Florida Gators basketball preview for South Carolina game

What to know: #13 Florida Gators basketball vs. South Carolina

Game Information

When: Tuesday, February 21, 2017, at 7 p.m. (ET)

Where: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.

Records: Florida (22-5, 12-2 SEC); South Carolina (20-7, 10-4 SEC)

Coaches: Mike White- 43-20 (2nd season at Florida), 144-60 (6th season overall); Frank Martin- 90-70 (5th season at South Carolina), 207-124 (10th season overall)

TV: ESPN

Streaming: WatchESPN

Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network

Projected Starters

Florida Pos. Ht. Wt. Class Per Game
Devin Robinson F 6-8 200 Junior 11.1 pts / 5.8 reb
Justin Leon      F 6-8 206 Senior 7.1 pts / 3.9 reb
kevarrius hayes C 6-9 218 Sophomore 6.3 pts / 4.0 reb
Kasey hill G 6-1 175 Senior 9.7 pts / 5.0 asts
Kevaughn allen G 6-2 183 Sophomore 13.1 pts / 2.5 reb

 

south carolina Pos. Ht. Wt. Class Per Game
malik kostar F 6-10 245 Freshman 6.2 pts / 5.3 reb
chris silva F 6-9 223 Sophomore 10.1 pts / 5.9 reb
sindarius thornwell G 6-5 211 Senior 21.1 pts / 2.3 reb
duane notice G 6-2 225 Senior 10.2 pts / 2.4 reb
pj dozier G 6-6 205 Sophomore 13.8 pts / 4.5 reb

 

Preview

South Carolina has dropped three of its last four games, with losses coming at home to Alabama and Arkansas and a loss on the road to Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks were tied with Kentucky and Florida for first place in the SEC just a couple games back, but have fallen behind since going on the recent skid.

Florida is still riding a winning streak that is now up to eight consecutive games. It is the longest winning streak by Florida under Mike White and the longest since winning 30 straight in the 2013-14 Final Four season.

The Gators did well in replacing the injured John Egbunu last game at Mississippi State. Kevarrius Hayes took on his new role by coming down with a career-high 10 rebounds in the game, while also getting four blocks and nine points, coming up just one-point shy of a double-double. Devin Robinson also helped in replacing Florida’s leading rebounder, tying Hayes with a team-leading 10 rebounds.

Sindarius Thornwell leads the Gamecocks as the front-runner for SEC Player of the Year. He averages 21.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. PJ Dozier (13.8), Duane Notice (10.2) and Chris Silva (10.1) also average double-digits for South Carolina.

Dozier has a team-leading 75 assists this season and joins Notice, Thornwell, Rakym Felder and Justin McKie as the top three-point threats. Notice has drained a team-high 50 three-pointers this season.

Last time Florida and South Carolina met, defense controlled the game in a 57-53 Florida loss. It ended a seven-game winning streak for the Gators. It was Florida’s worst offensive game of the season, as the team combined for a 0-for-17 mark from three. Thornwell put up 20 points in the game to lead the Gamecocks to victory.

Florida holds a 43-24 all-time record in this series but has yet to defeat South Carolina in two meetings under White. Tuesday will be the first home meeting for the Gators in this series since White took over, as the Gamecocks haven’t traveled to Gainesville since 2014. Florida is 20-7 at home in the series.

This will be a defining week for Florida, as it travels to Kentucky on Saturday after facing South Carolina on Tuesday. Two wins this week will put the Gators alone in the SEC driver’s seat with just one more week to get through in the regular season.

Bailiegh Carlton
A lifelong sports fan, Bailiegh Carlton knew from a young age that she wanted to work in sports in some capacity. Before transferring to the University of Florida to study journalism, she played softball at Gulf Coast State College. She then interned for Gator Country for three years as she worked toward her degree. After graduation, Bailiegh decided to explore other opportunities in the world of sports, but all roads led her right back here. In her time away, she and her husband welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. When she isn't working, she can almost always be found snuggled up with sweet baby Ridley, Cody and her four fur babies.