It's been a long decade, but Georgia is finally back in the NCAA Tournament.
Georgia's history in the big dance is anything but extensive. The Bulldogs have only reached the NCAA Tournament 13 times in 119 seasons. That's actually a remarkable feat given the size of Georgia's athletic budget and success in other sports, notably football.
Give credit to Mike White and this year's group of players, who caught fire to win four of its final five games to earn a 9-seed in the Midwest Regional. The Bulldogs will face 8-seed Gonzaga in the first round on Thursday.
Let's take a look at each of Georgia's tournament runs, including what life was like during each of these appearances.
Last time Georgia made the NCAA Tournament
Year: 2015
Games played:
First round — 7-seed Michigan State 70, 10-seed Georgia 63
Georgia gave Michigan State everything it could handle in this game. Kenny Gaines played injured and scored 15 points, but it wasn't enough to upend the Spartans. Interestingly enough, Michigan State escaped the Bulldogs and caught fire en route to the Final Four.
No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100: Uptown Funk! by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
Top movie in America: The Divergent Series: Insurgent
Most popular TV show: The Big Bang Theory
Georgia’s U.S. Senators: David Perdue, Johnny Isakson
Average price of a McDonald’s Big Mac: $4.79
NCAA football champion: Ohio State
NCAA Tournament champion: Duke
Last time Georgia won a game in the NCAA TournamentÂ
Year: 2002
Games played:
First round — 3-seed Georgia 85, 14-seed Murray State 68
Second round — 11-seed Southern Illinois 77, 3-seed Georgia 75
In 2002, Jim Harrick's Georgia team entered the NCAA Tournament with high expectations and took care of business against Murray State. Of course, this win would later be vacated due to rules violations committed in Harrick's tenure.
Georgia's second round game against Southern Illinois ended in disappointment, however. The Bulldogs led by as many as 19 in the first half but allowed the Salukis to rally and steal a victory late.
No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of Georgia’s tourney exit: Ain’t It Funny by Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule
Top grossing movie in America that week: Ice Age
Most popular TV show that year: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Georgia’s U.S. Senators: Max Cleland, Zell Miller
Average price of a McDonald’s Big Mac: $2.39
NCAA football champion: Miami
NCAA Tournament champion: Maryland
Last time Georgia reached the Sweet 16
Year: 1996
Games played:
First round — 8-seed Georgia 81, 9-seed Clemson 74
Second round — 8-seed Georgia 76, 1-seed Purdue 69
Sweet 16 — 4-seed Syracuse 83, 8-seed Georgia 81 (OT)
After dispatching Clemson, Georgia got the game of his life from Terrell Bell. Bell made all five of his field goals and went 5-for-7 from the free-throw line to score 15 minutes in the win. Carlos Strong scored 17 and Shandon Anderson posted 15.
The Bulldogs fought valiantly against Syracuse but it wasn't enough late. Anderson scored 25 points and Pertha Robinson totaled 21 in what was a wild overtime finish that saw Georgia go up 81-80 on an Anderson 3 with 7.1 seconds to go. But only five seconds later, Syracuse's John Wallace hit a contested 3 at the top of the key to win the game for the Orange.
No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of Georgia’s tourney exit: One Sweet Day by Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey
Top grossing movie in America that week: The Birdcage
Most popular TV show that year: ER
Georgia’s U.S. Senators: Sam Nunn, Paul Coverdale
Average price of a McDonald’s Big Mac: $2.36
NCAA football champion: Nebraska
NCAA Tournament champion: Kentucky
Last, and only, time Georgia reached the Elite Eight and Final Four
Year: 1983
Games played:
Second round — 4-seed Georgia 56, 5-seed VCU 54
Sweet 16 — 4-seed Georgia 70, 1-seed St. John’s 67
Elite Eight — 4-seed Georgia 82, 2-seed North Carolina 77
Final Four — 6-seed NC State 67, 4-seed Georgia 60
Georgia defeated teams with future Hall of Famers in its only Final Four run in team history. First, it was St. John's, which had Chris Mullen on the roster. While Mullen scored 19 points in the game, Georgia's Terry Fair led the way with a game-high 27 in the win.
In the Elite Eight, Georgia went against none other than the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. That Tar Heels team also had Sam Perkins, Brad Daugherty and Matt Doherty. Jordan scored 26 in the loss, with James Banks totaling 20 for the Bulldogs.
However, Georgia wasn't enough for the ultimate Cinderella story. N.C. State, which needed to win the ACC Tournament to receive a bid for the NCAA Tournament, kept its improbable winning streak alive thanks to a strong defensive game and 20 points each from Dereck Whittenburg and Thurl Bailey.
No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of Georgia’s tourney exit: Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
Top grossing movie in America that week: Tootsie
Most popular TV show that year: Dallas
Georgia’s U.S. Senators: Sam Nunn, Mack Mattingly
Average price of a McDonald’s Big Mac: $0.80
NCAA football champion: Penn State
NCAA Tournament champion: N.C. State
