Florida Gators at Georgia: Preview, Info, Where to Watch and More

Dropping below .500 on the season after a loss to Vanderbilt in Nashville on Saturday, the Gators have a quicker turnaround than usual to take on the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Ga., on Tuesday.

The midweek contest is the second meeting between the two SEC foes this season, a rivalry that has only heated up since Mike White ditched his orange and blue threads for red and black ones last March.

As both units look to get back on track after recent skids — while Florida attempts to complete the season sweep of its former head coach and the Bulldogs — you can find everything you need to know about the contest below.

Need last-minute tickets? Purchase them via S.I. Tickets here.

Florida Gators at Georgia Bulldogs

Where: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Ga.

When: Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. EST

Watch: SECN

Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD / SiriusXM 384 / SXM App 974

Odds: Florida is a two-point favorite over Georgia, according to the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 146.5 points.

Series history: The Gators are 121-103 all-time against Georgia, including a 43-62 record on the road. In the last meeting between the two programs, Florida overcame a 13-point first-half deficit to down the Dawgs by seven in Gainesville, 82-75.

Important stories

The rundown

In the final road game of the 2022-23 campaign, Florida is set to complete another season series.

Currently sitting as the nine-seed in the SEC Tournament, Florida is in danger of sliding as far down as 11 if the recent string of losses continues.

The last time these two teams squared off, Florida started slow but used an impressive late first-half surge to head into the locker room with a lead. When the two units returned, the Gators rode their late-half momentum to seal a seven-point victory over the Dawgs in Gainesville.

Now, circumstances are very different for UF.

Without Colin Castleton in the mix, Florida is 0-3 with losses to Arkansas, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. With Georgia staring them in the face in the second-to-last game of the season, the Gators have a valuable opportunity to reconcile their recent lapses against a sputtering Bulldogs team on the road.

“It's a great opportunity for us to get back on track,” Todd Golden said on Monday afternoon during media availability. “Obviously played some tough games at Arkansas, Kentucky home. Vandy’s been playing really well at home, you know, shooting the ball well, playing well and feel like Georgia, another team that's had some really good moments. They beat Kentucky at home two weeks ago, but have struggled a little bit since then.

“Two teams that are scratching and clawing, trying to get back on track, trying to find wins. So I would expect to see two hungry teams trying to find a way tomorrow night.”

That’s exactly what happened for UF last time as the win against Georgia kickstarted a three-game winning streak.

In order to reign victorious for the second time against UGA, Florida will have to see Riley Kugel continue in his string of dominance over the recent stretch.

He’s compiled back-to-back games of 20 points or more and has quickly taken over as a lethal option to hurt opponents from all three levels of the floor offensively. His ability to attack the basket off the dribble and shot-create for himself give the Gators a consistent scoring option even in moments of drought.

“Riley has done a really good job in his role being efficient,” Golden said on Monday. “I thought he did a really good job scoring the ball on Saturday. … put in some tough shots, really tough shots. It’s a lot to put on your shoulders, but he's done a great job answering what we need from him right now. And, you know, I just expect him to continue to get better every game out there.”

They’ll have to lean on that when the scoring well eventually runs dry in Athens, as it has consistently throughout the season.

On the other side, Florida is tasked with defending Georgia guards Terry Roberts and Kario Oquendo.

“Both of those guys are really good at getting downhill and making plays.”

Roberts particularly showcased his play-making prowess in the last meeting between the two teams, scoring a game-high 25 points. While it took him 22 shots to reach that point, the point guard left his impact on the game with his ability to knock down shots from the perimeter at opportune times.

It kept Georgia in the contest. The Dawgs 10 three-balls as a unit did for that matter.

This time around, Golden understands the impact Roberts can have and will look to make limiting him a focal point on Tuesday evening.

“We know how effective he's been at points in the season,” he said, “and we got to do a really good job of limiting his opportunities, both from behind the three-point line, but also getting to the rim and getting fouled. I think that's an area where he's really good, is drawing contact, keeping your defense off-balance, but someone that we got to make sure we do a good job on.”

The game is set to tip off just after 7 p.m.

Stay tuned to All Gators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @AllGatorsOnFN on Twitter and All Gators on FanNation-Sports Illustrated on Facebook.

Get your Gators football, basketball and other sporting events tickets from SI Tickets here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google