Ole Miss Travels to Florida to Face Sound Gator Offense

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

Ole Miss heads to the Sunshine State on Tuesday as they take the court against the Florida Gators. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN 2.

Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis. Photo by Sarah Kane.

Ole Miss (9-6, 0-2 SEC) is coming off a 76-72 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday. The Rebels had four different players score in double figures, including senior Breein Tyree with 27 points in the game.

The Somerset, NJ native leads the conference in scoring in league games as he averages 26.5 ppg every night he steps between the line. Tyree ranks fifth in scoring overall (17.8 ppg); he is the SEC’s active leader in career points (1,454).

Coach Kermit Davis’ squad leads the conference in free throw percentage in conference games (87.9).

Florida (10-5, 2-1 SEC) is coming off of a 91-75 setback at Missouri for their first conference loss of the season. Florida has taken care of the basketball, only surrendering 12.1 turnovers per game for the fewest in the SEC. Grad transfer Kerry Blackshear leads the Gators with 15.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg. He has found success at the charity stripe, serving as the conference leader in makes (93) and attempts (111) for 83.8 percent. Keyontae Johnson adds 12.9 ppg, while Andrew Nembhard averages 11.1 ppg and paces the Gators in assists (5.9 per game). The Gators are 5-1 at home and have scored more than 100 points in each of their last two games in Exactech Arena.

The Gators coach Mike White, a former Ole Miss basketball player who played alongside current Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter, is in his fifth season at the helm.

Tuesday’s matchup will be the 113th all-time meeting between the two programs. Florida leads the series 66-46 over the Rebels. Last season, the Gators defeated Ole Miss 90-86 in overtime. Sophomore KJ Buffen scored 17 points in the game as a freshman.

Fans can watch all of the action on ESPN 2 or listen to the call on the Ole Miss Radio Network.