Georgia basketball's NCAA Tournament run begins Thursday night as the 8-seed Bulldogs take on 9-seed Saint Louis in the first round of the Big Dance.
Georgia is looking to bounce back after their controversial loss in the SEC Tournament. There is a lot of hope surrounding this team who is capable of ending a 30-year program drought, but Georgia fans aren't the only ones confident in this squad as Vegas oddsmakers predict UGA will beat Saint Louis Thursday night.
Georgia predicted to end decades long NCAA Tournament drought
Vegas oddsmakers predict a close game between Georgia and Saint Louis on Thursday. FanDuel Sportsbook has Georgia favored to win by 2.5 points which is where the spread opened immediately after the bracket was announced on Sunday.
The last time Georgia won an NCAA Tournament game was in 1996. That victory came against Purdue in the Round of 32 which sent the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16. Fast forward 30 years though and Georgia hasn't tasted victory in the Big Dance ever since, but Vegas thinks that will change this year.
If Georgia can get by Saint Louis they will likely run into 1-seed Michigan. Anyone can probably guess what Vegas will think of that game, but for now Georgia has to handle their business against Saint Louis.
If any team is going to break through and finally win an NCAA Tournament game it is this Georgia team. They have the experience from last year's defeat which gives them the extra motivation they need to come out on top this year. On top of that, this Geogia team set the regular season wins record as well, so they definitely have the talent to win this matchup.
Georgia and Saint Louis are scheduled to tip off just before 10:00 pm EST Thursday night. This means it'll be a late night for Georgia fans, but a victory 30 years in the making will make it all worth it.