"It's a monster league": Mike White acknowledges grind of the SEC conference taking toll on Georgia

The Southeastern Conference basketball can be challenging, especially for Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs. The conference boasts multiple teams ranked in the AP Top 25, including Auburn, Florida, Alabama, and Kentucky, among others.

While Georgia had its moments in the rankings, after the 12-1 record against non-conference teams, they declined as they progressed through conference play. Following Saturday's loss to the Missouri Tigers, White reflected on the difficulty of playing in the SEC.

He is aware of the talent the conference has, knowing it takes a lot for his team to beat the best in the country, especially against teams they are familiar with.

“You know, I think it’s, I think the grind has an impact on everybody – everybody at this level, period," White said. "We’ve also had two or three that could have gone the other way.

"With just one thing that could have been a little bit differently, we wouldn’t be talking about the grind. We’d be talking about how good of a position we’re in.

Mike White admitted that his team knew about the importance of this game and tried their best. He also noted a change in the body language of the Bulldogs players when they realised that this game wouldn't go their way.

"It’s a monster league and Missouri came out early second half and won the game right there."

How Mike White's Bulldogs have played this season

The performance of Mike White's Georgia Bulldogs has been up and down this season. After a strong showing against non-conference teams, they have since gone 4-9 in SEC play. They are 16-10 overall, putting up 75 points on 46.2% shooting from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc.

Leading the team is Asa Newell, who averages 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds on shooting splits of 55.5% from the floor and 27.4% from downtown. Silas Demary Jr. comes next with 11.9 points and 4.0 rebounds, while Dakota Leffew averages 10.3 points and 2.0 assists and Blue Cain has nine points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Five more matchups await Georgia on their schedule, having two left in the month of February. They have two games at home and three on the road.

Mike White and the Bulldogs prepare for a tough matchup on the road on Saturday when they face the No. 1 Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena.