Georgia vs Saint Louis - Everything to Know About the 1st Round March Madness Game

Everything you need to know about the first round matchup between Georgia and Saint Louis.

The Georgia Bulldogs and the Saint Louis Billikens are set to face off in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday. This is the second year in a row the Bulldogs have made the tournament and Saint Louis' first time since 2019.

The Billikens bring a 28-5 record into the tournament. Some notable wins that Saint Louis has had this season are beating VCU twice in the regular season and Santa Clara back in November, both of which are teams that also made the NCAA tournament this year.

How Does Georgia Matchup Against Saint Louis in the NCAA Tournament?

Feb 17, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Georgia Bulldogs center Somto Cyril (2) celebrates after scoring a basket and getting fouled during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The leading scorer for Saint Louis is Robbi Avila, who is averaging 12.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Right behind him are Trey Green and Dion Brown, who are both averaging 11.1 points per game.

The Billikens as a team rank 10th in the country for points per game, averaging 87.2 points. They also rank second in the country for three point percentage with a 40.1 shooting percentage from behind the arc. They attempt the 49th most three pointers per game in the country as well. The Billikens are also holding their opponents to an average of 69.5 points per game.

Those numbers would indicate that this will likely be high scoring game between Saint Louis and Georgia. The Bulldogs are averaging 89.8 points per game which ranks eighth in the country. The Bulldogs' leading scorer is Jeremiah Wilkinson, who is averaging 17.0 points per game. Blue Cain is right behind him at 13.3 and Kanon Catchings behind him at 12.0.

The Bulldogs haven't been as strong as Saint Louis defensively, though. Georgia's opponents are averaging 79.2 points per game, which ranks 315th in the country. However, Georgia does rank second for blocks per game at 6.1. Georgia also is turning their opponents over for an average of 13.8 per game.

It will be interesting to see how this game turns out. Two high powered offenses matching up and both teams do a good job of turning the other team over. Likely, this game will consist of some back and forth runs, and whichever team plays the cleanest in the final five minutes will likely be the team who advances to the second round of the tournament.

Georgia and Saint Louis will tip off at 9:45 PM ET on CBS on Thursday.