"It was an emotional win": Mike White believes Florida win sparked Georgia’s best performance yet as Bulldogs roll over Texas

Mike White and Georgia pulled off their biggest win of the season last week by upsetting Florida, a top-five team. However, their next game against Texas was just as crucial since both teams were fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The Bulldogs delivered in a big way, beating Texas 83-67 on Saturday. Coach Mike White believes their win over Florida carried over into this game, helping Georgia secure back-to-back victories for the first time in nearly two months. More importantly, it didn’t have a negative effect on their mindset.

"From strictly a confidence standpoint, probably some relation there," White said. "That said, though, after a big, emotional win – and it was an emotional win because we found ourselves up 26 and then we’re down late game, right.

"I think the bigger fear, as a staff, is you go into the next one overly comfortable and feeling a little bit too good about yourself. And that was far from who we were."

Mike White praises his team after a big win over Texas

Georgia played one of their best games of the season in the dominant 16-point win in Austin. The Bulldogs led the entire game, at one point going up by 28. With NCAA Tournament hopes on the line, they shot 51.8% from the field and 36.4% from three-point range.

Silas Demery Jr. had a career-high 26 points, shooting 57.1% from the field and 50% from deep. Georgia also outperformed Texas in rebounding, scoring in the paint and forcing turnovers.

Coming off their biggest win under White, this had the potential to be a letdown game. But the Bulldogs stayed focused, which impressed Mike White.

"This team is really, really young and so the mindset that we had was much-needed, it was appropriate, and it’s respected by us, you know, as a staff, by myself, of course. We were locked in," White said.

"After a big win like that, you know, for a team that’s searching, especially for a road win in the SEC? There was no difference in our approach, you know, leading into this one with shootaround, with the practices."

Georgia remains on the bubble as the regular season nears its end. But if they keep playing like they did in their last two games, they’ll feel much more confident about their tournament chances on Selection Sunday.