November 02, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Welcome to the 2026-27 Georgia women's and men's basketball seasons, where most of the faces are new, particularly on the women's team under first-year head coach Ayla Guzzardo, but the expectations and excitement remain high.
Both teams kicked off their seasons Monday at Stegeman Coliseum, with the Lady Bulldogs routing West Georgia, 92-53, in the opener, followed by the Bulldogs holding off N.C. Central in the nightcap, 78-62, in front of a crowd of 5,553.
On the women's team, only two players are back from last season following the coaching change. On Mike White's men's team, which is seeking a third straight NCAA tournament appearance, there are still a lot of new players, but also key 2025-26 contributors Marcus "Smurf" Millender, Kanon Catchings, Kareem Stagg (who was out Monday) and Blue Cain, who is in his 75th season with the Bulldogs. (Or maybe it just feels like Cain, a fourth-year senior who played in his 104th career game Monday and made his 75th consecutive start, has been here since Zippy Morocco was playing for the Bulldogs in the early 1950s.)
In the Bulldogs' win over N.C. Central, Catchings led the way with 16 points, Cain added 15 and Millender scored 12. Georgia, which led for more than 35 minutes, got 40 points in the paint, 27 from its bench, scored 29 points off of turnovers, and had 25 fast-break points.
White wasn't thrilled with his team's performance in the opener, but he credited the Eagles with making things tough for the Bulldogs.
"I think we're good. I think we've got a chance to have a really good year, and they came in here and made it very interesting," White said.
Georgia led 41-28 at the half, but the Eagles hung around until the end. While the lead never dipped below 10 in the final 13 minutes, the Bulldogs had to keep pushing all the way. A three-point play by Cain with 6:45 to play pushed the margin to 14, 64-50, and that was followed by a Donovan Williams Jr. dunk a minute later. After N.C. Central cut the margin to 11 with 3:08 to go, Georgia again responded, with Millender hitting two free throws, Catchings throwing down a dunk after a Williams steal, and then Millender hitting two more free throws with 1:49 to go.
In the early game, the Georgia debut for Guzzardo and 11 of her players, it was clear from the opening tip that the Lady Bulldogs had clear size and talent advantages over West Georgia. And Georgia made the most of them.
Georgia's first two baskets were scored off of offensive rebounds, with the 6-foot-3 Blessing Adebanjo grabbing the board and dishing to Audrey Beckham for the first bucket of the season, followed by Adebanjo getting fouled after an offensive board and hitting both free throws.
By the end of the first quarter, Georgia had a 29-15 lead. When Nya Smith hit a 3-pointer four minutes into the second, the lead was 40-19. By halftime, the score was 54-23, and some things about this Lady Bulldog squad were clear. Guzzardo's team is going to play fast, it's going to compete, and it's going to be aggressive on the defensive end.
At every opportunity, the Lady Bulldogs were reaching into passing lanes or trying to knock the ball away from the dribbler. That led to some fouls being called, but it also led to a lot of deflections and, by the end of the game, 11 steals. Even with less than a minute to go in the first half, with the Lady Bulldogs up 52-23, Guzzardo's players were diving for loose balls and being disruptive at the defensive end.
"We had a lot of really good sparks," Guzzardo said of the defensive intensity. She added that her team "gave up too many easy looks" to the Wolves. "So, 53 (points) is what we gave up, but there's a lot of them out there that we shouldn't have, so we're going to be stingy."
The second half of the third quarter was a bit of the Dakota Howard show. The 5-11 forward, who played for Guzzardo last season at McNeese State and was first-team All-Southland Conference and the conference Freshman of the Year, as well as a member of the All-Defensive team, drew a charge near the paint with the Lady Bulldogs up 62-28. On the ensuing Georgia possession, she hit a short jumper.
Howard scored again soon after, and later blocked a 3-point attempt. She had eight points in the quarter, and finished with 18 points, four rebounds, two blocks and three steals.
"Definitely defense," Howard said last week when asked about the team's identity. "Working hard, 50-50 balls, just getting the extra efforts."
That was proved accurate Monday. Even up 81-45, Georgia was competing on the defensive end, even forcing the Wolves into a shot clock violation. On West Georgia's next possession, Georgia blocked a shot.
Nya Smith added 15 points, going 3 of 6 from 3-point range, Adebanjo and Jordana Codio scored 11, and Milan Brown added 10. Georgia outrebounded West Georgia 47-35, with Adebanjo grabbing a game-high eight and Jordan Thomas getting seven.
Georgia outscored the Wolves 58-18 in the paint, making the most of both its size advantage and its eagerness to attack. The Lady Bulldogs also turned 17 offensive rebounds into 28 second-chance points, and scored 20 points off of turnovers.
It was a solid start for both teams, who will have bigger games and challenges ahead.
"The atmosphere is just unreal," Guzzardo said after her first game in the Steg, "and I can't wait to experience it every single game."
Both teams will be back in Stegeman later this week. The Lady Bulldogs host Winthrop on Thursday and Nicholls State on Sunday, while the Bulldogs take on Presbyterian on Friday.
