You cannot win them all. That being said, Georgia's second loss of the season did not have to be as bad as what the final score indicated. No. 18 Georgia got pummeled 92-77 to the arch rival Florida Gators in Gainesville. While Georgia was only down 41-40 at halftime, losing a key player shortly before half in Somto Cyril culminated in the Bulldogs getting pulverized in the second half, 51-37.
Cyril was rightfully assessed a flagrant 2 foul for punching this Florida player below the basket...
Georgia’s Somto Cyril EJECTED after throwing this punch 😳pic.twitter.com/KHjJj2xpBh
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 7, 2026
Cyril has to be smarter than this. Even though Georgia was a 9.5-point road dog in Gainesville, Cyril's presence down low has been a reason this team always seems to stay in games. On Saturday, it looked like he was down for the count with a leg injury. Instead, he bounced back and helped lift the Bulldogs past rival Auburn in overtime at Stegeman Coliseum. When he is out, UGA is not the same.
Georgia will have to pick up the pieces in time for Saturday's game at the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Somto Cyril seems be even more valuable for Georgia than expected
Look. Winning on the road at the defending national champions was never going to be easy. This is a game that has a ton of emotions baked into it. Florida is Mike White's former employer, and Todd Golden won his first national title at the helm of the Gators in year three at Gainesville. Odds are, the game starting to go in Florida's favor got the best of Cyril's emotions and he really paid a price for it.
This double-digit defeat goes down as Georgia's second Quad 1 loss of the year, with the other being to Clemson in overtime during the non-conference slate. While they can pick up a fourth Quad 2 win on the season with a road victory over South Carolina, now is not the time for these Bulldogs to lose their heads away from Stegeman. Georgia dominated in the non-conference, albeit vs. a weak slate.
Overall, it remains to be seen if Georgia will be ranked again this time next week. If they lose back-to-back SEC games at Florida and South Carolina, then they will have no shot. For Georgia to make it back into the NCAA Tournament, White's team must show everyone that this team is for real and can handle adversity accordingly. This team is talented, but plays a little too reckless for anyone's taste.
It is a long season in conference play, but hopefully this is a game where Cyril can really grow from.