ATLANTA -- Anthony Roberson scored 19 points and Florida hit a season-high 12 3-pointers to cruise to an 80-64 victory over Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament Friday.
The Gators (21-7) are starting to look like a strong title contender with their fifth consecutive win, including a victory over No. 4 Kentucky in the regular-season finale.
They'll sure be tough to beat if Roberson, Matt Walsh and Corey Brewer can keep shooting like this. Roberson and Brewer made three 3s apiece and Walsh hit five as the Gators went 12-of-24 from beyond the arc -- at times way beyond.
Florida, which has never won the SEC Tournament, meets No. 20 Alabama in the semifinals on Saturday. The Gators dominated the last meeting 85-54 on Feb. 5.
The league's top rebounding team, the Bulldogs (22-10) looked helpless on the boards with center Marcus Campbell out with a strained left calf muscle and Lawrence Roberts often ineffective. They still appear destined for the NCAA Tournament.
Roberts had just eight points -- all in the first half -- and five rebounds in 26 minutes and Mississippi State was outrebounded 41-26. It was only the second time an SEC opponent had grabbed more boards than the Bulldogs this season.
Brewer had 17 points for Florida and Walsh added 15. David Lee had 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Ontario Harper led the Bulldogs with 16 points, while Jamall Edmondson had 14. Shane Power had just three points, eight below his average.
The Gators spiced up an often sloppy first half with some highlight-reel plays to take a 46-29 lead that eventually grew to 25 points.
Lee had a reverse dunk off a backward bounce pass from Walsh, who then hit back-to-back 3-pointers. A few minutes later, Walsh drained another 3 with the shot clock winding down -- from several feet beyond the arc. The Gators left the court amid chest-bumping and fist-pumping after Adrian Moss's tip-in at the buzzer, a celebration that didn't prove premature.
The Bulldogs couldn't get closer than 15 points after the first basket of the second half. They tried to battle back with 3-pointers but few went in until the game was out of reach, finishing 9 of 25.
