The South Carolina Gamecocks (10-5, 1-1) will travel to Gainesville, FL for the first time since winning the SEC Eastern division in football, to take on the Florida Gators (13-3, 2-0) on Saturday for a SEC Conference basketball game.
The Gamecocks come into the contest after a tough 10 point loss on the road at Alabama, 57-47, while the Gators come in off of a big road win against East powerhouse Tennessee.
South Carolina opened up conference play with a 83-75 home upset of then No. 22 Vanderbilt in overtime. Freshman guard Bruce Ellington led the way in points for the Gamecocks, scoring 22 points and going 6-12 from behind the three point line. Senior Sam Muldrow had the biggest night of anyone, however, recording only the second triple-double in South Carolina history, 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks.
The Gamecocks followed that effort with a disappointing loss to a mediocre Alabama squad on the road. Ellington failed to find his stroke until very late in the contest and only recorded only 10 points in his 27 minutes. Alabama's JaMycal Green dominated in the paint, finishing the night with 20 points and nine rebounds. Malik Cooke added 11 points for the Gamecocks in the losing effort.
If the Gamecocks wish to beat Florida, they will have to find a way to get some more points inside. The Gamecocks live and die on the jump shot, and that won't be enough to top the Gators. South Carolina will also need to slow down Florida guard Erving Walker who has averaged 14.4 points per game this season. Chandler Parsons leads the Gators in rebounds and assists.
If South Carolina can get Ellington going early and get an early lead, they may be able to keep this one close, otherwise, I see an easy Florida win.
Prediction:
South Carolina 65 Florida 77
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