Vanderbilt @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 17, 2018 ) Florida 68, Vanderbilt 71

Vanderbilt visits Florida on Wednesday still seeking its first SEC victory after suffering conference loss No. 10 Saturday to Alabama 77-67. The Gators come off a difficult stretch with three straight losses to No. 6 Kentucky, Auburn and No. 1 Tennessee, but they have been up and down all year and look to begin a much-needed run against the Commodores.

"Our guys know you have to win games to make the postseason," Gators head coach Mike White told reporters after the loss to Tennessee. "That's been addressed. You've got to win games if you want to have a winning season -- and that's up in the air. Are we capable? Yeah. We're a very inconsistent team though. A team that we continue to talk to a lot about the same things." A big concern for the Gators is their inability to score, as they have been held to 62 points or less in their last three games and four of their last five, but one bright spot of late has been the reemergence of last year's leading scorer Jalen Hudson, who is showing signs of life with 15 points against Tennessee and 11 against Kentucky after struggling for most of the season. The Commodores have had their own issues putting the ball in the hoop, but their three leading scorers are young and developing -- sophomore point guard Saben Lee (13.9 ppg) and freshmen Simisola Shittu (12.0) and Aaron Nesmith (10.3). Vanderbilt played the Alabama game under an emotional cloud after former athletic director David Williams died unexpectedly, one week after stepping down from his longtime position.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT VANDERBILT (9-14, 0-10 SEC): The Commodores are in the midst of an 11-game skid, the school's longest in 34 years. Lee tied his personal high with 24 points against Alabama and is averaging 17.5 points in his last eight games thanks to shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from long distance. Shittu is the leading freshman rebounder in the SEC (7.0), although he had just four boards against Alabama.

ABOUT FLORIDA (12-11, 4-6): Turnovers have been an issue for the Gators, but freshman point guard Andrew Nembhard played a career-high 38 minutes against Tennessee and did not have a single turnover, his third game this season without a giveaway. The defense remains stingy but had its problems shutting down Auburn and Tennessee in the second half of both games, allowing them to shoot at least 50 percent. Hudson's play is a positive for the Gators, but guards KeVaughn Allen and Noah Locke continue to lead the way as they combined to hit eight of their 13 shots from downtown against Tennessee while the rest of the team went 0-for-13.

TIP-INS

1. The Commodores have won six of the last seven meetings between these teams, but the Gators' one victory came last season in Gainesville (81-74).

2. G/F Joe Toye, who has started 16 games this season, is the only senior on the Commodores.

3. Allen needs just eight points to become the ninth Gator to score 1,600 points.

PREDICTION: Florida 65, Vanderbilt 59