University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
16-5,4-4SEC
Tennessee
14-6,4-3SEC
Bulldogs Fall to Volunteers in Overtime, 86-85
January 28, 2026 | Men's Basketball
ATHENS, Ga. - The Georgia Bulldogs (16-5, 4-4) fell to the Tennessee Volunteers (14-6, 4-3) in an 86-85 overtime loss on Wednesday night in Stegeman Coliseum. Sophomore Kanon Catchings led the charge for the Bulldogs with a season-high 22 points.
Fast Facts:
- To go with Catchings' 22-points, Jordan Ross and Smurf Millender added 19 and 10 points, respectively.
- After 10 lead changes, a layup by Smurf Millender tied the game up at 74 to end regulation. In overtime, after the Volunteers took a six-point lead with 2:26 remaining, Georgia went on a 7-4 run to cut the deficit to three. With possession and 0:15 left in the overtime period, the Bulldogs were unable to find a shot from three, and Tennessee sealed the win.
- Georgia relied on 32 bench points compared to Tennessee's 10. This is also the second time this season Georgia recorded just six turnovers.Â
- This is Georgia's fourth overtime game of the season, tying the program record. There have now been eight seasons with four overtime games, and tonight's game marks the first occasion since the 2012-13 season.Â
Key Quotes:
Georgia Head Coach Mike White
Opening Statement
"I thought we played really hard. It's a really tough loss for our guys. We've had a couple losses where I've used effort, and I've used intensity and lulls, and I've had that type of language. Just openly with you guys, specifically our last game in the second half, just defensively was horrendous. I thought we fought today, really fought, proud of the effort. We had some plays there late regulation. We had a two-on-one. We had some free throw opportunities. They had some shots that they just made. 24 to 4 paint points. It's tough to overcome 26 offensive rebounds when you give that up. It's just tough to overcome to the fact that we still had a chance in overtime. Despite those numbers show you that we were flying around and doing some good things. Shot over 50-percent against one of the best defensive programs in the country. Top 10 defense right now if I'm not mistaken. Had a few open looks from three that if they converted. 11 assists, six turnovers. We did a lot of good things. If they get 18 offensive rebounds instead of 26, it would still be too many, but we would have walked out of here with a big win. It's been a big point of emphasis since the season tipped for us. We've talked about it a lot, we'll continue to stress it, to work on it. At the end of the day, we're not a great defensive rebounding team. That's obvious, but certainly we can all give a little bit more and figure out a way to finish some stops. Our first shot defense was pretty good with a lot of those possessions."
On the team conversions in the final seconds of overtime…
"We ran some action to get Blue [Cain] potentially downhill to his right hand, and then we were running some misdirection pin down toward the top of the key action with Smurf [Millender] which we've had a lot of success with him getting open ones, and they switched it. They did more switching tonight. I'd hate to speak for Rick [Barnes], but I think they did more so than they have in any game this year. Which tells you we were doing some good things to get them playing a little bit differently. They switched that, and then it came down to trying to make a play off the bounce and getting someone a shot. I'm anxious to watch it. I think Kanon [Catchings] potentially had a decent look there, but when you're late game and it's a big moment, sometimes stuff happens. I could've seen him in his mind if I ask him tomorrow, I see him potentially saying that he thought they had another six or seven seconds. It's just not the way it was. Again, they're early defense against that action was good to where we didn't get a clean look to switch, that's what caused a little bit of chaos."
 #3 Jordan Ross | Jr. | Guard
On Smurf Millender's emotions after the game…
"He's good. He played well. He's the only reason we were even in the game in the first place. He might have just got confused with time and scoring and had a mishap."
On defensive rebounding…
"There's a lot we can do to fix that. I think they had 26 offensive rebounds. We had 27 total. That's ridiculous. The fact we went to overtime with that being the rebounding numbers is crazy. That says something about our team – both bad and good. We've got to fix it, though. We will fix it."Â
#6 Kanon Catchings | So. | Forward
On defensive rebounding…
"I feel like everybody has to do their job. It's always a big focus in our practices and really everything. Every time we have a practice, we have to rebound, have to hit. We just have to do our job."
On preparing for Texas A&M on Saturday…
"I'd say just play hard and figure out how we can win the next game. It's a big one. Every game in the SEC is a big one."
Tennessee Head Coach Rick Barnes
On Mike White…
"Just so much respect for Mike White. I think he's truly one of the best coaches in the country. I've always had great admiration for him. That's a really hard team to prepare for because he's just going to get the most out of his guys. I think he's got a really terrific basketball team, and we expected both teams to play to their ability, and to be in a game like this."
Up Next:
Georgia welcomes Texas A&M in Stegeman Coliseum this Saturday, Jan. 31. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. The first 750 students will receive a replica Asa Newell jersey.
Secure your tickets for future Bulldog home games here.
