Why this trip to UGA feels different from the rest for Auburn
For only the second time ever, the Tigers and the Bulldogs will play a ranked vs. ranked game. UGA is doing things differently now.
(Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)
AUBURN — Auburn and Georgia have played each other in men’s basketball 198 times.
But on Saturday, the 199th edition of the hardwood rivalry will only be the second time in which both teams enter the game ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The only other time came on January 25, 2003, when No. 19 Georgia beat No. 24 Auburn.
The second edition will feature Auburn as the No. 1 team in the nation — setting up a strangely familiar scenario for the Tigers. The last time Auburn was the top-ranked team in America, it beat Alabama by 19 at home in the midweek before going to Athens for a Saturday showdown, and having to escape with a 74-72 win.
“We were very fortunate to get out of Stegeman Coliseum and win by two, and Wendell Green Jr. made a bucket at the buzzer,” Bruce Pearl said Thursday. “We’ve had some success over there, but the games have all been really incredible. I’m sure it’s sold out, and the environment will be hostile.”
This time, Georgia will also have a number next to its name. The Bulldogs started the week ranked No. 23 in the country, having bounced back from an SEC-opening loss at Ole Miss with a memorable upset of Kentucky at home, followed by a 10-point win over a then-ranked Oklahoma team.
Despite a 19-point loss at Tennessee on Wednesday, this is not the same Georgia team Auburn has routinely encountered. Georgia has already won 14 games. In their previous two seasons, the Bulldogs only got to 16 wins in the regular season.
The third year has been the charm for Mike White, who has rebuilt the Georgia program. White made four straight NCAA Tournaments — and it would have been five, if not for COVID — at Florida, but the expectations in Gainesville were higher. But Georgia just wants to go dancing consistently again.
Mark Fox only made it twice in nine seasons at Georgia. Then came the big-name disaster that was the Tom Crean era. White was a hire that promised a higher floor and more stability in the SEC if the folks in Athens gave him patience and resources. Right now, it’s looking like it will pay off.
“It’s the most talented team they’ve had at Georgia in a while,” Pearl said. “Georgia has made a real commitment in NIL — a tremendous commitment. We used to go to Georgia and, because of the fact that we’ve had success, developed players, we got about six guys from Georgia in the NBA right now, we could go over there and do really well in recruiting.
“For a lot of factors, including NIL, we can’t go there and get the best players anymore.”
The last time Auburn went to Georgia, it was missing one of its top performers in Jaylin Williams. A year later, a similar situation looms with Johni Broome likely remaining sidelined with an ankle injury that he suffered last Saturday at South Carolina.
Perhaps the biggest reason this 199th meeting with Georgia will feel different isn’t just the ranked matchup — it’s the presence of the Bulldogs’ own standout big man.