Florida basketball looking to keep momentum going against Missouri

While most of Gator Nation is paying attention to national signing day, the Florida basketball team is preparing for a Wednesday matchup with the Missouri Tigers.

Florida avoided its second three-game losing streak of the season with a comeback victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Gators outscored the Cowboys by 22 points in the second half after trailing by 13 at the half.

The slow start can be attributed to the team’s injury woes. Mike White is figuring out how to live without either of his centers at a crucial point in the conference schedule. He praised Tuongthach Gatkek and Niels Lane for stepping up in the absence of Colin Castleton (left shoulder) and Jason Jitoboh (eye).

Missouri should be an easier opponent for Florida to find its groove against, but the guards need to hit shots for the offense to succeed. Tyree Appleby was the team’s leading scorer on Saturday with 21 points and Phlandrous Fleming Jr. had 14. Kowacie Reeves has also been effective since joining the starting lineup.

The game was originally scheduled to be a nighttime matchup with a tip-off at 9 p.m. EST, but an expected snowstorm forced the game to be moved to 3 p.m. Florida has already faced its share of adversity this season, so adjusting to a time change shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

The Tigers do have a dangerous weapon in forward Kobe Brown, who leads the team in scoring with 13 points per game. Things could get ugly if Florida is unable to contain him due to a depleted frontcourt. Despite an 8-12 record, Missouri recently put No. 1 Auburn on upset alert in a 55-54 loss.

The numbers are in Florida’s favor here, but it seems like every game is a trap game for this Gators team. Getting a win against Missouri sets up a potential winning streak with Ole Miss and Georgia on the horizon before a road game against No. 5 Kentucky.

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Tip-off is at 3 p.m EST in Columbia, Missouri

Projected Starting Lineups:

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