Is Florida vs. Georgia a Rivalry Game in Basketball?
It’s one of the biggest rivalries in the sport. You can feel the excitement in the air whenever both of these teams face off. That’s right. It’s No. 14 Florida against Georgia in the game once known as the World’s Largest Outdoor … oh wait, that’s for football.
Yeah, the Gators and the Bulldogs aren’t exactly big basketball rivals, but that may be starting to change.
Florida has had recent dominance against Georgia in the last seven years. The Gators have won 14 of 16 matchups against the Bulldogs since the 2018-19 season. Yes, that includes the time Mike White was Florida’s coach. White’s biggest margin of victory in that timespan was a 14-point win in Athens on March 4, 2020.
Before Trevor Etienne left Florida football for Georgia, there was White leaving the Gators for the Bulldogs in 2022. That departure, seen as traitorous by the Florida faithful, turned the rivalry on its head.
It’s always a tradition for Florida’s student section to yell out “sucks” after the PA announcer names the opposing starters and coaches at the O’Dome during basketball season. Not for White, though. Just about every Florida fan in the arena will let out their loudest boos after White’s name is called.
Florida coach Todd Golden has continued the Gators’ dominance against Georgia. Golden is undefeated at home against the Dawgs, and recent wins haven’t been close. Florida took control in its 2025 and 2026 victories with 30 and 15-point wins.
Georgia fans never had much to cheer for in this rivalry … until last February. The Bulldogs hosted the eventual national champion Gators, looking to break a 12-game losing streak in the series. Unranked Georgia came out firing from the tip-off, while No. 3 Florida couldn’t respond.
Georgia led by as much as 26 points before the Gators came all the way back in the closing minutes. Florida led 80-78, but couldn’t come back after a game-clinching 3-pointer from Blue Cain to secure the signature win for Georgia.
Florida fans never stormed the court after winning against Georgia. Part of that is because they will get arrested if they do so. But amongst the Florida crowd, it is frowned upon to storm the court or the football field after signature and rivalry wins.
The Georgia fans had no shame, though. A wave of Georgia supporters flooded the court after the win.
Florida may have won the national championship last year, and may already have one win against Georgia at home last month. But the Gators will look to redeem themselves from the loss in Athens last season. Coverage starts at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN 98.1-FM, 103.7-FM/850 AM WRUF and 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
Category: College Basketball, Gator Sports, Gators Men's Basketball
