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Florida basketball: Game against SEC rival moved to January 24th

By Jeremy Trottier

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - JANUARY 05: head coach Mike White of the Florida Gators reacts to a call during the second half of a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on January 05, 2022 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - JANUARY 05: head coach Mike White of the Florida Gators reacts to a call during the second half of a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on January 05, 2022 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) /
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SEC Battle for Florida Basketball Moved to January 24th

The game we expected to see on December 29th between Florida basketball and Ole miss has been rescheduled to its new date of play.  The game has been rescheduled to January 24th, according to the SEC as well as Ole Miss (link below).

This matchup was highly anticipated as the SEC opener for the Florida Gators, as that would have been the first game against an SEC opponent this season.  Now, it will be the sixth contest of the season for Florida basketball against an SEC opponent:

  • 1/5/22 – Vs. Alabama
  • 1/8/22 – @ Auburn
  • 1/12/22 – Vs. LSU
  • 1/15/22 –  @ South Carolina
  • 1/22/22 – Vs. Vanderbilt

What To Expect?

9-5. 526. 6 PM CT (7 PM ET). 532. FLA 53.4% Chance of Victory. SEC Network. Monday, Jan 24. 9-5

With the Florida Gators starting 0-2 against SEC opponents this season, their odds do not look good against the top-tier SEC opponents.  However, Ole Miss (9-5) has had a relatively similar season to the Gators (9-5), and have both had relatively middle-of-the-road teams so far.  While Florida did start 6-0, they have now obviously lost 5 of their last 8, and only won 3 games since going 6-0.

Florida currently opens with a 53.4% chance of victory according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, and considering the statistics leading into that game so far, that is a reasonable expectation.  Currently, Florida leads Ole Miss in the following statistic categories:

  • Points per game (73.6 FLA – 70.5 OLE)
  • Points Allowed (63.4 FLA – 64.2 OLE)
  • BLK per game (5.7 FLA – 3.1 OLE)
  • STL per game (9.7 FLA – 8.0 OLE)

Florida does fall behind in field goal % and assists so far, and currently, both Florida and Ole Miss sit at 37.0 rebounds per game.  Overall, this game looks to be one that should be close in the grand scheme of things.

Matchup to Watch

The matchup to watch entering this game so far would be Florida’s Colin Castleton against Ole Miss guard Jarkel Joiner, both of whom have been exceptional this season.  Both players currently trying to improve their already high draft stocks, by leading their respective teams in scoring and leading them to where they are now.

Jarkel is currently putting up 13.6 points per game while shooting a respectable 41.8% from the field and 84.6% from the free-throw line.  On the other side, Colin is putting up 15.6 points per game on 52.3% efficiency from the field and 64.6% from the free-throw line.  Overall, the 6’11” phenom has been leading Florida without a doubt and has looked stellar in what could be his last season before declaring for the draft.

With that all in mind, here is the countdown until this matchup takes place:

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