Mississippi State @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 18, 2017 ) Florida 57, Mississippi State 52

Florida returns home from Saturday's stunning last-second 77-75 victory over Missouri that extended its winning streak to five straight to face SEC rival Mississippi State on Wednesday. The Bulldogs had their own five-game winning streak snapped their last time out, as they suffered their first SEC setback, 64-58 to in-state rival Mississippi.

The Gators have dominated Mississippi State in recent years, winning seven straight, but they may be missing their Missouri game hero, as senior point guard Chris Chiozza, who tops the team with 87 assists (5.8 per game) and is the third-leading scorer (13.1 points per game), was diagnosed with strep throat, making his availability questionable. It was Chiozza's clutch play that proved to be the difference against Missouri, as he stole a pass in the final seconds and raced for the game-winning layup with .01 left. "Right when he made the steal, I remember looking up at the clock immediately and thinking, 'Yeah, he's got time.' And then I thought, 'Boy, I love Chris Chiozza. I'm glad he's on my team,'" Gators coach Mike White told reporters. Mississippi State's loss to the Rebels wasn't nearly as dramatic, but the Bulldogs still surrendered their largest lead (13 points) since 2016 and were handed their first loss of the season when leading at the half.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (13-2, 1-1 SEC): In the loss to the Rebels, the Bulldogs didn't have a single player score in double-digits for the first time this season, as junior forward Aric Holman and freshman guard Nick Weatherspoon led the way with nine points each. For the game, the Bulldogs hit just 22 of their 63 shots (34.9 percent), including just 5-of-23 shots from 3-point range, but Mississippi State has shot 50 percent or better from the field seven times this season, one less than it did all of last year. The Bulldogs are averaging 6.0 blocks per game, fourth in the SEC, thanks to freshman Abdul Ado, whose 33 blocks already rank sixth by a freshman in school history, and Holman, who has 19 blocks this season and needs three more to move into a tie for eighth in school history.

ABOUT FLORIDA (11-4, 3-0): Chiozza's potential absence could open the door for KeVaughn Allen to get more playing time at point, but both players had success against the Bulldogs in last February's meeting, as they were the only Gators to score in double figures. While Chiozza made the clutch play against Missouri, junior forward Jalen Hudson came off the bench to lead the Gators with 16 points, including two free throws with just over 20 seconds left that tied the game. The Gators rank first in the SEC through Monday in turnover margin (+5.4) and second in free-throw percentage (.767), steals per game (7.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4).

TIP-INS

1. Mississippi State's last win in Gainesville was 2008, a span of five games without a victory.

2. Florida has three of the SEC's top four free-throw shooters as Egor Koulechov leads the conference (.957), with Chiozza sitting third (.900) and Allen fourth (.898).

3. A victory would give Mississippi State a 2-1 start in conference play for the second straight year.

PREDICTION: Florida 77, Mississippi State 70