Staff Writer
Welcome to the 2026-27 Georgia women's and men's basketball seasons, where most of the faces are new, particularly on the women's team under first-year head coach Ayla Guzzardo, but the expectations and excitement remain high.
Both teams kicked off their seasons Monday at Stegeman Coliseum, with the Lady Bulldogs routing West Georgia, 92-53, in the opener, followed by the Bulldogs holding off N.C. Central in the nightcap, 78-62, in front of a crowd of 5,553.
On the women's team, only two players are back from last season following the coaching change. On Mike White's men's team, which is seeking a third straight NCAA tournament appearance, there are still a lot of new players, but also key 2025-26 contributors Marcus "Smurf" Millender, Kanon Catchings, Kareem Stagg (who was out Monday) and Blue Cain, who is in his 75th season with the Bulldogs. (Or maybe it just feels like Cain, a fourth-year senior who played in his 104th career game Monday and made his 75th consecutive start, has been here since Zippy Morocco was playing for the Bulldogs in the early 1950s.)
In the Bulldogs' win over N.C. Central, Catchings led the way with 16 points, Cain added 15 and Millender scored 12. Georgia, which led for more than 35 minutes, got 40 points in the paint, 27 from its bench, scored 29 points off of turnovers, and had 25 fast-break points.
White wasn't thrilled with his team's performance in the opener, but he credited the Eagles with making things tough for the Bulldogs.
"I think we're good. I think we've got a chance to have a really good year, and they came in here and made it very interesting," White said.
Georgia led 41-28 at the half, but the Eagles hung around until the end. While the lead never dipped below 10 in the final 13 minutes, the Bulldogs had to keep pushing all the way. A three-point play by Cain with 6:45 to play pushed the margin to 14, 64-50, and that was followed by a Donovan Williams Jr. dunk a minute later. After N.C. Central cut the margin to 11 with 3:08 to go, Georgia again responded, with Millender hitting two free throws, Catchings throwing down a dunk after a Williams steal, and then Millender hitting two more free throws with 1:49 to go.
In the early game, the Georgia debut for Guzzardo and 11 of her players, it was clear from the opening tip that the Lady Bulldogs had clear size and talent advantages over West Georgia. And Georgia made the most of them.
Georgia's first two baskets were scored off of offensive rebounds, with the 6-foot-3 Blessing Adebanjo grabbing the board and dishing to Audrey Beckham for the first bucket of the season, followed by Adebanjo getting fouled after an offensive board and hitting both free throws.
By the end of the first quarter, Georgia had a 29-15 lead. When Nya Smith hit a 3-pointer four minutes into the second, the lead was 40-19. By halftime, the score was 54-23, and some things about this Lady Bulldog squad were clear. Guzzardo's team is going to play fast, it's going to compete, and it's going to be aggressive on the defensive end.
At every opportunity, the Lady Bulldogs were reaching into passing lanes or trying to knock the ball away from the dribbler. That led to some fouls being called, but it also led to a lot of deflections and, by the end of the game, 11 steals. Even with less than a minute to go in the first half, with the Lady Bulldogs up 52-23, Guzzardo's players were diving for loose balls and being disruptive at the defensive end.
"We had a lot of really good sparks," Guzzardo said of the defensive intensity. She added that her team "gave up too many easy looks" to the Wolves. "So, 53 (points) is what we gave up, but there's a lot of them out there that we shouldn't have, so we're going to be stingy."
The second half of the third quarter was a bit of the Dakota Howard show. The 5-11 forward, who played for Guzzardo last season at McNeese State and was first-team All-Southland Conference and the conference Freshman of the Year, as well as a member of the All-Defensive team, drew a charge near the paint with the Lady Bulldogs up 62-28. On the ensuing Georgia possession, she hit a short jumper.
Howard scored again soon after, and later blocked a 3-point attempt. She had eight points in the quarter, and finished with 18 points, four rebounds, two blocks and three steals.
"Definitely defense," Howard said last week when asked about the team's identity. "Working hard, 50-50 balls, just getting the extra efforts."
That was proved accurate Monday. Even up 81-45, Georgia was competing on the defensive end, even forcing the Wolves into a shot clock violation. On West Georgia's next possession, Georgia blocked a shot.
Nya Smith added 15 points, going 3 of 6 from 3-point range, Adebanjo and Jordana Codio scored 11, and Milan Brown added 10. Georgia outrebounded West Georgia 47-35, with Adebanjo grabbing a game-high eight and Jordan Thomas getting seven.
Georgia outscored the Wolves 58-18 in the paint, making the most of both its size advantage and its eagerness to attack. The Lady Bulldogs also turned 17 offensive rebounds into 28 second-chance points, and scored 20 points off of turnovers.
It was a solid start for both teams, who will have bigger games and challenges ahead.
"The atmosphere is just unreal," Guzzardo said after her first game in the Steg, "and I can't wait to experience it every single game."
Both teams will be back in Stegeman later this week. The Lady Bulldogs host Winthrop on Thursday and Nicholls State on Sunday, while the Bulldogs take on Presbyterian on Friday.
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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