Florida Gators vs. Ole Miss: Preview, Info, Where to Watch and More
Photo: Todd Golden; Credit: Zach Goodall
Fresh off an underwhelming defeat at the hands of the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Gators (13-12; 6-6 SEC) are back in action on Wednesday in a must-win — and do so convincingly — game against the Ole Miss Rebels (10-15; 2-10 SEC).
It's Florida's last opportunity before a potential season-defining matchup at Arkansas on Saturday.
You can find everything you need to know about the matchup below.
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Florida Gators vs. Ole Miss Rebels
Where: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 6:30 p.m. EST
Watch: SECN
Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD / SiriusXM 380 / SXM App 970
Odds: Florida is a ten-point favorite over Ole Miss, according to the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 138 points.
Series history: The Gators are 69-48 all-time against the Rebels, including 42-12 at home. In the last matchup between the two on Feb. 5, 2022, Florida edged out Ole Miss in overtime, 62-57.
Important stories
- UF suffers backbreaking loss to Vanderbilt, 88-80
- Golden: Gators control own destiny to an NCAA Tournament bid
- Florida Gators get rolled by Crimson Tide, 97-69
- Takeaways from Florida's narrow loss to Kentucky
- Big-picture takeaways from the Gators upset victory over Tennessee
- Florida upsets No. 2 Tennessee, 67-54
- Gators drop SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup to Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State
- Florida looking to put slow starts in rearview mirror
- Colin Castleton eclipses 1,000-point mark at Florida
- Todd Golden sets tournament-level expectations for year-one campaign
- Gators basketball 2022-23 player profile: Center Colin Castleton
- Profile: Center Jason Jitoboh
- Profile: Center Aleks Szymczyk
- Profile: Forward CJ Felder
- Profile: Forward Alex Fudge
- Profile: Wing Riley Kugel
- Profile: Wing Kowacie Reeves Jr.
- Profile: Wing Will Richard
- Profile: Wing Niels Lane
- Profile: Guard Myreon Jones
- Profile: Guard Denzel Aberdeen
- Profile: Guard Trey Bonham
- Profile: Guard Kyle Lofton
- Gators' complete 2022-23 schedule
The rundown
The Gators currently sit as the last team in consideration for the field of 68 in March Madness, according to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi's latest bracket breakdown. Sliding drastically down the totem pole from their first four out position to the 13th team out of the NCAA Tournament amid a three-game losing streak, Florida is in dire need of a rebound performance on Wednesday night.
Welcoming the Ole Miss Rebels to Gainesville, Florida will have an opportunity to reconcile its recent lapses.
However, despite the 2-10 league record Ole Miss carries and the 10-point spread in Florida's favor, the Rebels have proved to be scrappy. That recently resulted in a win over former Gators head coach Mike White and Georgia in Athens.
On Tuesday, current head coach Todd Golden shared a synopsis of the troubles Kermit Davis' team presents.
"A team that's not been very healthy over the course of the year which, as any coach understands, if you're not healthy, it's really hard to put a consistent product on the floor. Now they have certain guys back like [Matthew] Murrell, who has really been a really good player in this league [for] a long time, so we've got to be mindful of him. I think when they are really healthy they can be really good."
Murell, averaging a team-leading 14.3 points and 2.5 assists per game, has been the catalyst for the limited success the Rebels have seen this season, proving effective off the dribble getting to the bucket. Forward Jaemyn Brakefield— a former Duke transfer — has served as the No. 2 option, shining at times when Ole Miss has reached its full potential.
He accounted for 24 points and four assists in the upset win at Georgia two games ago.
Florida will key in on them defensively.
On the other side of the ball, the Gators have an advantage, with Ole Miss operating a lineup that consists of five players 6-foot-8 or below. Colin Castleton will look to take advantage of the smaller unit that the Rebels court, vying to earn his fourth-straight 25-point game to propel the Gators back into the win column.
The matchup bodes in Florida's favor, but there are still several areas the Gators need to improve to take down the Rebels handily.
"Definitely a team we know is dangerous, and we have to make sure our minds are completely focused for this one; otherwise, it can be another tough one for us."
Regaining traction on the defensive end and finding a way to attack the paint offensively to compensate for the lack of three-point shooting prowess are critical components to the success now and throughout the rest of the season.
It's must-win time for the Gators in the final six games. Kickstarting it with a dominant performance over the Rebels would be ideal for regaining the positive momentum that Florida's lost following a major victory over No. 2 Tennessee.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. EST on SEC Network.
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