November 10, 2026 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
For much of the second half Monday night at Stegeman Coliseum, we saw what the Georgia men's basketball team can be and what head coach Mike White wants to see. The defense was suffocating, and the offense fed off the defense, leading the Bulldogs on a 19-2 run against Florida Gulf Coast and an 80-72 win.
"We finally saw what we can be defensively," White said after Georgia improved to 3-0. "Offensively, we had our moments, too. We just have got to put more of it together. We showed glimpses of a good team, though."
Both teams shot well throughout the game, but particularly in the first half, when the Bulldogs shot 15 of 28, including 5 of 11 on 3-pointers, and the Eagles shot 15 of 32. Georgia led 44-41 at the break. And then came the surge. Well, surges.
A Blue Cain 3 got the Bulldogs started 29 seconds into the second half. That was followed by a Kanon Catchings coast-to-coast play, from defensive rebound to a layup. A FGCU jumper made it 49-43 with 18:23 to play — and the Eagles didn't score again until the 11:15 mark.
A Kareem Stagg layup after that Eagles jumper made it 51-43. He was fouled on the play but missed the free throw. Catchings was there to rebound the miss and throw down a dunk. A missed FGCU shot was followed by a James Scott dunk for a 55-43 lead. Georgia's defense then forced a five-second violation on the ensuing inbounds play.
On FGCU's next possession, Georgia's defense forced a shot-clock violation. Marcus Millender then hit a 3. After another Eagles miss, Cain was off the mark on a 3, but Scott was there for the offensive rebound and Catchings scored on another dunk. Andrew Osasuyi blocked an FGCU 3-point attempt to continue the Eagles' drought, and later made one of two free throws at the other end.
Georgia's 17-0 run was capped by a Freddie Dilione V jumper, making it 66-43 with 11:24 remaining.
"The way we came out of the second half was unbelievable. That is the best this team's played in a practice or in a game, and our bench showed everyone in the arena how much they appreciated their teammates out there," White said. "They had two points in the first eight minutes of the second half, and credit Kanon Catchings. That is the best he has played since last February. He has got to learn how to do that for 40 minutes, and he is going to be a really good player."
"Coach is always talking about how important defense is, and honestly, you can't win in the SEC without playing great defense. I feel like it's something we need to build off of for sure," Catchings said.
It would be great if the rest of the game was a rout, but Florida Gulf Coast didn't let that happen. The Eagles not only didn't quit, they produced their own big surge. After Cain hit a pair of free throws with 11:08 to go, making it 68-45, FGCU (1-2) was almost unstoppable for the next five minutes.
Hitting shots from near and far, while Georgia went ice cold, the Eagles cut the Bulldog lead to four, 72-68, with 6:12 remaining. The huge lead was gone, but Georgia was still in front. And it showed some grit in how it responded.
A putback by Osasuyi with 5:47 left pushed the lead back to six, and then Osasuyi got a block at the other end. Two Millender free throws with 5:14 to go made it 76-68. Georgia then got a stop at the other end, and Catchings was fouled in transition, making both free throws. A Cain steal then led to a Stagg dunk and an 80-68 lead.
In a game in which Georgia thrived, it also survived, getting stops and making shots when it had to. Cain, Stagg, Millender and Catchings all had 13 points, shooting a combined 18-for-39 from the field. Georgia shot 45.9% as a team and committed just seven turnovers, while forcing the Eagles, who hit 47.5% of their shots, into 17.
"This is the product of — or something that simulates — what we think we can be. It did not finish the way we wanted to finish, but our mantra in this program is 'growth every single day,'" White said.
After three home games to start the season, the Bulldogs will play their first road game Friday night at North Carolina.
Staff Writer
For much of the second half Monday night at Stegeman Coliseum, we saw what the Georgia men's basketball team can be and what head coach Mike White wants to see. The defense was suffocating, and the offense fed off the defense, leading the Bulldogs on a 19-2 run against Florida Gulf Coast and an 80-72 win.
"We finally saw what we can be defensively," White said after Georgia improved to 3-0. "Offensively, we had our moments, too. We just have got to put more of it together. We showed glimpses of a good team, though."
Both teams shot well throughout the game, but particularly in the first half, when the Bulldogs shot 15 of 28, including 5 of 11 on 3-pointers, and the Eagles shot 15 of 32. Georgia led 44-41 at the break. And then came the surge. Well, surges.
A Blue Cain 3 got the Bulldogs started 29 seconds into the second half. That was followed by a Kanon Catchings coast-to-coast play, from defensive rebound to a layup. A FGCU jumper made it 49-43 with 18:23 to play — and the Eagles didn't score again until the 11:15 mark.
A Kareem Stagg layup after that Eagles jumper made it 51-43. He was fouled on the play but missed the free throw. Catchings was there to rebound the miss and throw down a dunk. A missed FGCU shot was followed by a James Scott dunk for a 55-43 lead. Georgia's defense then forced a five-second violation on the ensuing inbounds play.
On FGCU's next possession, Georgia's defense forced a shot-clock violation. Marcus Millender then hit a 3. After another Eagles miss, Cain was off the mark on a 3, but Scott was there for the offensive rebound and Catchings scored on another dunk. Andrew Osasuyi blocked an FGCU 3-point attempt to continue the Eagles' drought, and later made one of two free throws at the other end.
Georgia's 17-0 run was capped by a Freddie Dilione V jumper, making it 66-43 with 11:24 remaining.
"The way we came out of the second half was unbelievable. That is the best this team's played in a practice or in a game, and our bench showed everyone in the arena how much they appreciated their teammates out there," White said. "They had two points in the first eight minutes of the second half, and credit Kanon Catchings. That is the best he has played since last February. He has got to learn how to do that for 40 minutes, and he is going to be a really good player."
"Coach is always talking about how important defense is, and honestly, you can't win in the SEC without playing great defense. I feel like it's something we need to build off of for sure," Catchings said.
It would be great if the rest of the game was a rout, but Florida Gulf Coast didn't let that happen. The Eagles not only didn't quit, they produced their own big surge. After Cain hit a pair of free throws with 11:08 to go, making it 68-45, FGCU (1-2) was almost unstoppable for the next five minutes.
Hitting shots from near and far, while Georgia went ice cold, the Eagles cut the Bulldog lead to four, 72-68, with 6:12 remaining. The huge lead was gone, but Georgia was still in front. And it showed some grit in how it responded.
A putback by Osasuyi with 5:47 left pushed the lead back to six, and then Osasuyi got a block at the other end. Two Millender free throws with 5:14 to go made it 76-68. Georgia then got a stop at the other end, and Catchings was fouled in transition, making both free throws. A Cain steal then led to a Stagg dunk and an 80-68 lead.
In a game in which Georgia thrived, it also survived, getting stops and making shots when it had to. Cain, Stagg, Millender and Catchings all had 13 points, shooting a combined 18-for-39 from the field. Georgia shot 45.9% as a team and committed just seven turnovers, while forcing the Eagles, who hit 47.5% of their shots, into 17.
"This is the product of — or something that simulates — what we think we can be. It did not finish the way we wanted to finish, but our mantra in this program is 'growth every single day,'" White said.
After three home games to start the season, the Bulldogs will play their first road game Friday night at North Carolina.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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