Georgia vs Saint Louis Tactical Breakdown: 3 Ways Dawgs Can Beat Billikens

Three things Georgia must do if they want to beat Saint Louis in the round of the tournament.

The Georgia Bulldogs are just a few days out from their first round matchup against Saint Louis. The game is set to top off at 9:45 PM on Thursday in Buffalo, New York.

This is the second year in a row Georgia has made the tournament, and last year's appearance didn't go as planned. The Dawgs were eliminated in the first round by Gonzaga after a 20+ point loss. So if the Bulldogs want to make it further in the tournament this year, these are the three things Georgia must do to beat Saint Louis.

Three Keys to Victory for the Georgia Bulldogs vs Saint Louis

Jan 17, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mike White shown on the sidelines during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

1. Prevent Offensive Rebounds

Offensive rebounds have been a crux for Georgia at times this year. The good news for the Bulldogs is Saint Louis ranks 240th in the country for offensive rebounds per game, averaging 10.2 per game. Regardless of what the numbers say though, Georgia has to limit second chances if they want to make it past the first round this year.

2. Limit Saint Louis' Offensive Runs

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 Bulldogs are averaging 89.8 points per game which ranks eighth in the country. Needless to say, there is likely going to be a lot of points scored in this game, so the key for Georgia is to make sure Saint Louis doesn't go on huge offensive runs. If the Bulldogs can limit those can maintain stability on offense, they should be in good shape.

3. Faster First Half Start

Cold starts are what led to Georgia to being eliminated in the first round last year and what led to them being eliminated in the second round of the SEC tournament. Georgia scored just 20 points in the first half against Ole Miss and 27 points in the first half against Gonzaga last year.

Despite that, Georgia managed to out score Ole Miss in the second half by 10 points and kept pace with Gonzaga in the second half. Ultimately, the holes Georgia dug itself into in those games was too much to overcome, so Georgia will need to make sure that doesn't happen against Saint Louis.