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The Georgia basketball program hasn’t had it easy the last two decades.

Since their first-round NCAA Tournament victory in 2002, the Bulldogs have gone winless in three appearances in “The Big Dance.” They last heard their name on Selection Sunday in 2015.

The 2024-25 team might be the program’s best shot of returning to the NCAAs.

Georgia enters the year coming off its first 20-win season since 2015-16. Under head coach Mike White, the Bulldogs advanced to last year’s NIT semifinals before falling to Seton Hall.

Ahead of Monday night’s season opener against visiting Tennessee Tech, expectations are growing in Athens, Ga., for the Bulldogs, a Southeastern Conference team that finished 20-17 overall last season.

The Bulldogs return two of four players that appeared in all 37 games last year, in Silas Demary Jr. and Blue Cain. Both major contributors as freshmen, Demary was third on the team with an average of 9.7 points per game, while Cain chipped in 7.4 ppg and 50 3-pointers.

In the portal, White picked up a pair of power-conference players that will be vital in Georgia’s success.

Tyrin Lawrence averaged 13.8 points in 28 starts last season for Vanderbilt, and RJ Godfrey made 36 appearances in 2023-24 for a Clemson team that advanced to the Elite Eight. Both newcomers have excited White in the preseason.

“(Tyrin) is a talented defender,” White said. “He’s fast and quick, and he’s made some big shots in his SEC career. … We thought (RJ) was super underrated when he jumped in the portal. We are counting on him to be a change agent within our culture, to be a guy in our locker room that models what we’re trying to do on a daily basis in rebuilding Georgia basketball.”

Georgia’s first task will be a Tennessee Tech team that’s coached by someone who knows SEC basketball better than many.

The Golden Eagles, of the Ohio Valley Conference, are led by John Pelphrey, a former Kentucky standout player who was the head coach at Arkansas from 2007-11. He’s also had stints as an assistant at Florida and Alabama.

Now in his sixth season at Tennessee Tech, Pelphrey has his group vying to rebound from last year’s 10-21 showing.

“I think this is the most coachable group I’ve had since we’ve been here, which is exciting,” Pelphrey said. “We were able to address a lot of things in recruiting that we find important. Shooting, basketball IQ, leadership. Those are things that we value.”

Key returners for the Golden Eagles include Rodney Johnson Jr. (10.7 ppg last season) and Daniel Egbuniwe (7.6).

–Field Level Media