Louisiana State @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 21, 2020 ) Florida 82, Louisiana State 84

Florida opened a difficult stretch of games Saturday with a 65-59 loss at ninth-ranked Kentucky. The Gators now return home Wednesday looking to avenge January's last-second 84-82 loss to LSU, which comes in having lost four of its last six, although the Tigers did get back on the winning track last time out, defeating South Carolina 86-80.

With the regular season in its final weeks, this game is critical for both schools as they jockey for position in the SEC in hopes of earning a double-bye in the conference tournament, and the rivals have split the last four meetings - two going to overtime - by a combined total of 11 points. The Tigers currently sit in a second-place tie with Auburn, but they face a grueling turnaround following this matchup as they host Texas A&M at 11 a.m. Friday morning, something coach Will Wade made clear he wasn't pleased with. "We won't be back before 2 a.m. on Thursday," Wade said. "The only other team that's had this (scenario) in the league is Auburn and they played two home games. We've had three out of four road games with this same setup and it cuts our guys' preparation time down. We talk about student-athlete welfare and all that; this is not student-athlete welfare." The Gators dropped one game back and are hanging on to the fourth spot after the loss to Kentucky, but they are 6-1 at home in SEC play and they have won three of their last four.

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT LSU (19-8, 10-4 SEC): Wade went with a new look against South Carolina in hopes of ending a two-game skid, starting reserve Aundre Hyatt in place of forward Emmitt Williams (eight points, two rebounds, two blocks), which resulted in "good energy off the bench" according to the Tigers coach. LSU wound up leading by as many as 19 in the second half and four starters finished in double figures as Javonte Smart and Darius Days each recorded 18 points, while Trendon Watford chipped in with 15 and Skylar Mays had 13. Three players - Watford (10), Days (nine) and Mays (nine) - also produced at least nine rebounds as the team pulled down at least 40 rebounds (41) for the third straight game.

ABOUT FLORIDA (17-10, 9-5): The Gators are playing smaller since the last meeting, with freshman guard Scottie Lewis replacing forward Omar Payne, but the real key could be forward Keyontae Johnson, who had 16 points and nine rebounds in the earlier loss to the Tigers after his last-second layup that would have sent the game into overtime was waved off. Johnson, who has averaged 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds in four prior meetings with LSU, has 10 straight double-digit scoring games after dropping 19 points on Kentucky and he has produced at least nine rebounds in four of the last five games. The Gators are second in the SEC in 3-point percentage (34.2) but their shooting touch from deep disappeared in the second half against Kentucky (1-for-11).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. LSU owns a 65-48 advantage in this rivalry, but the Gators are 29-21 at home.

2. Williams led the Tigers with 19 points in the earlier win over the Gators.

3. Florida F Kerry Blackshear, a grad transfer from Virginia Tech, scored his 1,500th career point during Saturday’s game at Kentucky.

PREDICTION: Florida 80, LSU 76