Oxford, MS – The 14th-ranked Florida Gators take their act on the road, as they invade Oxford this evening for an SEC showdown with the Ole Miss Rebels at the Tad Smith Coliseum.
Billy Donovan's Gators have won three straight and five of their last six games, moving to 3-1 in conference play with Saturday's 76-64 win over LSU in Gainesville. Florida, which boasts a flawless 10-0 mark at home this year, has struggled on the road, winning just one of five true road games thus far.
Andy Kennedy's Rebels are starting to heat up with wins in two straight and three of their last four games. The marquee win was a 75-68 besting of nationally-ranked and instate rival Mississippi State last week. Ole Miss followed that up with last weekend's hard-fought 66-63 road win at Georgia.
Florida holds a 59-42 series advantage over Ole Miss all-time and has won nine of the last 10 meetings.
The Gators come into this game with one of the most productive offensive squads in the country, averaging a robust 82.2 ppg on a solid .482 shooting. Long range shooting has been a strength at a .407 clip, led by shooting guard Kenny Boynton's .446 effort from behind the arc. Boynton leads the team in scoring at 18.2 ppg. Bradley Beal (14.1 ppg) and Erving Walker (12.9 ppg) give the team a couple of other options in the backcourt. Patric Young (11.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and Erik Murphy (10.6 ppg) provide balance up front. It was another balanced effort in the recent win over LSU, as five players notched double figures. Murphy led the way with 15 points, followed by Walker's 12. Boynton, Beal and Mike Rosario each finished with 11 points. The Gators weren't all that effective from three-point range (7-of-21) in the game, but made up for it by going 20-of-27 inside the arc.
The Rebels lack the arsenal to keep up with Florida in a shootout and would be best served to continue playing strong defense. Ole Miss is holding foes under 40 percent shooting on the season (.391), leading to just 64.1 ppg. The team is also outrebounding foes by 4.4 boards per game. Offensively, the team has a trio of double-digit threats, led by Terrance Henry's 11.5 ppg. Jarvis Summers and Murphy Holloway round out the top threats at 10.6 and 10.4 ppg, respectively. Nick Williams is eager to join the group at 9.7 ppg. Henry was instrumental in the win over Georgia last time out, pouring in a team-high 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Williams and Holloway added 12 points apiece, for the Rebels, who knocked down just under half of their shots in the game (22-of-45) and outrebounded the Bulldogs, 43-32, including 20 offensive boards.
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