What channel is Florida gymnastics vs. LSU on today. Time, TV for UF's meet
One of gymnastics great recent rivalries renews Friday night under the lights of the O’Dome as Florida hosts LSU.
The Gators rank fifth and LSU second, the 32nd consecutive meeting with both ranked in the top 10.
What to know before the meet
Florida (9-1, 4-1 SEC) has steadily improved each week, the only team in gymnastics to make that claim.
The young Gators (with seven freshman) scored a 197.10 in their first meet on January 12, but that mark has now raised nearly a full point to 197.925.
UF reached that in a quad-meet win last week over No. 14 Missouri, Illinois and Lindenwood in St. Louis. Its lone loss came to current No. 10 Alabama at home on Jan. 26 (197.575-197.425).
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LSU (7-2, 4-1 SEC) has endured a brutal schedule, with all nine meets vs squads ranked in the top 20 at the time.
It lost to No. 1 Oklahoma and at then-No. 9 Missouri. Signature wins include No. 4 Utah, No. 6 Kentucky and No. 9 UCLA.
“We’re very ambitious. Why not an upset?” Florida coach Jenny Rowland said. “The Gators must continue to control our controllables and do what we’ve been doing.”
Despite that, Rowland said she doesn’t put much stock the rising scores since as she said “gymnastics is a crazy sport.”
Fifth-year Payton Richards faces the Tigers this week for the 10th time. Since gymnastics has no offense and defense, she said the Gators don’t worry about the other team Friday nights.
The grad student hasn’t competed in every meet this year but stepped up last week with a career-best 9.925 on the floor.
“We always say we are as strong as our weakest link,” Rowland said. “I commend Payton for challenging herself and her teammates because if she’s not in the lineup, that means we’re a better team.”
Livvy Dunne vs Leanne Wong
![Florida Gators gymnast Leanne Wong celebrates as Florida takes on Arkansas in an NCAA Gymnastics meet at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, FL on Friday, February 9, 2024. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/EKo9T9yqzYLrVJh_rzSuNA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcxOA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-gainesville-sun/81acc6bf19f9bb5c2abf17dbf7fc5742)
Friday’s meet features a showdown with two of the biggest names in gymnastics – Olivia Dunne and Leanne Wong.
Dunne, a Hillsdale, New Jersey, native plays for the Tigers and is a massive social media personality, with over 10 million followers.
She’s competed in two meets this season, both on the floor. She scored a 9.875 vs Arkansas on February 2, and a 9.850 vs Auburn last week.
The Tigers are led by Haleigh Bryant, Aleah Finnegan and Konnor McClain, each of whom scored a 10 this season.
Wong scored UF’s lone 10, two weeks ago vs Arkansas. She was an alternate on the 2021 U.S. Olympic squad in Tokyo. She is one of two gymnasts competing on the college circuit this year and attempting to make trials for this summer’s games in Paris.
Wong, Sloane Blakely and Anya Pilgrim are the three Gator gymnasts to compete all-around. Pilgrim, especially, has made a splash. The Germantown, Maryland, native has won three SEC Freshman of the week this season and two straight.
![Florida Gators gymnast Anya Pilgrim performs on the balance beam. The Florida Gators hosted the Alabama Crimson Tide at Exactech Arena at The Stephen C O'Connell Center in Gainesville, FL on Friday, January 26, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/7TRr9vGq6hqcFnTzw1hHpg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTczNw--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-gainesville-sun/9605b9ef0c44720d2796f91d5b32bd57)
Florida gymnastics vs. LSU start time
The Gators tussle with the Tigers begins at 6:45 p.m. from the O'Connell Center. The meet is a sellout, the third consecutive between the two in Gainesville. Resell tickets can be bought here. The meet is branded as "Rowdy Reptile Night," a first for a UF meet. Light up sticks are available for anyone in the lower bowl, and the first 200 students to arrive get free pizza.
Fans can enter through gates 1 and 2. Students go through gate 3.
What channel is the Florida gymnastics vs. LSU meet on today
The meet can be seen on ESPN2, the Gators third straight home meet on either ESPN or ESPN2. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. Bart Connor and former Gator Bridget Sloan will be on the call.
It will stream on ESPN.com, and live stats can be followed here.
What is the history between Florida and LSU?
The Gators and Tigers share a rich gymnastics history. Since 2008, the two have combined for 22 Super Six or Final Four appearances (Florida 13, LSU 9).
Their meets over the past 15 years are among the highest attended and most competitive in college gymnastics. UF leads the all-time series 72-43, but the series have been much more competitive in recent years.
Since 2013, 21 of 31 meets were decided by 1/2 point or less. A tenth of a point decided eight of the last 24.
The Bayou Bengals won for the first time in Baton Rouge since 2017 last season, but the Gators gained revenge with an SEC Championship and a second place finish at NCAA Championships. LSU landed in fourth.
Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun. Contact him at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: No. 5 Florida Gators gymnastics vs No. 2 LSU: How to watch, start time
