Holding on to first place in the SEC and looking to hold momentum through the final weeks of the regular season the Florida Gators (19-6, 10-2 SEC) will enter a soft portion of their schedule when they take on the South Carolina Gamecocks (11-14, 2-10 SEC) for the second time this season.
Right now the Gators are alone at the top of the SEC standings, one game ahead of Arkansas at 9-3 who holds sole place of second. Arkansas is set to go on the road and play Alabama which is one of the more challenging games in the league, so there is a chance that the Razorbacks lose and the Gators are able to get a relatively easy win which would put them up two games on second place and give them a stranglehold in the regular season race. The Gamecocks sit at the bottom of the league at 2-10, holding the same record as LSU, though LSU holds the tiebreak after beating South Carolina in overtime.
Florida and South Carolina last played just over two weeks ago and after a thorough beating by the Gators, things haven’t gotten better for the Gamecocks who are faced with a major talent deficit on every night of league play. After the loss to Florida the Gamecocks lost an overtime game to LSU before falling to Texas, Missouri, and Alabama, all games that weren’t close. Effort, focus, and unselfishness aren’t issues for South Carolina in these losses–it just simply doesn’t take long to see their athletes versus the rest of the league and see there is a discrepancy.
This was fully on display in Florida’s first meeting with South Carolina where the Gators won commandingly by a score of 95-48. Florida was able to get just about everything they wanted offensively, spreading out points up and down their lineup, and the defense on the other end was nothing short of stifling. Since that game the Gamecocks have continued their struggles on the offensive end which has been arguably the biggest contributor to their struggles, though when it comes to that question you really pick either side of the floor. Currently they sit dead last in both offensive and defensive efficiency in SEC play, so it’s no surprise that they are currently 16th in the standings. Adding to their challenges offensively is the fact that they are the worst offensive rebounding team in the conference which means they have little to no margin for error, as if the first shot is missed there are seldom opportunities for second chances. Of course, going against the mighty front line of the Gators you probably wouldn’t expect the Gamecocks to suddenly start getting more of their misses.
Guard Meechie Johnson has been doing his best to provide a spark recently scoring 35 points against Texas and 26 against Alabama, trying every tool he has in the arsenal to manufacture points. He remains a streaky shooter and shockingly got to these point totals without putting up many threes, and instead got his buckets with crafty drives to the rim and baiting defenders into fouls where he could get easy and efficient free throws. Florida’s perimeter has had issues with these kinds of physical drivers in the backcourt, and with South Carolina relying so heavily on Johnson you can bet he’ll be at the top of the scouting report. In the first meeting of the season the Gators really stacked the floor and formed a wall every time that Johnson had the ball, and it was effective in limiting him to just 10 points.
Despite not having elite athleticism or foot speed the Gamecocks can have quality stretches on the defensive end, though they play a style that in some ways could benefit the Gators. They focus on taking away the three-point shot and will run opposing perimeter players off the line, and that might be the opposite of what teams should be doing to the Gators who are prone to shooting poorly. This resulted in a constant rim assault by the Gators in the first meeting, and you wonder if South Carolina will ease off their “no threes” defense strategy and try to force Florida to make shots.
With the recent losing streak the Gamecocks have started shaking up the lineup and are now playing freshman EJ Walker a lot more, a unique 6’7”, 260 pound center who is built like a fire hydrant. While he doesn’t offer a ton offensively and his lack of height can be detrimental, South Carolina’s staff loves his intelligence and toughness, and he could end up playing more minutes than back in January.
As South Carolina enters a tailspin the Gators will just need to put together 40 focused minutes and they should be in good shape, though you never know what could happen in the dog days of February.
Florida and South Carolina will tip off on Tuesday, February 17th at 7 PM ET and it will be televised on SEC Network.
Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee (1) looks on before the game against the Saint Francis Red Flash at Stephen C. O'Connell Center on December 17, 2025 in Gainesville, Florida. Gator Country Photo by Kan Li.