18. Mike White (Georgia)
A decade has passed since Georgia reached the NCAA Tournament. A football school that rarely has success in basketball has seen tumult at times in recent years, but White is hoping he’s the one responsible for turning that around. After solid years at Florida, his first two seasons with Georgia were full of potential, but it was somewhat unrealized. This year could be different for the Bulldogs.
Thanks to freshman star Asa Newell, Georgia has been a different team this season. White’s roster endured several changes in the offseason and has come out better, getting this year off to a 12-1 start. Obviously, he’ll prove his worth if the Bulldogs succeed in SEC play, and they already scored a double-digit win over a Top 10 Kentucky squad. Two straight close losses really hurt that hot start to the season, but we’re actually talking about Georgia like a contender.
Georgia was picked to finish 12th in the SEC and that still might happen, but 12th could get them into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in ten years. It’s obvious that they’ll need to keep winning and beating the tough teams in their league, but this team actually looks capable of hanging with teams like Auburn as they did last weekend. White is having his breakthrough in year three; but what exactly is the ceiling for Newell and this year’s team?