The 24th-ranked Florida Gators carry a three-game win streak into today's SEC showdown with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
On Tuesday, the Gators exhibited a tremendous amount of toughness on the road by defeating Georgia in double overtime, 104-91. Florida is now 16-4 overall, including a stellar 5-1 in conference, and the team has won all five of its true road games this season.
Back-to-back losses have dropped Mississippi State to 10-9 overall, and the team is now a disappointing 2-3 against SEC competition. On Thursday, the Starkville crowd watched in disappointment as the Bulldogs fell to Vanderbilt by an 81-74 final. Prior to that setback, MSU dropped a 22-point decision to Georgia.
Florida owns a 57-48 series lead over Mississippi State, and the teams split a pair of meetings last season.
Clearly, Florida gets the job done at both ends of the court. Offensively, the Gators are netting a solid 71.8 ppg and have four double-digit scorers in the fold. Erving Walker leads the pack with 14.3 ppg on 40.6 percent shooting from three-point range. Kenny Boynton checks in with 13.4 ppg, and Vernon Macklin provides 11.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Rounding out the foursome is Chandler Parsons, who provides 10.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg. At the defensive end, Florida is limiting foes to 61.2 ppg on 41.3 percent shooting.
The Gators are outrebounding opponents by nearly seven boards per contest, an obvious key to their success. Boynton and Walker both scored 24 points in the overtime victory over Georgia on Tuesday. Macklin added 23 points and nine rebounds, and Parsons scored 18 points and 12 rebounds. A 26-16 edge in points from the foul line played a major role in the victory.
Mississippi State is averaging 69.2 ppg while allowing 70.6 ppg on 41.8 percent shooting from the floor. There is no shortage of talent in the lineup for the Bulldogs, who boast four double-digit scorers. Ravern Johnson is posting 18.2 ppg, and Dee Bost is close behind with his 17.2 ppg and 6.4 apg. Renardo Sidney provides 13.3 ppg, and Kodi Augustus rounds out the foursome with 12.0 ppg and 8.1 rpg. Johnson scored 19 points to lead MSU in the loss to Vanderbilt two days ago. Bost finished that clash with 18 points and six assists, while Augustus added 10 points. MSU shot 13-of-29 from the floor in both the first and second half, but while the play at the offensive end was consistent, the performance at the defensive end was not. The Bulldogs allowed Vanderbilt to shoot 50 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes after limiting the Commodores to 35.3 percent efficiency over the opening 20 minutes.
