Game preview: Florida basketball set to host Georgia for sold-out contest

Florida basketball returned to the Swamp this week and looked like they found their comfort zone, taking down the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 79-70, and building a two-game win streak on Wednesday night.

Now a new breed of Bulldogs is coming to Gainesville, but there’s a bit more personal beef between the programs.

The Georgia Bulldogs will visit the Gators on Saturday for an early afternoon sellout at Exactech Arena. UGA is on a roll this basketball season, standing at 14-5 with four conference wins.

Despite the better record, the Bulldogs are actually rated with a worse overall efficiency rating on the KenPom index. Florida is ranked at No. 35 with a plus-16.86 efficiency rating and Georgia is No. 70 with a plus-11.55 rating.

We’re expecting a nail-biter in the Swamp on Saturday, and here’s how a full rundown of how the teams will lineup.

Starting lineup: Florida Gators

Starting lineup: Georgia Bulldogs

Key Player: Walter Clayton Jr.

Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. has taken a bit of a backseat in January, but has a chance to redefine himself as the leading man on Saturday.

The Iona transfer only racked up 15 points against Mississippi State while fellow guard Will Richard collected a personal season-high 23 points. Florida head coach Todd Golden wants to build the team chemistry as much as possible before March, and a home matchup with Georgia is a good opportunity for Clayton to get back into the mix.

The junior is still the Gators’ leading scorer, averaging 15.8 points a game and sinking 2.1 attempts a game from the three-point line.

Key Player: Jabri Abdur-Rahim

The Georgia Bulldogs are built around three key players at guard, but the standout is leading scorer Jabri Abdur-Rahim who’s averaging 13.7 points a game and 2.5 three-point field goals.

When an opponent gets hot against from downtown against Florida, it usually becomes the downfall of the Orange and Blue.

Abdur-Rahim ignited while playing the Kentucky Wildcats, scoring a career-high 34 points in a hostile environment. He’ll look to do the same against the Gators in Gainesville.

BPI Prediction

Using the College Basketball Power Index, ESPN predicts the winner and margin of every matchup in the country. According to Saturday’s projections, Florida has a 79.6% chance to win with an expected 9.7-point margin of victory. The game also earned a matchup quality rating of 76.4, putting it in the top third of games played that day.

ESPN’s BPI predicts a much-welcomed outcome for Florida vs Georgia

Staff prediction

The Florida Gators look like they got a little bit of their confidence back during this two-game winning streak and a sold out section of Rowdy Reptiles will bring a challenge to the second set of visiting Bulldogs. Though as mentioned before, Georgia guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim didn’t have much of an issue against Kentucky on the road, despite the loss.

Expect a heavyweight boxer fight where both teams trade haymakers until the final bell. If the Gators can outshoot the Bulldogs in a 3-point contest, a victory can be within grasp for Todd Golden and Co.

Florida 86, Georgia 84

How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024

• Time: 12 p.m. ET

• TV Channel: ESPN2

• Radio: Gators IMG Sports Network

• Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)

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Florida inches up NET rankings after Mississippi State win

Gators crack Basketball Power Index top 30 with Mississippi State win

Florida continues to rise in KenPom following Mississippi State triumph

Story originally appeared on Gators Wire