The Florida Gators are continuing their dominance in the Southeastern Conference and also the college basketball polls as the team has peaked to No. 3 this week. With an 11-game win streak to their name, the Gators are currently the favorite in the SEC as they sit behind both Syracuse and Arizona in the polls. The team will put their strengths to the test as they hit the road to face an underrated Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Florida has not lost since Dec. 2 at Connecticut. The team has not had that long of a win streaking since their 17-game streak back in 2006-07 when they went on to win the National Championship. A change in defense is what has made the difference since that lost. The Gators are holding their opponents to a 36.9 field-goal percentage. They kept Tennessee to shooting just 26.8 percent from the field, while going 1 of 19 from the 3-point line. It was their worst game yet as Tennessee only managed 41 points in the loss. Scottie Wilbekin kept Jordan McRae to just five points, despite being the conference leader averaging 19.2 points per game.
The Gators will still be without freshman forward Chris Walker. The forward will not be available to play until Tuesday when the team faces Missouri. He was officially cleared by the NCAA following the acceptance of improper benefits. Michael Frazier II has been making up for his absence. He was named SEC player of the week after putting up 17 points against Alabama.
The Bulldogs intend to test the Gators on the road. The team is coming off a disappointing loss of Ole Miss where they only managed 30 points total from their starters. Their defense has been the bigger issue as they are allowing conference opponents to put up 77.5 points per game. That could be a problem when facing the Gators.
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