No. 3 Florida Looks to Take Down Another SEC Giant at No. 22 Mississippi State

Florida is proving to be one of the most dangerous teams in the country, and after taking down No. 1 Auburn over the weekend, the Gators are ready for their next big test—an SEC showdown against No. 22 Mississippi State on Tuesday night in Starkville.

Gators Riding High After Huge Win Over No. 1 Auburn

Winning on the road in the SEC is no easy feat, but Florida made it look routine on Saturday when they dominated top-ranked Auburn, opening up a 21-point second-half lead en route to a 90-81 victory.

A key to that win? Walter Clayton. The star guard returned from an ankle injury and played all 40 minutes, finishing with 19 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. His return was much-needed, with the Gators missing second-leading scorer Alijah Martin due to a hip pointer.

Clayton praised his team’s mentality:

“We’ve all got a ‘next-man-up’ mentality,” he said. “Alijah wasn’t on the court, but he was still there, talking the whole game and helping us execute.”

The Gators played with championship-level toughness, with five players scoring in double figures and the defense holding Auburn to just 42.9% shooting.

Florida’s Key Players:

Walter Clayton – 17.5 PPG, 4.0 APG
Alijah Martin – 15.3 PPG (questionable with a hip injury)
Will Richard – 13.3 PPG
Alex Condon – 11.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG

Coach Todd Golden believes the win over Auburn was a turning point for the team.

There’s no update yet on Martin’s status, but if he remains sidelined, Florida will once again rely on a full team effort.

Mississippi State Ready to Defend Home Court

Mississippi State isn’t backing down either. The Bulldogs are coming off a thrilling 76-75 road win over Georgia, where Josh Hubbard led the team with 16 points and six assists.

Defense sealed the game for Mississippi State, with Claudell Harris Jr. stealing the ball in the final seconds to prevent Georgia from taking a potential game-winner.

Mississippi State’s Key Players:

Josh Hubbard – 17.5 PPG, 36% 3PT, 86.1% FT
KeShawn Murphy – 11.1 PPG
Claudell Harris Jr. – 10.2 PPG

The Bulldogs are solid defensively but struggle in two key areas: free-throw shooting (67.9%, ranked 299th nationally) and three-point shooting (32.0%, ranked 288th). If they want to upset Florida, they’ll need to step up in both categories.

What’s at Stake?

Florida looks to stay hot after knocking off two No. 1 teams this season.
Mississippi State aims to protect home court and climb the SEC standings.
Both teams want to boost their NCAA Tournament seeding.

This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams this season. While Florida leads the all-time series 68-53, Mississippi State has the upper hand at home with a 35-23 record in Starkville.

Florida has all the momentum, but Mississippi State won’t go down without a fight. Expect an intense battle in this SEC showdown.

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