On Saturday, No. 8 Florida travels to Humphrey Coliseum to take on Mississippi State. Tip-off is at 8:00 EST and it can be seen on ESPN 2. The Gators are 2-3 against the Bulldogs over the last four years. The last time they met (1/28/2012) they won 69-57.

Florida is in 1st place in the conference, Mississippi State is in 7th place. Florida has won its last seven games.

In their last game, Scottie Wilbekin put up 17 points in the Gators 64-47 romp of Georgia on January 23rd. He leads the team in assists with 4.8 per game and steals with 1.9 per game. For the Bulldogs, Gavin Ware finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds in the 96-70 loss to Arkansas on January 23rd. He is averaging 8.2 points per game in addition to a team-best 7.2 rebounds per game.

Florida has an advantage in three key statistical areas. The Gators have an edge in assists, 14 per game to nine per game. Additionally, Florida doesn't turn the ball over as often as Mississippi State, with 11 per game to their 17 per game. Finally, the Gators have the upper hand in scoring as well, 73 points per game to 62 points per game.

The Bulldogs, however, appear to have the edge in blocked shots, 4 per game to 3 per game.

Mississippi State StatSmack

  • We're a talent magnet. Since 1998 Florida has recruited more Top 10 high school players than Mississippi State (5 vs 2).
  • Florida is a better shooting team (47.3% vs 39.5%) than Mississippi State this season.
  • Florida has a much better overall winning percentage over the last 5 years (0.710 to 0.605).
  • The Florida scoring leader (Kenny Boynton) has more points than the Mississippi State scoring leader (Roquez Johnson).
  • We beat real teams. Florida had more wins against the RPI Top 50 than Mississippi State last season (5 vs 3).
  • Florida waxed Mississippi State by 12 points the last time they played (Jan 28, 2012).
  • Diaper Dandies love us. Florida has recruited more McDonald's All-Americans out of high school than Mississippi State (16 vs 2).
  • Florida players are more experienced than Mississippi State players (13,926 minutes played vs 4,859 minutes played).
  • Florida is a better three-point shooting team (35.6% vs 24.2%) than Mississippi State this season.
  • We have a history of cultivating talent. Over the past 10 years, Florida has had more players drafted by the NBA than Mississippi State (12 vs 5).
  • Keep filling up on cupcakes. Florida has a stronger schedule than Mississippi State this season (SOS Rank: #23 vs #235).