Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Divisional Round
Florida Gators (10-8) vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (12-6)
The 2022-23 NCAA men’s basketball season continues Saturday, January 21, with the Florida Gators facing off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Southeastern Conference showdown at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi.
The tip-off is set for 8:30 PM ET, and the Bulldogs open as 2.5-point home favorites with a total of 125.5 points. Mississippi State has won three of its last four encounters with the Gators, but Florida beat the Bulldogs 80-72 in their lone meeting in 2021-22.
The Florida Gators (10-8; 3-3 conf.) put an end to their three-game winning streak this past Wednesday. After beating Georgia 82-75, LSU 67-56, and No. 20 Missouri 73-64, the Gators suffered a tough 54-52 defeat at Texas A&M. Florida scored just 12 first-half points at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas, and failed to mount a comeback against the red-hot Aggies, who grabbed their seventh straight victory.
The Gators made only 26.2% of their field goals last Wednesday. They went 6-for-26 from beyond the 3-point line and 14-for-19 from the charity stripe while posting an 8/9 assist-to-turnover ratio. Senior forward Colin Castleton posted a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds, and senior guard Myreon Jones had ten points and three steals.
lob ?? @Kloft0
slam ?? @Castleton_?? https://t.co/XOukWS9GU8#GoGators pic.twitter.com/djeKpEwFyW
— Florida Gators Men's Basketball (@GatorsMBK) January 19, 2023
Florida is No. 52 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 45 in the KenPom rankings. The Gators score 106.5 points per 100 possessions (125th in the nation) on 44.0% shooting from the field (215th) and 75.1% from the free-throw line (44th). Florida leans on its defense and allows 91.9 points per 100 possessions (13th) on 43.9% shooting from inside the arc (18th) and 31.7% from downtown (102nd).