[Rafael De Los Santos]

Coming up at 1 P.M., No. 8-seed Florida (16-15, 9-9) and No. 9-seed Mississippi State (20-11, 8-10) meet in second-round play of the SEC Basketball Tournament.

Follow along right here for live updates.

TV: SEC Network

Live stats:https://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=459939&_gl=1*8ohyv0*_ga*NzY0NDA1NjExLjE2NjI4NTM4NjA.*_ga_2ZWVK1X7BJ*MTY3ODM4MTY2Mi4yNC4xLjE2NzgzODE2NzguMC4wLjA.

[Mark Wheeler]

📍 SEC Tournament #GoGators pic.twitter.com/53tyRVfbqZ

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 8, 2023

[Mark Wheeler]

SEC Tournament matinée

🆚 Mississippi State
@ 1 PM EST #GoGators pic.twitter.com/u27qUyER8Z

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 9, 2023

[Rafael De Los Santos]

First 5 🖐#GoGators | @RegionsBank pic.twitter.com/Pn3dt1NKcX

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 9, 2023

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Miss. St. with the tip-off win.

It’ll be all about what Kugel can do?

Can Jitoboh contain Tolu Smith?

And finally, Can the Gators’ shooting finally helo them in a big game?

[Rafael De Los Santos]

First bucket UF, and it’s Jitoboh on the one-hander from the FT line.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Miss. St. answers with a three, for a team that averages five made threes a game, that was a dagger early on.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Another for Jitoboh, it’s 7-4 Miss. St.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Kugel with the jump shot there and it looks like everything is going according to the narratives est before the game.

Kugel must keep up with his hot hand to carry UF to a win.

Jitoboh must step up without Castleton to guard ALL-SEC first-teamer Tolu Smith.

As it stands it’s 13-9 Miss ST.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Will Richard with the dagger as we head into the first media timeout.

It’s 13-12 Miss. St. good start for both teams.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Reeves will head to the line after a drive to the basket.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

1/2 from the line and it’s 15-13 Bulldogs.

• This reply was modified 2 weeks ago by Rafael De Los Santos.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Both teams are trading right now: Turnovers, fouls, and buckets.

It’s tit for tat at the moment as Fudge finds the lane and the tough basket.

19-15 Miss. St.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Fudge with the foul on Moore’s attempted three and the Bulldogs will head to the line for three following the media TO.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Moore hits all three and its a seven point Miss St lead.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

That’s five FTs to UF’s one.

It’s been the difference so far. Much sloppier play from the Gators as the bulldogs now have the biggest lead of the game: 24-15

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Now Kugel is headed to the line after a foul on a three ball attempt.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

2/3 from Kugel and the lead is cut down to seven.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Smith is making Florida pay right now.

No Castleton, no Jitoboh and it’s the Bulldogs winning down low through Smith.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

1/2 from the line from Smith and it’s a 10-point lead for the Bulldogs.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Florida has made zero of its last six FGs, and two of its last ten.

It’s a 2:16 scoring drought for the Orange and Blue headed into another media TO.

Miss. St. leads 27-17 with 7:57 to go.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Florida now has eight turnovers to Miss. State’s three…

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Tolu Smith getting the best of Jitoboh there.

The Bulldogs are playing their game plan perfectly. Capitalizing on Castleton’s absence, limiting Kugel and Richard.

[Mark Wheeler]

Florida is 0 for the last 7 attempts and it’s starting to get away from the Gators down by 14.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Florida is now scoreless i four minutes of play.

[Romeg8r]

We look like a team that wants this to be the their last game.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Reeves with a three to end the drought and by no means was it a sign of things to come.

Incredibly contested there, UF is struggling to create looks off the top of the key screen.

It’s 31-20 Bulldogs.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Make that 3/12 from three for UF.

• This reply was modified 2 weeks ago by Rafael De Los Santos.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

It’s 34-21 headed into another media TO.

It’s about the same storyline as every other UF loss.

Horrid shooting backed by uninspired efforts off the ball and on the glass.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

The Bulldogs have missed nine of their last ten while maintaining their 13-point lead

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Lofton to the line.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

1/2 and the Gators finally find a bucket.

