. Demary added 12 points and four assists.

With its nerves calmed and feet steadied after the game-opening flop session, what Georgia wouldn’t have given to hit reset and start the game over.

And, if White indeed has UGA on a path toward becoming a regular NCAA visitor, his Bulldogs will better know what the tournament feels like and what it takes.

Georgia will almost certainly have to make the climb next year without the presumably NBA-bound Newell, who shared the court with his older brother Jaden, a walk-on, for the game’s final minute. They shared a touching hug after the buzzer sounded, their time as teammates likely complete.

But if foundational players such as Demary and Blue Cain lead this team back to the tournament in 2026, they’ll have this humbling experience to serve as a guide and fuel.

But, as Georgia players walked off the floor, their time in this great American sporting spectacle over barely before it began, that likely offered very little comfort.