Saturday’s game was a must-win — one last chance in the regular season for Florida to prove its postseason worth.
The Gators didn’t let it go to waste.
Florida broke its four-game losing streak and defeated Missouri 82-72 in Columbia on Saturday night in the final regular-season game before the Southeastern Conference Tournament. With the win, the Gators earned the No. 8 seed in next week’s tournament as UF continues to fight for the right for an NCAA Tournament berth.
The Gators (18-13, 9-9 SEC) took advantage of Missouri’s 204th nationally-ranked scoring defense (allowing 72.7 points per game) and scored 80-plus points for just the second time in their last nine games.