Much of the Georgia basketball spotlight has been on the newer, younger members of the squad during the 2019-2020 season, but for three players — seniors Jordan Harris and Tyree Crump and graduate senior Donnell Gresham Jr.— there are only nine more regular season games left to leave their mark on Georgia basketball.

The Bulldogs are currently 2-7 in the SEC, and to even have a shot at a .500 season in the conference, they will need to go 7-2 over the next month, beginning with Alabama on Saturday night in Stegeman Coliseum.

Two of Georgia’s most notable conference losses were to Missouri and Florida. In these games, Georgia lost despite 22- and 20-point leads to the Tigers and the Gators.

“It hurt,” Harris said. “Knowing that you [were] 20 points better than a team at a point in a game and knowing that you had a great chance of winning and still lose is disappointing … It hurts any competitor.”

Gresham used the same word to describe his emotion: disappointed. He said his team is capable of winning more than two SEC games by this point in the season, but they are not living up to that standard.

The graduate student recalled the flight home from Gainesville.

“It’s tough to sleep after a loss like that,” he said.

Despite the Bulldogs’ record, Harris feels that the team has everything that they need. The missing piece is execution, “sticking together” through the game and talking to each other, even when opposing teams go on runs.

The Crimson Tide will step into Stegeman looking to even out their conference record on Saturday night. They are currently just slightly on the losing side of the SEC with a 4-5 record. Their last conference win was on Jan. 22 against Vanderbilt.

Just over a month away from the end of their college basketball careers, the trio remains hopeful and eager to end the season on a higher note than it’s currently on.

“Obviously we want to go out with a bang, go out with a lot of wins,” Harris said.

From the nine freshmen to the three senior members of the team, there is a bond that the team shares, often referring to one another as big and little brothers. These relationships make it easier for the Bulldogs when things get tough.

“We’re a family, and we[‘re] going through things,” Harris said. “Like all other families [do].”

Printed with permission from The Red & Black independent student media organization based in Athens, Georgia; redandblack.com/sports