ATHENS — Georgia basketball hopes there’s no place like its home on Saturday.
The No. 23-ranked Bulldogs wouldn’t just be shocking the world if they were to upset No. 1 Auburn — more like shocking the galaxy.
Georgia is a 7-point underdog against Bruce Pearl’s explosive, battled-tested Tigers, and beating the best team from the best conference would represent a program-changing sort of win.
But for UGA to extend its home win streak to 14 —13 stands as 10th-longest in the nation, second among SEC teams (Kentucky, 15) — Georgia will need to play its best basketball after the game tips at 1 p.m. (SEC Network) in Stegeman Coliseum.
Auburn (16-1, 4-0 SEC) just beat No. 15 Mississippi State by an 88-66 count on Tuesday without the benefit of star forward Johni Broome, a 6-foot-10, 240-pounder averaging 17.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per outing.
Broome, who has an ankle injury, might miss the game at Georgia, as well.
Still, the Tigers have plenty of offensive firepower with five other players averaging double-digit scoring in Pearl’s deep lineup.
It’s par for the course in a deep SEC, which currently has six of the top 11 teams, and nine programs, in all, ranked in the current AP Top 25.
Coach Mike White’s Bulldogs (14-3, 2-2) stand among them, thanks in large part to freshman star Asa Newell.
“Great player, great pro, great upside, hard worker, great kid, he checks off every box you possibly could want to check off,” Pearl told DawgNation. “And he’s more mature than many freshman — he’s a mature freshman, and guys like that do it the right way.”
Pearl, now in his 11th season at Auburn, notes how much the league has changed since his arrival in it at Tennessee in 2005.
“We were struggling to get three or four teams in the league in the NCAA tournament; it was Billy Donovan and Florida and Kentucky all the time, and then who else, and every now and then another team or two would make a run,” said Pearl, who led Tennessee to NCAA tournament bids all six years he was there.
“But I think the league, with the SEC Network, Mike Slive’s commitment, and of course, Greg Sankey, there’s a real commitment,” Pearl said.
“We have new facilities, we have upgraded coaching and we’ve got NIL, and so it’s about time men’s basketball has caught up to football, and caught up to baseball, caught up to gymnastics, softball, tennis, golf, across the board.”
To Pearl’s point, White has put bite in the Bulldogs, as they beat No. 6 Kentucky and then-No 17 Oklahoma in Athens last week.
As much as it has been about coaching and facilities improvement at UGA, freshman post Somto Cyril explained this program has added incentive in home games.
“When we play in Georgia, this is our home,” Cyril said. “When you come into our home, expect us to fight, and we’re going to compete.”
Auburn is the fifth Top 25 opponent Georgia has played in as many games at the front end of its SEC schedule.
The Bulldogs had never played four consecutive ranked opponents, much less five, before this season.
Here’s a look at the nine SEC teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this week:
1. Auburn (16-1, 4-0 SEC)
Coach Bruce Pearl, 64 years old
• Year/record at current school: 11th season, 350-230 (.657)
• Ranked wins this season (teams ranking at time of game):
74-69 vs. No. 4 Houston;
83-81 vs. No. 5 Iowa State;
85-72 vs. No. 12 North Carolina
87-69 vs. No. 16 Purdue
88-66 vs. No. 15 Mississippi State
4. Alabama (14-3, 3-1 SEC)
Coach Nate Oats, 50 years old
• Year/record at current school: 6th season, 131-57 (.697)
• Ranked wins this season (teams ranking at time of game):
100-87 vs. No. 25 Illinois
85-80 vs. No. 6 Houston
94-79 vs. No. 20 North Carolina
107-79 vs. No. 12 Oklahoma
94-68 vs. No. 10 Texas A&M
5. Florida (15-2, 2-2 SEC)
Coach Todd Golden, 39 years old
• Year/record at current school: 3rd season, 55-30, (.647)
• Ranked wins this season (teams ranking at time of game):
73-43 vs. No. 1 Tennessee
6. Tennessee (16-1, 3-1 SEC)
Coach Rick Barnes, 70 years old
• Year/record at current school: 10th season, 216-102 (.679)
• Ranked wins this season (teams ranking at time of game):
77-62 vs. No. 13 Baylor
74-56 vs. No. 23 Georgia
8. Kentucky (14-3, 3-1 SEC)
Coach Mark Pope, 52 years old
• Year/record at current school: 1st season, 14-3 (.824)
• Ranked wins this season (teams ranking at time of game):
77-72 vs. No. 6 Duke
90-89 (OT) vs. No. 7 Gonzaga
106-100 vs. No. 6 Florida
95-90 vs. No. 14 Mississippi State
81-69 vs. No. 11 Texas A&M
11. Texas A&M (13-4, 2-2 SEC)
Coach Buzz Williams, 52 years old
• Year/record at current school: 6th season, 110-66 (.625)
• Ranked wins this season (teams ranking at time of game):
78-64 vs. No. 21 Ohio State
77-73 vs. No. 21 Creighton
70-66 vs. No. 11 Purdue
80-78 vs. No. 17 Oklahoma
15. Mississippi State (14-3, 2-2 SEC)
Coach Chris Jans, 55 years old
• Year/record at current school: 3rd season, 56-30 (.651)
• Ranked wins this season (teams ranking at time of game):
90-57 vs. No. 18 Pitt
79-66 vs. No. 21 Memphis
21. Ole Miss (15-2, 4-0 SEC)
Coach Chris Beard, 51 years old
• Year/record at current school: 2nd season, 35-14 (.714)
• Ranked wins this season (teams ranking at time of game):
74-64 vs. No. 4 Alabama
23. Georgia (14-3, 2-2 SEC)
Coach Mike White, 47 years old
• Year/record at current school: 3rd season, 50-36 (.581)
• Ranked wins this season (teams ranking at time of game):
66-63 vs. No. 22 St. John’s
82-69 vs. No. 6 Kentucky
72-62 vs. No. 17 Oklahoma
