Mississippi @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 13, 2018 ) Florida 72, Mississippi 78

It's back to SEC action for Florida and Ole Miss after both suffered disappointing losses over the weekend in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Rebels have lost two in a row for the first time all season to fall out of the top 25 and they now travel to Gainesville to face a Gators team that has won its last two SEC matchups.

"We'll bounce back," Rebels head coach Kermit Davis told reporters after their 87-73 loss to Iowa State. "We've got to have a short memory, good practices, get our team back together and really play. We haven't had a good week for sure." Still, these Rebels have been a huge surprise in Davis' first season at the helm, already surpassing last year's win total (12) as they are off to their best start through 19 games since the 2012-13 season. They have turned into a team the inconsistent Gators desperately need to beat to bulk up their resume as Florida looks to avoid its first 3-4 start in SEC action since 1998. A win for Mike White's Gators will be especially critical since they face No. 6 Kentucky, Auburn and No. 1 Tennessee in their next three outings.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT OLE MISS (14-5, 4-2 SEC): Junior Breein Tyree (17.3 ppg) continues to be the biggest offensive threat for the Rebels, combining with fellow guard Terence Davis (15.8) to account for 42.6 percent of the scoring for a team averaging 77.7 points. Tyree has had nine 20-point games this season, including a 22-point effort in the loss to Iowa State, with Davis chipping in with 16 points along with a team-high six rebounds. The defense produced 19 turnovers against Iowa State, the ninth time the Rebels came away with at least 15, but they couldn't shut down the Cyclones' shooters, who went on to hit 69.1 percent of their shots, including 76.9 in the second half.

ABOUT FLORIDA (11-8, 3-3): The Gators got off to a sluggish start in their 55-50 loss to TCU on Saturday, missing 14 of their first 15 shots, but they showed fight in rallying to tie the game in the second half before falling short in the end. Senior guard KeVaughn Allen (13 points) was the only Gator in double figures as freshman guard Noah Locke (2-of-9, seven points) was stone cold one game after setting a career high with 27 points, ending his string of double-digit games at nine. The defense did its job in limiting the Horned Frogs to just 55 points as it remains the conference's top scoring unit and the 10th-best in the country (61.5 ppg), but the Gators went just 6-of-23 from 3-point range against TCU.

TIP INS

1. Ole Miss snapped a three-game skid against Florida last season 78-72, but the Gators still own a 65-46 series advantage.

2. White is 3-1 against his alma mater as he was a four-year starter at point guard for Ole Miss from 1995-99.

3. The Rebels are 12-0 this season when they lead at halftime.

PREDICTION: Florida 65, Ole Miss 63