STARKVILLE, Miss. – Florida women’s basketball will remain on the road this week when they travel to Starkville, Miss., for a matchup with Mississippi State on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Bart Gregory and Charlie Winfield will be on the call on SEC Network while Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis will handle radio responsibilities on 98.1FM/850AM WRUF
The No. 19/23 Gators (17-6, 7-3 SEC) enter Thursday’s contest fresh off of a victory over No. 14 Georgia. Florida earned just their sixth win all-time in Athens when they defeated the Bulldogs, 54-51. The Gators snapped a nine-game losing skid to the Bulldogs dating back to Jan. 28, 2018 and pick up their first win over a ranked Georgia squad since a 51-48 win over No. 24 on Feb. 12, 2015. The Orange & Blue, who led the Bulldogs scoreless for the last 4:30 of the game, were led by Zippy Broughton and Jordyn Merritt with 11 points while Kiara Smith and Nina Rickards each added 10.
Following the victories over No. 7 Tennessee and No. 14/11 Georgia, Florida entered the top 25 for the first time since December 2016. The Gators entered at 19th in the AP poll and 23rd in the Coaches Poll.
Smith earned her second SEC Player of the Week honor following the two victories over No. 7 Tennessee and No. 14 Georgia last week. Over the two games, Smith averaged 17.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Smith was also named SEC Player of the Week on January 25.
With the victory over No. 14 Georgia, Florida has now defeated five ranked teams in a season for the first time since the 2005-06 season when the Gators downed No. 18/16 Temple, No. 19 Vanderbilt, No. 21/23 Kentucky, No. 2/3 LSU and No. 5 Tennessee. The victory also marks the first time since the 2003-04 season that the Gators have defeated five ranked SEC opponents in a season. That season UF defeated No. 22 Vanderbilt, No. 11/9 Georgia, No. 24 Vanderbilt, No. 19/15 Georgia, and No. 18/20 Auburn.
The Gators are now one of just seven teams in the nation to have defeated at least five top 25 teams. They join South Carolina, Michigan, Louisville, North Carolina State, Stanford and Tennessee as the only teams to have accomplished that feat.
Mississippi State enters Thursday evening with a 14-7 (5-4 SEC), most recently defeating Auburn, 65-60, in Auburn, Ala. The Bulldogs are on a three-game winning streak and hold a 27-24 advantage over Florida in the all-time series.
– #GoGators –
