Georgia Bulldogs outlast Georgia Tech in Athens, 92-87

ATHENS — The latest chapter of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate came with everything a rivalry game promises — momentum swings, highlight dunks, a roaring sellout crowd and a finish that required every ounce of composure Georgia could summon.

In the end, the Bulldogs had just enough.

Behind 18 points each from Blue Cain and Jeremiah Wilkinson, Georgia edged past Georgia Tech 92–87 Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum, improving to 4–0 and extending its home dominance against nonconference opponents under head coach Mike White to 31 straight wins.

It was also Georgia’s third consecutive victory over the Yellow Jackets in the basketball rivalry and pushed the Bulldogs’ all-time home record against Tech to 56–31.

For stretches, it didn’t feel guaranteed.

Georgia led by a point at halftime, but Tech opened the second half on a 15–6 run, surging ahead by eight with 14 minutes remaining. The Jackets appeared to have seized momentum, only for Georgia’s depth to tilt the game back.

The Bulldogs responded with a 10–0 burst, highlighted by Jake Wilkins’ three-point play at the 11:15 mark. When Tech briefly tied the score at 66 on a Kam Craft jumper, Georgia answered again — this time with the defining stretch of the night. A prolonged 20–8 run pushed the Bulldogs firmly in front, and despite late pressure from Tech, Georgia never surrendered the lead again.

Wilkinson, a Powder Springs native playing in his first Georgia–Georgia Tech game in Athens, gave the Bulldogs a jolt from the bench. His back-to-back fastbreak dunks in the closing minute of the first half helped spark Georgia’s offense and drew the loudest eruptions from the sellout crowd.

Cain, meanwhile, added to his streak of consistency, scoring in double figures for the 12th time in his last 13 games.

Head coach Mike White praised his team’s resilience but noted there is still room to grow.

“Great win,” White said. “Our fans created a great atmosphere, and we were fortunate to protect our home court. I thought we showed a lot of resilience in the second half. We learned a lot about our team tonight.”

White also pointed to Georgia’s depth — 11 players saw meaningful time — as a strength that could define the Bulldogs’ ceiling.

“I hope we can be this deep in January and February,” he said. “We’ve got talented freshmen and older guys coming off the bench. If we can get eight or nine playing really well, we can beat some pretty good teams like tonight.”

Wilkinson’s performance was particularly notable given his role shift. After starting the opener, an injury sidelined him for stretches of practice. White stuck with Justin Bailey in the starting lineup but credited Wilkinson for responding the right way.

“We’re coming off the best game we played, and it was Jeremiah’s best game and Justin’s best game,” White said. “If it’s not broken, why fix it?”

Cain, now in his senior season, echoed his coach’s belief that Friday night was a valuable early test.

“It was definitely a good test early in the year,” Cain said. “It’s a big rivalry, and it was about staying locked in for 40 minutes.”

He also pointed to late-game defensive lapses as an area that needs tightening.

“Just more communication,” Cain said. “I messed up a couple switches. It’s something we talked about after the game — being more focused.”

Georgia won’t have long to celebrate. The Bulldogs play their fifth straight home game Monday night, hosting Florida A&M at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network.