Mississippi State 71, Florida 68: Close enough for it to hurt

Matt Bush-USA TODAY SportsOn another night in a miserable month, Florida had another chance to win a game that it had fought for against an equally game SEC team.

And again, the Gators couldn’t make good on it, with Mississippi State’s Quinndary Weatherspoon blowing by one defender and finishing through another to consign Florida to a 71-68 defeat in Starkville.

The blown-by defender was Andrew Nembhard, whose 13 points and eight assists reflected his rebound from a woeful game against Tennessee even though he committed six turnovers; the finished-on defender was Kevarrius Hayes, who had just saved the game for the Gators by tracking down an offensive rebound he had no business securing and…