SEC Basketball Prediction: Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Florida Gators
Saturday, January 28, 2012
by Joe Rodriguez
Both Mississippi State Bulldogs and Florida Gators can solidify their standing on the cusp of the SEC's top spot when the 16th-ranked Bulldogs travel to the No. 13 Gators.
Mississippi State sits in fourth place in the SEC, two games behind first-place Kentucky and one-half game behind third-place Florida.
The Bulldogs outlasted LSU on Wednesday 76-71, winning for the fourth time in their past five games. The Gators survived a brutal start Thursday at Mississippi, rallying for a 64-60 victory after trailing by 16 points in the first half.
- Mississippi State Bulldogs @ Florida Gators
When: 1:30 PM ET, Saturday, January 28, 2012
Where: Stephen C. OConnell Center, Gainesville, Florida
TV: 1:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network, ESPN3.com
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Justbet Sportsbook currently have the Florida listed as 9½-point favorites versus the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (17-4): There may not be a transfer who's made a bigger impact this season than Arnett Moultrie. The forward, who sat out last season after leaving UTEP, recorded his 12th double-double of the season against LSU, tying his career high with 28 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Moultrie leads the SEC in rebounding at 11.2 and teams with guard Dee Bost to form a powerful inside-outside punch. Bost ranks fifth in the SEC in scoring at 16.0 points; Moultrie stands fourth in scoring at 17.1 points.
Florida Gators (16-4): Since being ambushed in their SEC opener at Tennessee, the Gators have more resembled the team many thought could win the conference coming into this season. Florida brings a four-game winning streak into Saturday's contest, the latest coming Thursday after the Gators trailed 20-4 eight minutes into the first half. Bench play again sparked the Gators, continuing a recent trend. Patric Young scored a team-high 15 points off the bench, and reserve guard Mike Rosario scored eight points in spot duty, including a big 3-pointer that began Florida's finishing kick against the Rebels.
1. The Gators lead the all-time series 57-49. The Bulldogs won last year’s only meeting with Florida, 71-64 in Starkville.
2. Florida’s Kenny Boynton (18.0 points) leads the Gators in scoring, but has averaged just 13.6 points in five SEC games.
3. One player to watch for the Bulldogs: guard Jalen Steele, who averages 7.6 points but has scored 15 points in each of Mississippi State’s past two games.
BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Gators 78, Bulldogs 66.
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arnett moultrie - dee bost - florida gators - jalen steele - kenny boynton - mike rosario - mississippi state bulldogs - patric young - stephen c. oconnell center
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