How to Watch: Missouri Men's Basketball at Florida
A wise man once said "third times a charm", but for Missouri men's basketball, the 15th time might be a charm.
After falling to the Arkansas Razorbacks 88-73 on Saturday in one of its best chances at breaking its winless streak in Southeastern Conference play, the Tigers will look for another opportunity against the Florida Gators on Wednesday.
Unfortunately for Missouri, Florida isn't the ideal matchup to make that happen.
With a 19-8 record this season, the Gators have emerged as one of the best teams in the SEC off the backs of Walter Clayton Jr., Zyon Pullin and Tyrese Samuel. They have a more complete and well put together roster than the Tigers do, hardly lacking in many facets of the game.
The same problems that have plagued Missouri all season long are still continuing heading into this game, from injuries to an overall lack of legitimate scoring options. It had a win in reach against Arkansas with 10 minutes left in the second half — only down by one point — but quickly collapsed into a 15-point loss by the end.
The likelihood is getting less and less likely for the Tigers to get a win in conference play as the weeks progress, but the possibility can never be eliminated.
Who: Missouri (8-19, 0-14 SEC) at Florida (19-8, 9-5 SEC)
Where: Exactech Arena, Gainesville, Fla.
When: Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
Series: Dating back to the 2012-23 season once Missouri joined the SEC, Florida has a 10-to-4 advantage in the series and won the last three matchups, including this season. The Tigers last win against the Gators was on March 3, 2021, at home in a 72-70 contest.
Last Game, Missouri: In the aforementioned loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks, Sean East II's 33 points on 9-of-14 shooting wasn't enough to outmatch Khalif Battle's 42 points on 11-of-15 shooting. It truly was a one-on-one showing, but the Tigers couldn't bring enough to the table down the stretch to come out on top.
Last game, Arkansas: The Gators are coming off a 77-64 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores, with Clayton Jr. and Will Richard combining for 40 points. Vanderbilt has struggled nearly as much in the SEC as the the Tigers have, so it will be two substantially easier matchups for Florida as the end of the season starts to wrap up.
