The Gators seemed to be turning things around. After an 0-3 start to SEC play in a brutal opening to the schedule, they entered Monday night’s game winners of three-straight and looking to get back on the right side of .500 with a road matchup against a struggling Ole Miss team in Oxford.
But instead of a relatively easy win, UF delivered one of its worst offensive performances in recent memory as the Rebels shocked coach Mike White‘s team with a 70-54 win in a game that was originally meant to be these teams’ SEC opener before COVID-19 cases forced the game to be rescheduled.
Florida (12-7, 3-4 SEC) jumped out to a fast start and led by seven points in the first half, but the offense fell apart as Mississippi (10-9, 2-5 SEC) quickly captured the momentum and never relinquished it. The game was tied at 22 heading into the locker room, but the Rebels couldn’t miss in the second half and UF couldn’t keep up.
As things currently stand, this one will go in the books as a Quadrant 2 loss for the Gators, who stand at 3-2 in such games this season. They were looking to enter a crucial matchup against Tennessee in Knoxville on Wednesday night with momentum on their side, but now they will limp into that one on a short turnaround with their NCAA Tournament hopes dwindling.
Here are the takeaways as Florida drops a conference game it really needed to win.