The Florida Gators men’s basketball team (14-7, 5-3 SEC) are coming off of their biggest win of the season against West Virginia and are now looking to continue their momentum against the Arkansas Razorbacks (11-10, 4-4 SEC) on Wednesday night in Gainesville.
Florida leads 18-11 all-time against Arkansas, including a 10-2 record at home against the Razorbacks. Those wins have been consecutive at home, making for a ten straight home game streak with the last loss in Gainesville being 21 years ago on February 28, 1995.
Florida Notables:
– KeVaughn Allen was named the SEC Freshman of the Week.
– Dorian Finney-Smith scored his 1,000th point as a Gator in Florida’s most recent win against West Virginia. He is the 51st player in program history to do so, but the first to reach that milestone after transferring in.
– Brandone Francis-Ramirez broke out of a recent 5-40 shooting slump from the 3-point line, after struggling to make shots so far this season. In the Gators’ win against the Mountaineers, Francis-Ramirez went 3-3 from behind the arc.
– Finney-Smith has had double-doubles in five of the last eight games.
Arkansas Overview:
The Razorbacks also just won their matchup in the SEC/Big 12 challenge, making them one of the three SEC teams to win their challenge. Their most recent win helped them form a two-game winning streak, including a victory over No. 5 Texas A&M.
Arkansas is lethal from behind the arc with two players ranking second and third in the conference in 3-point percentage. Those two players are Anthlon Bell and Dusty Hannahs, shooting .460 and .455 respectively from downtown.
This team is ranked no. 1 in scoring offense, turnovers and assist-to-turnover ratio in the SEC. Their offense is a powerhouse, with three players in their starting lineup averaging over 16 points per game (Moses Kingsley, Dusty Hannahs, Anthlon Bell)
Game Predictions:
The Razorbacks skilled offense will put the Gators defense to the test – luckily for Florida defense just so happens to be their strength. However, they will need to produce on offense in order to keep up with a team that has several players with hot hands.
What This Game Means:
For Florida, this win would keep their home winning streak that has been active since 1995 in tact. Not only that, but it would give them some confidence before going to play the Kentucky Wildcats on the road on Saturday. As for the Razorbacks, this win would give them a three-game winning streak and bring them to a winning record for conference play.
Be sure to check out the Florida Gators basketball team for yourself in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida or on SEC Network for those who can’t make it out. And as always be sure to follow along with us right here on GatorCountry.com on our message boards for an inside look and updates on the game.