Men’s Basketball Preview: Florida Gators Vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Saturday brings us a ranked matchup. The No. 14/13 Florida Gators host the No. 18/16 Mississippi State Bulldogs in a third-place game of sorts. The 16-4 (4-1) Gators sit one spot behind the Vanderbilt Commodores – currently in second place in the SEC – and the 17-4 (4-2) Bulldogs are one spot behind that. Sure, those standings don’t mean a whole lot, but we can reach for more meaning behind every game, can’t we?
The Facts
Opponent: Mississippi State Rebels
When: Saturday, January 28, 2012 – 1:30 PM
Where: Gainesville, FL
Television/Radio: SEC Network, GatorVision, Sirius 220, XM 199
Records: Florida: 16-4 (4-1 SEC, 11-0 Home), Mississippi State: 17-4 (4-2 SEC, 2-2 Away)
Rankings: Florida: 14/13, Mississippi State: 18/16
Current Streak: Florida: W4, Mississippi State: W2
Point Spread: Florida -9
Over/Under: 146
Calculated Score: Florida 77-68/78-69
Points Scored: Florida: 81.3, Mississippi State: 73.8
Points Allowed: Florida: 65.4, Mississippi State: 65.6
Last Meeting: Mississippi State 71-64 (January 29, 2011)
The Preview
The Gators are good at home. Very good at home; to the tune of 11-0 with wins coming easily for the most part. The Bulldogs have played a number of close games recently, but are still a team worthy of their rankings and that’s why I wonder about the nine-point spread. Not that Florida can’t get another big win at the O’Connell Center, but I question nine points. With that said, that means the Gators will easily cover the spread. That’s just the sort of thing that happens when I attempt to make predictions. On to the rest of the preview…
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The Bulldogs are coming off of a close win over LSU and before that a thrilling overtime victory over Vanderbilt. Mississippi State has a team that can play with anyone, but at the moment doesn’t have any marquee wins to speak of. They beat both Texas A&M and Arizona when the two were ranked (much like Florida, although the Wildcats were out of the top 25 at the time), but both have fallen off. Their best win may just be that recent victory over the Commodores, but that would be wiped out with an upset of the Gators. In fact, this may be the best win for whichever team comes out of top (Florida’s blowout of Florida State aside).
The Gators will need another big game from sophomore forward/center Patric Young; and on both ends of the court. The Bulldogs are led by junior forward Arnett Moultrie who averages 17.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. He topped both of those averages in Mississippi State’s last two wins with 21 and 14 and 28 and 12. He will get his points and will be sure to pull down some rebounds, but exactly how many may be impacted by Young. Whether starting or coming off the bench, Young needs to be dominant on both ends of the court.
It’s an early Saturday matchup between two ranked teams. Watch it and cheer accordingly then find a way to enjoy your weekend one way or the other. Hopefully you’ll be enjoy it with a Gators’ victory.
And as always, be sure to let us know how far you think the Gators we go in the NCAA Tournament. The poll is located in the bar to the right. Scroll down and you’ll find it.
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