Vanderbilt @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 1, 2020 ) Florida 61, Vanderbilt 55

Florida was preseason No. 6 but was out of the rankings by the first week of December due to losses to Florida State, Connecticut and Butler. The Gators still have high hopes for the season, however, sitting comfortably in the NET at 38, and seek a fourth win in five games when Vanderbilt visits Saturday.

Florida rebounded from a bad loss at Ole Miss with a 78-65 win at Texas A&M on Wednesday. Andrew Nembhard had 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting to go along with five assists, while fellow sophomore Noah Locke dropped five 3-pointers on his way to a season-best 21 points. "It's a huge win for us, especially being at an away site," Nembhard said. "These are do-or-die moments coming up. We have to string together some wins if we're going to accomplish what we want do this season." Vanderbilt played No. 12 Kentucky tough Tuesday well into the second half before dropping its 11th game in the last 12 in the 78-64 loss. In the first matchup this year between Vanderbilt and Florida, the Gators got 20 points from sophomore Keyontae Johnson and 17 - along with five 3-pointers - from Locke in a 61-55 road win on Feb. 1.

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network

ABOUT VANDERBILT (9-15, 1-10 SEC): The Commodores led 36-22 late in the first half Tuesday but couldn't hold a halftime lead for the second time this season against the Wildcats. “Nothing wrong with the effort or trying, it’s just a little more attention to detail. ... Once they got back into the game and kind of sensed that we were on our heels, they took it up a notch," coach Jerry Stackhouse said. "We got to find a way to battle adversity and still be able to find that next level. I think that’s just part of our growth.” Junior Saben Lee leads the team in scoring (17 points per game) and assists (4.5) and is averaging 24.3 points in his last three games.

ABOUT FLORIDA (15-9, 7-4): Johnson (13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds), who posted his fifth double-double against the Aggies with 10 points and 10 rebounds, handed out a career-high six assists. The trio of sophomores combined to make 21-of-36 field-goal tries, including 8-of-17 from long-distance, as the team shot 51.9 percent for the game and 44 from the arc against one of the better defenses in the SEC. Locke (10.4 points) leads the conference in 3-point percentage in league contests (48.5), while Johnson ranks sixth (42.9) and is ranked fourth in effective field-goal percentage (60.4).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Vanderbilt sophomore forward Aaron Nesmith (23 points per game, 52 percent 3-point percentage) has missed the last 10 games with a foot injury.

2. The Gators ranks second in SEC games in offensive efficiency (109.5 points per 100 possessions) and are first in effective field-goal percentage (52.6 percent) but sit last in free-throw attempt/field-goal attempt ratio (32.6 percent).

3. Nembhard (12 points per game) ranks second in the SEC in all games in assists (5.7), leads in assists/turnover ratio (2.1), while F Kerry Blackshear, Jr. (13.5 points) is fourth in rebounds (7.9) and double-doubles (eight) as well as second in free throws made (127).

PREDICTION: Florida 77, Vanderbilt 62