ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia Bulldogs will compete in the 2023 Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship on Nov. 17 and 19 this season, tournament organizer bdG Sports announced on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs will join previously announced participants Miami (Fla.), Kansas State and Providence in the four-team field at the Baha Mar Convention, Arts & Entertainment Center in Nassau.
CBS Sports will televise all four games of the third edition of the tournament. Georgia will face Miami, a 2023 NCAA Final Four team, on Friday, Nov. 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET followed by Kansas State taking on Providence at 6:00 p.m. On Sunday, Nov. 19, the consolation game will begin at noon, with the championship contest slated for 2:30 p.m.
“I’ve said we wanted our non-conference schedule to be tougher this season, and the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship is certainly a major factor in accomplishing that goal,” Georgia head coach Mike White said. “To face Miami, a 2023 Final Four team, and either Kansas State or Providence, both NCAA Tournament teams last season, in a three-day span in November will provide us with a great barometer of where we are early in the season. The tournament also will give our players the incredible experience of visiting the Baha Mar Resort in The Bahamas.”
Georgia will be in its second season under head coach Mike White. The Bulldogs finished 16-16 during White’s initial campaign, recording 10 victories more than the 2021-22 season. Georgia’s “+10” tally of wins represented the second-biggest regular-season increase among all Power 5 basketball programs.
The Bulldogs’ 2023-24 roster will feature four returning letterwinners and nine scholarship newcomers.
Justin Hill is Georgia’s leading returnee in scoring, assists and steals. In addition, Jabri Abdur-Rahim paced the Bulldogs in 3-pointers, 3-point percentage and free throw percentage, Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe was Georgia’s leading rebounder; and Frank Anselem was the Bulldogs’ top shot blocker.
Georgia’s newcomers feature five transfers and four freshmen. Both groups of Bulldogs have been ranked among the nation’s top recruiting groups, both individually and collectively. The transfer class is ranked No. 11 by on3Sports.com. The freshman class is listed at No. 15 by 247Sports.com. Georgia is one of only two programs to have both its freshman and transfer classes ranked in the top-20 nationally by On3Sports.com.
The Georgia Lady Bulldogs will compete in the women’s version of the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship on Nov. 20 and 22. Georgia is one of five 2023 NCAA Tournament teams among the eight announced teams competing in the tournament. In addition to the Lady Bulldogs, East Carolina, Oklahoma State, Purdue and Southern California also earned bids to the most recent edition of “March Madness.” Columbia, Penn State and Seton Hall round out the announced teams.
Among the field for the Bulldogs' tournament, Miami advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the first time in program history in 2022-23, while winning the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championship and compiling a 29-8 overall mark; Kansas State reached the Elite Eight a year ago after tying for third in the Big 12 Conference and capped its season with a 26-10 record; and Providence made its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014 last season while posting a 21-12 mark.
Past winners of the event include Louisville (2021) and UCF (2022).
MORE THAN BASKETBALL AWAITS AT THE BEAUTIFUL BAHA MAR RESORT
The remarkable Baha Mar resort serves as the backdrop to this basketball showcase. Anchored by Grand Hyatt and featuring SLS Baha Mar and Rosewood Baha Mar, the resort is situated on 1,000 acres overlooking Nassau’s famous turquoise ocean waters. The destination resort boasts more than 2,300 rooms, the largest casino in the Caribbean, a $200 million luxury water park, an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, the Caribbean’s first and only flagship ESPA Spa and a collection of more than 45 restaurants and lounges.
VIP PACKAGES AND TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Basketball fans interested in attending the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship can purchase VIP packages available online at www.bahamarhoops.com. Amenities include a four-night stay at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, two courtside tickets to all games of the Bahamas Championship, two tickets to the tournament’s VIP reception (Nov. 18) with dinner and open bar included, round-trip ground transportation from the airport and resort, two daily breakfast voucher and personal concierge service. (Airfare not included in the packages.)
Tournament Passes, which include tickets to all four games of the event are available for purchase separately at www.bahamarhoops.com.
ABOUT BAHA MAR HOOPS
As part of Baha Mar Hoops, the resort annually welcomes more than 20 NCAA teams for a three-tournament, regular-season event each November as well as holds a summer league that offers NCAA teams exhibition games against international competition as part of a foreign tour.
The Bahamas Championship is one of three events that make up Baha Mar Hoops taking place at the stunning Baha Mar resort during each Thanksgiving holiday. The largest regular-season event in the sport of college basketball, the 2023 gathering for Baha Mar Hoops features 22 NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball teams, competing in 26 games over 10 days. The Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship (Nov. 20 and Nov. 22) is a non-bracketed event featuring 10 of the top women’s programs in the nation. The Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship (Nov. 24-26) crowns a winner among eight mid-major men’s programs.
BAHA MAR HOOPS SOCIAL TAGS
Keep up to date with the latest information regarding Bah Mar Hoops via social media at @BahaMarHoops on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
ABOUT bdG SPORTS
bdG Sports is a leader in turn-key event management with a primary focus in basketball and professional golf. The firm boasts an event portfolio that has impacted multiple communities throughout North America and the Caribbean while featuring broadcasts to viewers across the globe.
In basketball, bdG is one of the industry leaders in games produced annually. From summer exhibition tours to multiple high-profile in-season tournaments – such as the Continental Tire Main Event at T-Mobile Arena, the Gulf Coast Showcase in Fort Myers, and more than 20 teams participating in three Baha Mar Hoops events in Nassau -- bdG will contract nearly 150 regular-season men’s and women’s Division I basketball games. bdG is proud to be the only third-party operator which manages a conference tournament, assisting The Big West Conference Tournament each March in Henderson, Nev. In professional basketball, bdG manages all the home games for the NBA G-League’s Ignite which also plays at that same venue.
In professional golf, bdG owns and operates two season-opening Korn Ferry Tour tournaments, The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic and The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, both featuring $1 million purses. bdG also manages multiple pro-ams throughout the year at destination golf clubs such as Albany, Shadow Creek, Whistling Straights and Bandon Dunes.