Who's Playing

Mississippi State @ Florida

Regular Season Records: Mississippi State 20-11; Florida 16-15

What to Know

The Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs are set to clash at 1 p.m. ET March 9 at Bridgestone Arena in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tourney. The Gators should still be feeling good after a win, while MSU will be looking to regain their footing.

While not quite a landslide, the game between Florida and the LSU Tigers on Saturday was still a pretty decisive one as Florida wrapped it up with a 79-67 victory at home. Florida's success was spearheaded by the efforts of guard Will Richard, who had 18 points along with six boards, and guard Kyle Lofton, who had 16 points and five assists in addition to five rebounds.

Meanwhile, MSU was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Saturday as they fell 77-72 to the Vanderbilt Commodores. A silver lining for the Bulldogs was the play of forward Tolu Smith, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and 11 rebounds.

The Gators are expected to lose this next one by 3. Those betting on them against the spread shouldn't have high expectations for them since the squad is 3-6 ATS when expected to lose.

Florida came out on top in a nail-biter against MSU when the two teams last met earlier in the regular season, sneaking past 61-59. Will Florida repeat their success, or does MSU have a better game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.

How To Watch

  • When: Thursday at 1 p.m. ET
  • Where: Bridgestone Arena -- Nashville, Tennessee
  • TV: SEC Network
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Bulldogs are a 3-point favorite against the Gators, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 3-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -110

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Series History

Florida have won five out of their last eight games against Mississippi State.

  • Jan 21, 2023 - Florida 61 vs. Mississippi State 59
  • Jan 19, 2022 - Florida 80 vs. Mississippi State 72
  • Jan 16, 2021 - Mississippi State 72 vs. Florida 69
  • Jan 28, 2020 - Mississippi State 78 vs. Florida 71
  • Jan 15, 2019 - Mississippi State 71 vs. Florida 68
  • Jan 10, 2018 - Florida 71 vs. Mississippi State 54
  • Feb 18, 2017 - Florida 57 vs. Mississippi State 52
  • Jan 19, 2016 - Florida 81 vs. Mississippi State 78