The Florida Gators improved to 13-6 (3-3 SEC) after defeating Mississippi State (13-6, 2-4 SEC) 79-70 inside the Stephen O’Connell Center on Wednesday night. While Todd Golden’s squad is still searching for that signature quad one win, they added a critical quad two win to their resume following their victory over the Bulldogs.
Prior to this matchup, Mississippi State ranked 36th in KenPom while the Gators ranked 41st. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had the Bulldogs slotted as a nine seed in the NCAA Tournament and had the Gators as ‘next four out’. Although there’s plenty of basketball left, there’s a chance these two teams will be fighting for a postseason bid come end of season, making Florida’s victory over Mississippi State that much sweeter.