Stegeman Coliseum will be the site of an SEC rivalry showdown this afternoon as the Florida Gators head up to Athens to meet the Georgia Bulldogs. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET and the game will air on SEC Network. UF won the last meeting between these two teams, toppling UGA in a 102-98 overtime victory on January 27.
Florida (17-7, 7-4 SEC) has tuned things around in conference by winning six of its last seven and most recently triumphed in an 82-80 victory over LSU on Tuesday. The Gators went into halftime with a 14-point edge and that was enough to sustain against a very late surge by the Tigers in the final minutes of action. Tyrese Samuel provided 15 points and seven rebounds in the win.
Georgia (14-10, 4-7 SEC) is on a five-game losing streak heading into today’s contest and were last edged by Arkansas 78-75 last Saturday. The Bulldogs managed to keep pace even with their opponent shooting 57.1% from the field, but the Razorbacks were able to make their free throws in the final minute and come out on top. Silas Demary Jr. led the Dawgs with 19 points.
Florida never trailed in its overtime victory over Georgia and was able to outmuscle them on the boards 48-27. As the 11th tallest team in the nation with an average height of just under 6’7”, the Gators have been able to use this to their advantage with the 2nd highest offensive rebounding rate in the country at 40.2%. The Dawgs need to prevent those second-chance opportunities if they want to end this losing skid.
What this game means for Florida
Florida has crept back into the SEC regular season title race with its success over the past month and would be in the NCAA Tournament field if the season ended today. The Gators need to continue building on this momentum and a Quad 2 road victory over a rival would be another small boost to their resume.
What this game means for Georgia
The early-season promise of this Georgia team has gone down the drain with this losing streak and it is now fighting to simply get its head back above water in SEC play. This skid began with the aforementioned overtime loss to Florida, so it would be fitting to end it with a win over the Gators. If they can win this afternoon and snag a victory over lowly Vanderbilt on Wednesday, suddenly they’d have some positive momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Florida vs. Georgia odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Florida -4
Total: 158
Moneyline: Florida -180, Georgia +150