After trailing 10-0 early on, Georgia found its rhythm and pulled off the 62-60 upset over Missouri.
The Bulldogs held the Tigers to just 34.4 percent shooting and grabbed a 41-40 edge on the glass.
Yante Maten led the way for Georgia with 21 points, with the senior capturing a double-double by earning 10 rebounds. Teshaun Hightower added 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
Jontay Porter paced Missouri with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Michael Porter Jr., who made his return to the court after playing only two minutes during the regular season, added 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting and eight rebounds in 23 minutes of action.
Georgia will advance to the quarterfinal round on Friday to take on Kentucky.
The Bulldogs and Wildcats have met in two straight SEC tournaments, with Kentucky winning both meetings by double-digits.
Lovell’s Analysis
One interesting takeaway from Georgia’s victory is that a double-digit seed has reached the quarterfinal round in five of the six SEC tournaments since expansion.
Of course, another takeaway is that the Bulldogs are sending the home state team packing early in this year’s tournament.
The talk of this year’s SEC Tournament was the even being held in St. Louis, and that decision seemed to pay off big time when Missouri announced the return of preseason Co-Player of the Year Michael Porter Jr.
But it was the AP Player of the Year in Maten that shined in this game, and while Georgia’s season has been disappointing, he’s given the Bulldogs a huge spark in their first two games of the postseason.
And while he has racked up plenty of awards, it still feels like Maten’s contributions don’t get the type of recognition that they would if he was playing for an elite team. But yet in most games Georgia plays, he’s undoubtedly the best player on the court.
In a year where it was obvious that Maten’s role would increase due to the departure of JJ Frazier, the senior has delivered in a big way.
Unfortunately, for most of the regular season, he didn’t have enough help around him.
That hasn’t been the case the past two days. Teshaun Hightower and Rayshaun Hammonds have both played very well, as have Nicolas Claxton and Derek Ogbeide.
If Georgia wants to take down Kentucky on Friday, it’ll need all of those players to continue to add significant contributions. While the Wildcats have been vulnerable at times this season, there’s no doubt that there fans will be out in full force, which will make this feel like a true road game for Mark Fox’s team.
Speaking of Fox, the most intriguing storyline surrounding Georgia entering the tournament was his job security. Will these two wins change things dramatically? Probably not.
But add in a win over Kentucky, which would leave the Bulldogs a win away from the title game? Maybe things would get a bit more interesting.
However, no matter what the coaching situation looks like heading into next season, Maten and company look like a team that’s starting to figure things out.
If the Bulldogs play with the same type of intensity in the quarterfinals, they’ll have an opportunity to inch a little closer to the NCAA Tournament bubble.
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