Georgia guard Silas Demary Jr. (5) celebrates a win after an NCAA college basketball game against Florida, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
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Georgia guard Blue Cain sank a go-ahead 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining after No. 3 Florida took its first lead by scoring 13 unanswered points, and the Bulldogs beat the Gators 88-83 on Tuesday night.
Florida, which trailed by 26 points in the first half, rallied from a 78-67 deficit with the 13-0 run to lead 80-78. Cain’s 3-pointer ended the run.
Georgia (17-11, 5-10 Southeastern Conference) boosted its hopes for its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2015. The Bulldogs ended Florida’s 12-game winning streak in the series and gave coach Mike White his first win against his former Florida team. White had been 0-6 against the Gators.
Will Richard scored a career-high 30 points but Florida (24-4, 11-4) fell short of pulling off its second comeback in four days. The Gators rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit to beat LSU 79-65 Saturday night.
Silas Demary Jr. led Georgia with 21 points. Asa Newell had 15.
Georgia fans rush the court in celebration after an NCAA college basketball game against Florida, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Georgia fans wait for Florida to leave before storming court
Georgia fans showed it’s possible to storm the court for a postgame celebration — and to be polite at the same time.
The Stegeman Coliseum public address announcer made repeated requests in the final minute of Georgia’s 88-83 upset of No. 3 Florida to wait 90 seconds after the game and give the Gators and officials time to leave the court. The message, delivered during late timeouts, included the addendum that fans then would be welcome to celebrate on the court.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was fans followed the instructions, even though the win over Florida, one of Georgia’s biggest rivals, ended the Gators’ streak of 12 consecutive wins in the series while also providing the Bulldogs with an important boost to their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Players and team officials celebrated on the court for about a minute while fans began filling the aisles, waiting for the go-ahead to rush onto the court. Then, just as the public address announcer promised, the fans were then given full access to rush onto the court.
Many in the crowd of 10,066 remained on the court for several minutes, celebrating Georgia’s first win in the series since March 2, 2019.
There was no immediate word if the unusual postgame order would have any impact on normal fines from the Southeastern Conference to schools for having fans rushing onto the playing field or court following games. The first offense carries a fine of $100,000.
Georgia coach Mike White said he was not involved in any plan before the game to ask fans to wait 90 seconds to celebrate on the court.
“I didn’t know it was coming,” White said. “I leave that to our administration. … I’m sure our players will remember that for the rest of their lives.”
Georgia freshman Asa Newell said he appreciated the fans’ support but added, “We’ve got to keep the fans in the stands.”
Takeaways
Florida: Sophomore forward Alex Condon, who missed four games with a low ankle sprain, scored nine points.
Georgia: The Bulldogs’ last win over Florida was a 61-55 victory on March 2, 2019. Tyrin Lawrence had 14 points after missing three games with a hamstring injury.
Key moment
Thomas Haugh’s layup with 1:28 remaining gave the Gators their first lead at 79-78.
Key stat
The Gators’ 15 steals led to a 29-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
Up next
Both teams return to action on Saturday night, when Florida plays host to No. 12 Texas A&M and Georgia visits Texas.
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