'Pre-Game Stuff' - Florida at Georgia (Saturday, 2 pm)
Friday, January 16, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
FLORIDA at GEORGIA
When: Saturday, 2 p.m. (ET)
Where: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Ga.
Records: UF 10-6, 3-0, Georgia 10-5, 1-2
TV: CBS (with Andrew Catalon and Clark Kellog)
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network (with Mick Hubert and Mark Wise), check for outlets here.
STAKES, STARS & STATS 
>>> Florida has faced Georgia more than any opponent in school history. This will mark the 209th meeting in the series, with UF holding a 109-99 advantage, thanks to a 26-10 record under Coach Billy Donovan. The Gators are 37-50 all-time when playing in Athens, but 10-7 in the Donovan era. ... The two last met Jan. 14, 2014 in Gainesville. It was “Patric Young Beard Night” (right) for the Rowdy Reptiles, who enjoyed a 72-50 victory behind Michael Frazier's five 3-pointers and 21 points. ... Florida did not play Georgia on the road last season, so the last time the Gators ventured into Stegeman was Jan. 23, 2013 when they trailed by three at halftime and rallied for a 64-47 win behind 17 points from Scottie Wilbekin, plus seven points and 11 rebounds from Will Yeguete.
>>> In defeating Auburn 75-55 Thursday night, the Gators barely had time to eat breakfast Friday before beginning their quick turnaround preparation for the Bulldogs. ... UF scored 70 points for the third straight game -- after hitting the mark just three times in 13 non-conference games leading into the SEC slate -- and shot 47.5 percent from the floor. So far in SEC play, Florida is averaging 47.8 percent from the floor and 15.6 assists per game, an indication of much better (and consistent) ball movement, but also a nod to the double-point guard starting backcourt of sophomore Kasey Hill (8 ppg, 4.5 apg) and freshman Chris Chiozza (4.7 ppg, 2 apg), a combo that gives the Gators speed that is difficult to deal and has allowed UF to get out to quick starts in each of its three league games. ... Junior forward Dorian Finney-Smith (14.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg) has scored in double-figures nine straight games, but Donovan wants more from his best all-around player when it comes to rebounding. His season-high is seven, which he's hit three times. Finney-Smith was the SEC's Sixth Man of the Year last season when he led the Gators in rebounding at 6.7 per. ... The Hill-Chiozza backcourt affords Donovan the luxury of bringing both Frazier (13.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and junior Eli Carter (12.5 ppg, 3 apg in SEC play) off the bench. Both are serious 3-point threats, but Carter -- now healthy for the first time since the start of the season -- gives UF a strong, penetrating guard who can create his own shot and has a knack to find open teammates.
>>> Heading into the SEC season, the Bulldogs were on a six-game winning streak that included victories over Colorado, Seton Hall and at Kansas State; their non-conference losses came against Georgia Tech in the season opener, plus Gonzaga and Minnesota in the Tip-Off Classic at New York. Georgia opened the league slate by losing at home to Arkansas by four and at LSU in double-overtime by three, then got in the winning column Wednesday by defeating Vanderbilt 70-67. ... The Dawgs have four averaging in double figures, led by 6-8, 235-pound forward Marcus Thornton (13.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg). The backcourt of Kenny Gaines (12.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Charles Mann (11.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg) played together last season, while 6-8, 230-pound forward Nemanja Djurisic (11.3 ppg, pictured right) is an inside-outside threat who is hitting 44.7 percent from the floor and 32.7 from 3-point range. ... Coach Mark Fox, in his sixth season, is well-respected for the action he runs and discipline with which his teams play. Georgia is at a decisive intangible advantage, given it had a full extra day to prepare and is at home while the Gators played less than 40 hours earlier and had a bus ride of five-plus hours to the game.
SOME NUMBERS OF NOTE
* 1 - Turnovers by Hill the last two games, compared to 14 assists. That's a nice change from the SEC opener at South Carolina where Hill had one assist and six turnovers before fouling out. 
* 3 -- Consecutive years the Gators have started 3-0 in the SEC.
* 6 - Wins for Florida over Georgia the last seven meetings, a string that dates to the 104-91 double-overtime road win in 2011 (See Walker, Erving). The one blemish came by a 76-62 count at Athens in 2012.
* 66.3 - UF's free-throw percentage for the season, which ranks 11th in the SEC.
* 76.2 - UF's free-throw percentage in SEC play, which ranks second in the league.
WATCH FOR IT
Sophomore center Chris Walker really struggled offensively against Auburn (1-for-4 from the floor, stripped twice underneath, 0-for-2 from the line). Over the last seven games, he's reached six points only once, while scoring just two points in three of those games. Here's hedging that Walker flashes some against the Dawgs.
