It all comes down to this... The No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs will be taking on the No. 9 Saint Louis Billikens in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. While the winner of this game may meet an untimely demise in the Round of 32 on Saturday with the No. 1-seeded Michigan Wolverines looming large, anything and everything can happen in March. So who is winning late on Thursday night in Buffalo?
Let's see what the general consensus is trying to tell us about Georgia and Saint Louis coming in...
CBB experts make their picks for No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis
Here are a handful of college basketball experts' picks on who will win on Thursday night and why.
ESPN's Jay Bilas is going with Georgia to win this one, citing, "Saint Louis hunts great shots and runs a beautiful offense. Georgia has better athletes -- sophomore Jeremiah Wilkinson averages 17.0 points per game -- and can beat Saint Louis in transition." Bilas seems to be of the belief that Georgia can use its pace-and-space to its advantage to get Saint Louis out of sorts during critical moments.
Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald is sticking with the hometown Dawgs for this salient reason: "The Billikens shared the Atlantic 10 regular season title, but have played just three Quad 1 opponents compared to Georgia's 13." Weiszer may cover Georgia, but nobody would question him on the notion of UGA being far more battle-tested within the context of league play than Saint Louis.
Jeremy Cluff of the Arizona Republic likes Georgia to win as well. "Saint Louis went 28-5 on the season, but it didn't exactly face a difficult schedule. Georgia has been tested by a tough SEC slate. That will help the Bulldogs late against the Billikens." Cluff echoes Weiszer's sentiments of Georgia having played the far more difficult schedule than Saint Louis up to this point. That should matter...
Bill Speros of Bookies.com is rolling with Georgia as well. "Georgia won five of their six to close the regular season with a program-record 22 wins under Mike White. He's quietly built a dangerous squad led by guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (17.0 points per game). Robbie Avila's injury has been priced in here." Speros made a strong point to mention how key Robbie Avila's injury might be for Saint Louis.
Daniel Mader of Sporting News likes Georgia to make it five-for-five here: "The pick here is Georgia, thanks to its strong offense, Cyril's defensive presence vs. Avila, and a lot more games against top teams in 2025-26." Mader's point seems to combine the notion that Georgia has survived a much more grueling gauntlet than Saint Louis, believing that Somto Cyril could take advantage of Avila.
Georgia being all five of these experts' picks is a tad concerning, but they all seem to have a point.
What Georgia fans should derive from these Saints Louis predictions
From purely a Georgia standpoint, the Dawgs should advance to the Round of 32. Anything short of that should be viewed as a disappointment for this year's Bulldogs team. It is about building positive momentum with each passing year. Winning 20 games back in 2024 was huge. Getting to the NCAA Tournament last year was a big deal. Now it is time for the Bulldogs to advance to the second round.
For the sake of optimism, Georgia should win because they have the deeper, more athletic, and more battle-tested team. Saint Louis may be a basketball school, but the Billikens have not played anywhere near the same level of competition in the A-10 as UGA has over in the SEC. Again, that should matter. If Georgia loses this game, it will be because it did not take care of business down low.
Ultimately, as long as Cyril keeps his composure, Wilkinson and company knock down their shots, and Mike White acts like he has been in the end zone before, Georgia should feel pretty good about its chances of advancing to the Round of 32 this year. Michigan looms large for either team in this one. It is why we should see a highly competitive game between the Bulldogs and the Billikens here.
Right now, Georgia seems to be the smart pick to win and advance, but by the slimmest of margins.