Pre-Game Stuff: Florida at LSU (Saturday, 1 pm)
Saturday, February 21, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
FLORIDA at LSU
When: Saturday, 1 p.m. (ET)
Where: Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, La.
Records: Florida 13-13 (6-7); LSU 18-8 (7-6)
TV: CBS (with Ian Eagle and Clark Kellog)
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network (w/Mick Hubert and Mark Wise), check for local outlets here.
STAKES, STARS & STATS
>>> UF hopes the return game of this home-and-home series turns out better on the road then it did back on Jan. 20 when LSU came to town and dismantled the Gators 79-61 at the O'Connell Center. Not only did the Tigers hand the Gators the worst home loss in more than four years, but LSU snapped UF's 20-game home winning streak in Southeastern Conference play. Forward Jarrell Martin had 22 points and frontcourt mate Jordan Mickey had 14 points and 14 rebounds in a game wasn't really close after the first 10 minutes. ... Florida trails the all-time series 43-61, but the Gators are 14-9 under Coach Billy Donovan, with five of those wins (in nine tries) coming on the road. ... UF had taken six straight in the series, with two of those at Baton Rouge, until the Tigers won last month. 
>>> For the Gators, life without leading scorer Michael Frazier II (sprained ankle) and Dorian Finney-Smith (suspended for violating team rules) was not a pretty sight. Yet despite shooting 36 percent from the floor, 23.5 percent from the 3-point line and making just 10 of 20 free throws, UF -- somehow -- defeated Vanderbilt 50-47 on Wednesday in Gainesville to snap a four-game losing streak. Similar numbers will spell one-sided doom against a bigger and far more athletic LSU team. ... Credit to freshman forward Devin Robinson (5.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, pictured right), who garnered nearly all of his 12 points and six rebounds in the second half against the Commodores, including a slam-dunk with 2.1 seconds left for the lead. Kudos, also, to junior forward Alex Murphy (5.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg), who replaced Finney-Smith in the starting lineup -- just the second start as a collegian -- and scored 11 points, matching the career high he once pitched in while a freshman at Duke. ... The better, more error-free play the Gators get from the backcourt of sophomore point guard Kasey Hill (7.2 ppg, 4.5 apg) and Eli Carter (8.6 ppg), the better chance the Gators stand. But for UF to stay in the game, bottom line, it ultimately will come down to whether a team minus its two best scorers can find a way to put the ball in the basket. 
>>> The Tigers have dropped three of their last five and need a few more wins to hit the magic number of 20 and catch the eye of NCAA Tournament selection committee. LSU's RPI is a respectable 52, but at 7-6 (and tied with Georgia) in the SEC standings the Tigers are flirting with potential selection day disappointment. Certainly, though, they have the talent to put together a run of wins. ... The 6-8, 235-pound Mickey (16.7 ppg, 10.6) is a living, breathing (and dunking) double-double, with the 6-10, 235-pound Martin (15.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg) pretty close to one, too. ... LSU has a nice perimeter shooter in guard 6-4 guard Keith Hornsby (12.7 ppg, 37.3 from 3-point range), while lanky and skilled 6-6 guard Tim Quarterman (11.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) is really the guy who makes their offense work when its working at its best. ... Even with all this talent, though, the Tigers have a way of laying some eggs, with losses at Missouri (which is 1-12 in SEC play) and at Mississippi State (5-8), plus a home defeat against Auburn (4-9).
SOME NUMBERS OF NOTE
* 0 -- UF starters who average in double figures. Carter is closest.
* 4 -- LSU starters who average in double-figures, with none of them under 11.8 points per game.
* 9 -- Blocked shots by Florida sophomore center Chris Walker (right) the last two games. Walker swatted four at Texas A&M last weekend and a career-high five against Vandy.
* 60.6 -- Florida's scoring average over the previous seven games, with a high of 62.
* 499 -- Career wins for Donovan, 49, who needs one to become the second-youngest coach in Division I history to hit the 500-victory milestone. Bobby Knight did hit 500 in 1987 at the age of 48.
WATCH FOR IT
The early play of Robinson, the gifted but up-and-down Gator rookie, could very well determine whether Florida has a fighting chance. At 6-9, he can be (and should be) a factor on the glass every game, but his head needs to be right from the opening tip and whether that happens is anyone's guess. It did last week against Ole Miss, then didn't two days later at Texas A&M,, then didn't in the first half against Vandy, but did in -- in a big way -- in the second half.
