'Pre-Game Stuff' - Florida vs. Mississippi State (Saturday, 7 p.m.)
Friday, January 9, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
FLORIDA vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE 
When: Saturday, 7 p.m. (ET)
Where: O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.
Records: UF 8-6, 1-0; Mississippi State 7-7, 0-1
TV: FSN (with James Bates and Dameon Fishback)
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network (with Mick Hubert and Mark Wise), check for outlets here.
STAKES, STARS & STATS 
>>> After holding off South Carolina down the stretch for a big road to open the Southeastern Conference season, Florida gets Mississippi State for its home league debut. The Gators own a 60-49 advantage in the all-time series, with a 13-8 mark under Coach Billy Donovan that includes a 7-2 edge at the O'Dome. ... UF has won four straight against the Bulldogs, with the last loss coming in 2011 at Starkville, Miss., a venue that has plagued the Gators over the years -- though not last year. Or the year before. Included in that four-game streak against the Bulldogs is last season's 62-51 win at Humphrey Coliseum, where on Jan. 30, 2014, UF led by just one point at halftime, then opened the second period with a 20-8 spree to take control. Forward Casey Prather (right) led the Gators with 16 points and seven rebounds, while center Patric Young pitched in 12 points and eight rebounds. ... This will mark MSU's first visit to the O'Connell Center since Feb. 9, 2013, when the Gators won 83-58. ... Florida has won 22 straight SEC games, dating to last season and the start of a perfect (and historic) 21-0 rampage through the league schedule and conference tournament.
>>> After a run of frustrating defeats, the Gators hit some big shots (including clutch free throws) and made some key stops down the stretch in beating the Gamecocks. In five of UF's six losses, the Gators led with less than seven minutes to play; in three of those defeats (Miami, at Kansas, Connecticut), they were up double-digits in the second half. ... After going just 8-for-20 from the free-throw line in the home loss Saturday to UConn, the Gators were 23 of 27 from the line at South Carolina, including 16-for-17 in the second and 8-for-8 in the final 43.5 seconds. ... Another positive takeaway from the last outing was UF's work on the backboards. The Gamecocks came into the game with a plus-9.2 rebounding margin that was second only to Kentucky among 
SEC teams, but the Gators fought to a 37-23 edge on the glass, with 14 offensive rebounds. ... If the next item sounds familiar, it's because it has warranted repeating the last several games: 6-8 junior forward Dorian Finney-Smith (13.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg) continues to get better and better as he distances himself from the two hairline fractures he suffered in his left hand during the first game of the season. After going for 20 points and seven rebounds at USC, Finney-Smith's numbers over the past seven games show 17 points and 6.3 rebounds per. Just as important, he's started to take on more of a voice among the team, which is something that probably was needed among a group with no clear-cut leader. ... Junior guard Michael Frazier (14.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, pictured right) continues to lead the Gators in scoring. After Donovan opted not to start Frazier at Carolina -- and thus send a message about the sharp-shooter's disposition when shots aren't falling -- Frazier came off the bench to score 17 points (and go 3-for-5 from distance) in 29 really solid minutes. ... The starting backcourt at South Carolina of sophomore Kasey Hill and freshman Chris Chiozza combined for 7 points on 2-for-7 shooting, four rebounds, one assist and six turnovers. Obviously, those across-the-board numbers have to improve. ... Walk-on forward Jake Kurtz's numbers against the Gamecocks: 8 points, 6 rebounds, 6-for-7 from the free-throw line, 3 assists, 2 steals in 24 minutes. ... UF will without senior center Jon Horford (8.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) for the second straight game. Horford was suspended for the USC game for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Though reinstated following a meeting with the coaching staff Friday, Horford did not practice Friday and Donovan said he would not play against the Bulldogs.
>>> Mississippi State, under third-year head coach Rick Ray, started the season with five victories, but has since dropped seven of nine, including losses to Arkansas State, South Carolina Upstate and McNeese State. The team opened SEC play Wednesday at home by losing to Tennessee 61-47, shotting just 30.6 percent in that game. MSU's last victory, though, was a 62-55 defeat of Florida State three days after the Seminoles stunned 65-63 the Gators in Tallahassee. ... The Bulldogs have three players averaging in double figures, but none of them are listed among MSU's projected starters. One of them is 6-9, 265-pound center Gavin Ware (10.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, pictured left), who could be a problem in the post for a UF team lacking an inside physical presence. Ware is making 53 percent of his field-goals and when he gets to the line makes his free throws (76.7 percent). ... Guards Fred Thomas (10.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Travis Daniels (7.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg) are MSU's best outside threats, but both shoot below 31 percent from the arc. In fact, Mississippi State's 25.8-percent shooting from distance and 3.6 treys per game rate last among SEC teams. The Bulldogs were only 1-for-9 on 3s against the Volunteers.
SOME NUMBERS OF NOTE
* minus-1.1 -- Assist-to-turnover differential for Mississippi State, thanks to 112 assists and 203 turnovers. So the Bulldogs not only aren't moving the ball or putting it in the basket, they're not protecting it very well, either. 
* 4 -- Chiozza and forward Devin Robinson at South Carolina represented just the fourth freshman duo to start for the Gators since the 2000 season. The others: Nick Calathes/Jai Lucas (36 starts during 2007-08); Corey Brewer/Al Horford (25 in 2004-05); Anthony Roberson/Matt Walsh (13 in 2002-03).
* 20 -- Minutes played by junior guard Eli Carter (left) against the Gamecocks. In his most extensive action since dealing with a sprained foot and strep throat, Carter scored six points, grabbed four rebounds, dished three assists and hit two game-clinching free throws with 6.4 seconds left. His skill (especially to break down a defense) and basketball IQ are huge pluses.
* 20 -- Minutes played by sophomore center Chris Walker, his third-most of the season. The 6-10 Walker still tries at times to do too much offensively (3 turnovers), but his athletic side-to-side work in the red box underneath the basket and ability to run the floor and make up ground in the press shows up every game.
* 35 - Bench points from the Gators at South Carolina, which was a season high. Frazier, obviously, had a lot to do with that, but so did Carter and Kurtz.
WATCH FOR IT
Full-court pressure. Not that seeing it will come as a surprise, but Donovan went to it from the game's outset at South Carolina in an effort to get his team engaged and lathered up from the get go. It worked. Bet he tries it again, assuming the Gators can put the ball in the basket early. Can't press without scoring.