The lead is cut down to 12.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Will Richard sits down with his third foul as he sends Tolu Smith to the line.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

2/2 from the line and it’s back to a 14-point lead.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Reeves with the layup to cut the lead to 12.

• This reply was modified 2 weeks ago by Rafael De Los Santos.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Fudge with the athletic layup there to close out the half for UF.

It’s 36-26 Bulldogs at halftime.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Halftime Box Score for @GatorsMBK in SEC Tournament Play.

Mississippi State has dominated the paint and the second chance glass for a 10-point lead headed into the locker room.@InsideTheGators pic.twitter.com/i0J4jobxlD

— Rafael De Los Santos (@rafdelossantos) March 9, 2023

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Great play from Jitoboh there. 3/3 from the field and seven points for him now as he heads to the line.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

FT good as the Gators set up the full court press with a seven point lead to chase.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Well, there’s the difference right there. It’s Tolu Smith with two O-rebounds to get to the line.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Myreon Jones has been a non-factor in this game so far. 13 mins two TOs and two rebs.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

As soon as I say something there he is with a floater.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Thankfully for Florida, Smith is really struggling at the line as he misses both there.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

UF is now within six but cant get a rebound to save themselves.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

The Bulldogs are now in a two minute scoring drought.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

There’s Reeves and this team has completely turned it around with Szymczyck on the court.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Timeout on the floor and it’s 37-33 Bulldogs.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Right off the inbound and the Gators are within two.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Aleks Szymczyck with the three and Florida has its first lead, 38-37

[Rafael De Los Santos]

There’s Lofton. The smoke screen is money for the Gators right now.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

What a play by Kugel. That was worthy of his all-sec freshman team inclusion.

It’s now 42-39 UF.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Nice ball fake there to find Richard for a jumper, UF expands their lead to three, 44-41.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Tolu Smith has checked back in, this is where the real test will begin for the Gators.

[Mark Wheeler]

It took Florida less than 10 minutes of the second half to undo that 10-point deficit.

Now, if Reeves could either start hitting or stop taking all these threes.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

The small ball team is made to pay as Smith gets in the pain and draws the shooting foul.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Smith hits both FTs and it’s now a one-point Florida lead.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

There’s Smith again. Bulldogs take the one point lead now.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Reeves goes 1/2 from the line to tie the game as he checks out for Kugel.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Tolu Smith again in the paint for his 15th and 16th points.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Richard is on the line after a gritty O-rebound.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

It’s 49-48 Bulldogs following that 1/2 trip.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Jones with the high arching signature three to tie the game.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Reeves second charge there down the stretch.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Another crucial turnover for UF there. This game could slip away quickly for the Gators if they continue the lack of focus that kept them down in the first half.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Things are heating up here as Florida is struggling to keep the ball out of Smith’s hands.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

What a sequence.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Myreon Jones with the third three-ball attempt there to bring UF within three with a minute and a half to go.

[Mark Wheeler]

Jones ties it up. He’s 3-of-3 from 3-point land.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Myreon Jones with another clutch three and its a tie ball game.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Off the front iron with what would’ve made Jones the hero. We’re headed to overtime.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

There’s Tolu Smith making himself felt yet again. He has been an absolute thorn in Florida’s side today.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Not too sure why Jones sidestepped away from an open three and into a contested one there.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Theres Szymczyck to neutralize the three point play from Smith to start the period.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

What a statement from Miss. St. there on the break.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Florida is down five with a little over two minutes to go.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Fudge gets the layup there as Florida are now hanging on by a thread down five.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Don’t know what Reeves was thinking there.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

1/2 from the line and Moore makes it a six point game.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Riley Kugel with the three and UF is now within three.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

the first from the line is good for Florida with 25.5s to go, headed into a TO.

Kugel with have the chance to cut the lead to one after the break.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

The free throw is good and UF is now within a point with 25.5 to go.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Niels Lane with 11.8 to go and the Gators are leading.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

There’s Tolu Smith again with a clean look at the rim. Bulldogs up one.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

Jones is off there and that’s the game.

[Rafael De Los Santos]

One second they had it, and the next it was gone. @GatorsMBK loses a close one after climbing back from a 14-point deficit against Mississippi State. @InsideTheGators pic.twitter.com/cZTOLggikp

— Rafael De Los Santos (@rafdelossantos) March 9, 2023

[Author]

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