A top-25 matchup is on tap in the SEC, as the 14th-ranked Florida Gators welcome the 18th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs to Gainesville.
Billy Donovan's Gators enter this contest with a four-game win streak in tow. Florida opened league play with a loss at Tennessee, but has run the table since, including a hard-fought 64-60 victory at Ole Miss this week.
The Bulldogs are playing well of late also with wins in two straight and four of their last five games. Rick Stansbury's team moved to 4-2 in conference play with a 76-72 victory over LSU in Starkville this week.
Florida leads the series 57-49, but Mississippi State has won four of the last five meetings. The two teams have split the last four games in Gainesville.
Arnett Moultrie tied a career-high with 28 points and recorded his SEC-leading 12th double-double with 12 rebounds, as MSU topped LSU at home. Jalen Steele came off the bench to tally 15 points, Rodney Hood added 13, while Dee Bost just missed a double-double with nine points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. The Bulldogs aren't the most potent scoring team in the league at 73.8 ppg, but the one-two punch of Moultrie and Bost has been difficult to contain. Moultrie is fourth in the SEC in scoring (17.1 ppg) and first in rebounding (11.2 rpg). Bost ranks fifth in the SEC in scoring (16.0 ppg), while pacing the Bulldogs in assists (4.7 per game) and steals (2.2 per game). Hood (11.5 ppg) adds depth in the backcourt, while Renaldo Sidney (10.1 ppg) does the same up front.
The Gators have thrived at the offensive end of the floor this season, netting 81.3 ppg (seventh nationally), thanks in large part to its .405 shooting from three-point range (13th nationally). A large portion of that comes from standout guard Kenny Boynton, who ranks second in the conference in scoring at 18.0 ppg, while already amassing 70 three-pointers thus far. Bradley Beal and Erving Walker add to the team's scoring deluge from the outside with 13.9 and 12.8 ppg, respectively. The frontcourt is anchored by center Patric Young (11.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and forward Erik Murphy (10.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg). Florida recorded just its second road win of the season with the four-point decision at Ole Miss this week. The Gators trailed by 16 points in the first half and 10 at intermission, but turned up the heat defensively in the second half and fought their way back for the win. Ball movement was a huge plus for the Gators, who recorded 21 assists on their 24 total baskets. Young led the way with 15 points. Boynton added 12, while Walker just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine assists.
