Bulldogs Fall to Gators, 86-66, on Wednesday Night

Wednesday, February 11

Athens, Ga.

7:00

University of Georgia

17-7,5-6SEC

Florida

18-6,9-2SEC

Florida

Georgia

February 11, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

ATHENS, Ga. - The Georgia Bulldogs (17-7, 5-6) fell to the No. 14 Florida (15-9, 3-8), on Wednesday night in Stegeman Coliseum, 86-66.

Fast Facts:

Georgia has a 64-46 advantage against Florida in games played in Athens.
Blue Cain led the Bulldogs with 17 points, earning his second double-double of the season. Marcus "Smurf" Millender followed closely with 15 points.
Kanon Catchings and Somto Cyril added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Catchings was one shy of achieving a career high in rebounds, scoring eight tonight.
Georgia earned 23 fast break points compared to Florida's 19.

Key Quotes:
Georgia Head Coach Mike White
Opening Statement
"Florida was really good, played really well. They've got a terrific front line. I thought their guards really stepped up. Our plan was to almost dare those guys to beat us a little bit. We went under a ton of stuff. Less ball pressure, and they're both really fast, too, but tried to keep them out of the paint and did some things a little bit differently. That didn't necessarily help us out because I thought [Boogie] Fland and [Xaivian] Lee really stepped up and made big plays, hit timely shots. Isaiah Brown was really good for them, as well. Reuben [Chinyelu] obviously gets 20 rebounds, dominated the paint, and they did a really good job collectively, defensively and stayed extended. They don't allow a lot of threes. They don't allow assists. Their ability to guard the ball one-on-one at a high level collectively, one through five, and even the guys off the bench, was on display to where they force you into playing isolation at times and putting your head down because obviously, again, they're extended on shooters. They just did a really good job of one-on-one defense, especially deep in the paint with wall-ups and physicality and forcing some turnovers. I thought in transition defense, they were phenomenal, too. Where we had four or five long rebounds there in the second half, trying to chip away at it in maybe two or three turnovers where we've got numbers, and their backflow actually forced us into more than one, maybe two or three turnovers when we've got numbers. They earned it, and eight assists for us is not enough, of course. The one positive for us, we grew a little bit. You get beat 20 at home and just trying to give you some positive and give our guys some positive. I thought we threw our bodies around and tried to compete on the glass."

On Kareem Stagg's impact…
"I thought that was the biggest positive. Kareem Stagg was good. He showed what the potential ceiling he's got. He's got some skill level, some talent, but the biggest positive, our guys knew this one could get ugly on the glass if you're not prepared to battle and give up your body, and we've had some tough losses where we just get dominated on the defensive glass. Our defensive numbers obviously are very poor, but it was better tonight. Now that said, they made 50% of their shots, but nine offensive rebounds is a little bit of growth for us. They were much better in other areas than we were."

#0 Blue Cain | Jr. | Guard
On how the team adjusted to playing with Jeremiah Wilkinson…
"Jeremiah definitely contributes to a lot of stuff. I felt like we had some guys step up. I thought Smurf [Millender] played really well. I thought Kareem [Stagg] was really good. So, I think we had guys step up. It wasn't enough, but I thought some guys stepped up."

#4 Smurf Millender | Jr. | Guard
On how the team can build consistency…
"Just staying focused. I feel like sometimes when we get a big win on the road, or whenever we get a big win, we kind of lose focus a little bit because of the victory. So, I just say to live with focus as it's changed."

Florida Head Coach Todd Golden
On the game…
"I'm just really proud of our group tonight. I thought we did a great job coming out ready to play. We obviously got off to a really good start to the game, and we never really looked back. I thought our defense again was fantastic. We held 34 from the field, 27-3. As we learned over the last couple weeks for our group, when we guard and rebound, we're pretty tough to beat, and it's got to be our calling card. Credit to Georgia, I thought they fought hard in the second half. It didn't go away, but when it got a little dicey and we stepped up and found a way to keep that thing over 10, I never let it get close."

Up Next
Georgia goes on the road to Norman, Oklahoma to face the Sooners on Saturday, February 14 at 3:30 p.m on SEC Network. The Bulldogs' next home contest is Saturday, February 21 against Texas. For more information on tickets, visit https://gado.gs/dvq