“I’m not worried about that at all”: Georgia HC Mike White expresses belief in Bulldogs despite dropping three of last four games

Georgia coach Mike White could only watch as his Bulldogs squandered a huge lead in an 85-76 loss to No. 24 Alabama on Wednesday. Leading by nearly 20 points in the second half, Georgia appeared poised to cruise to a lopsided Southeastern Conference win. But the Crimson Tide staged a stunning comeback to leave the Bulldogs whimpering in Athens.

Despite being Georgia's third loss in four contests, White kept the belief that this defeat to a top-ranked squad was no reason to panic.

“These guys will keep fighting,” White said. “I’m not worried about that at all. This was a top-10 NET opportunity. It’s not like we just gave up a lead to a mid-major opponent or an inferior opponent.”

Timestamp: 4:43

Alabama (14-6) is ranked seventh in the NCAA NET rankings, but the AP Poll has the Tide at No. 24 after Week 13. Coach Nate Oats' team is at the top of the SEC standings with a sterling 7-1 conference record.

While Mike White would have loved to see his team win against a top-ranked team, he could not fault his team's effort.

“I think our guys feel good about the way we play for 20, 25 (minutes) and the way we continue to fight down the stretch,” White said. “We play with a lot of heart, considering what’s been going on around this facility the last few days. … They swung away. Our guys play really hard. Just got to play better.”

Mike White addresses Georgia's turnover issues

Though physical play was a factor, coach Mike White pinpointed turnovers as the prime culprit in Georgia's loss to Alabama. White said that the Bulldogs' second-half giveaways ultimately sealed their fate in the 85-76 defeat.

"It was a really physical game, both ways," White said. "It was, probably more so than any game this year, guys hitting the floor. Both teams. In the first, what, seven, eight, ten minutes of the second half there must have been eight times when both teams got multiple guys diving on the floor. So, credit both teams’ intensity level.

"That said, we had a lot of balls in the paint for us right in front of our beach in the second half that whether it was an unclean pass or unclean catch or a Bama defender getting a hand or a finger on it led to some turnovers, which led to some transition offense for those guys."

Looking to rebound from the disappointing loss, Mike White's Georgia (14-7, 4-4 SEC) returns to action Saturday, hosting South Carolina (18-3, 6-2) at 1 p.m. ET.