What to know: #15 Florida Gators basketball at Mississippi State Bulldogs
Game Information
When: Saturday, February 18, 2017, at 2 p.m. (ET)
Where: Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, Miss.
Records: Florida (21-5, 11-2 SEC); Mississippi State (14-11, 5-8 SEC)
Coaches: Mike White- 42-20 (2nd season at Florida), 143-60 (6th season overall); Ben Howland- 28-28 (2nd season at Mississippi State), 429-234 (21st 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 | 11.5 pts / 5.6 reb |
| Justin Leon | F | 6-8 | 206 | Senior | 7.1 pts / 3.9 reb |
| kevarrius hayes | C | 6-9 | 218 | Sophomore | 6.2 pts / 3.8 reb |
| Kasey hill | G | 6-1 | 175 | Senior | 9.7 pts / 5.1 asts |
| Kevaughn allen | G | 6-2 | 183 | Sophomore | 13.2 pts / 2.4 reb |
| mississippi state | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Per Game |
| aric holman | F | 6-10 | 222 | Sophomore | 8.6 pts / 6.2 reb |
| schnider herard | C | 6-10 | 250 | Freshman | 5.3 pts / 5.4 reb |
| lamar peters | G | 6-0 | 188 | Freshman | 12.0 pts / 3.6 asts |
| mario kegler | G | 6-7 | 220 | Freshman | 10.5 pts / 5.6 reb |
| quinndary weatherspoon | G | 6-4 | 205 | Sophomore | 16.7 pts / 5.0 reb |
Preview
Mississippi State is 1-5 in its last six games and has suffered losses to Auburn, South Carolina and Georgia in its last three. The Bulldogs have an even 3-3 record at home in SEC play this season.
While Mississippi State has lost three in a row, Florida is on the other extreme, after winning its last seven games. The Gators enter on their second seven-game winning streak of the season and look to move to their longest streak of the season with a win on Saturday.
Last game, Florida posted a new record for the most points scored in a SEC matchup with an 114-95 victory at Auburn. Canyon Barry led the way with a season-high 30 points off the bench and was helped with six other Gators scoring double-digits on the night.
While Florida is riding a high right now, it will have to move forward without its starting center and top rebounder, John Egbunu. Egbunu will miss 10-12 months after suffering a torn ACL in the Auburn game. Along with him, Gorjok Gak is out 10-14 days with an ankle injury, leaving the Gators with very little depth at the position.
The Bulldogs are led on offense by three players averaging double figures this season. Quinndary Weatherspoon puts up 16.7 points per game, followed by Lamar Peters (12.0) and Mario Kegler (10.5). Those three are also the team’s top three-point threats, with Peters leading the way at 41.9 percent (52-for-130) from beyond the arc this season.
The Gators hold a 62-49 all-time record in this series, including 1-0 under Mike White, but are just 22-34 in Starkville. Florida defeated Mississippi State in each of the last six meetings between the two teams and looks to continue that trend in this game.