Ole Miss Hits the Road for a Showdown with the Florida Gators

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Ole Miss returns to the conference action on Wednesday after the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Photo by Sarah Kane

The Ole Miss Rebels travel to the Sunshine State on Wednesday to take on the Florida Gators. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.

Ole Miss (14-5, 4-2) looks to bounce back from back-to-back losses to Alabama and Iowa State, respectively, last week. The Rebels are off to its best start through the past 19 games since going 17-2 to begin the 2012-13 season that resulted in an SEC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth.

Senior Terence Davis ranks 10th in school history in three-pointers (149) and 19th in scoring (1,312 points); he is also fifth among active SEC players in career points and career steals (114).  He ranks fifth in the SEC in field goal shooting (48.2 percent), seventh in scoring (15.8 ppg) and ninth in steals (1.5 spg).

Florida enters Wednesday’s matchup with an 11-8 record, including a 3-3 mark in SEC play. The Gators are coming off a 55-50 loss to TCU in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge after winning back-to-back conference games. Florida is one of the best defensive teams in the country, leading the SEC and ranking 10th nationally in scoring defense (61.5 ppg). Their turnover margin of +4.6 is sixth in the country.

Senior guard KeVaughn Allen leads the Gators in scoring at 12.7 ppg, while freshman Noah Locke adds 11.2 ppg. Nearly half of the Gators’ assists comes from Andrew Nembhard (5.9 per game).

Florida is coached by Mike White, who is in his fourth season at the helm of the program after serving as the head coach at Louisiana Tech for four seasons. White is a Rebel, having played at Ole Miss (1996-99) before serving as an assistant coach for seven seasons (2005-11).

Tomorrow’s game will be the 112th meeting between the Rebels and the Gators. Florida holds a 65-46 lead in the series. Last season, Bruce Stevens scored a team-high of 22 points against the Gators in the 78-72 victory. The win snapped the Rebels’ three-game losing skid in the series. Each team has won three times over the past six meetings. The Gators won three in a row after the Rebels earned a home-and-home sweep of Florida in 2015, which was their first season sweep of UF since 1990. Eleven of the last 14 games in the series have been decided by seven points or less.

Fans can watch all the action on the SEC Network or listen to the call on the Ole Miss Radio Network.