Mizzou basketball is back on the road in SEC play as the Tigers travel to Gainesville, to take on the No. 3 Florida Gators. The Tigers are coming off an 84-79 home loss to No. 11 Kentucky on Saturday and it is hard to find reasons why Mizzou will win tonight…Florida has won 27 consecutive home games, the third longest active streak in the country and are 19-2 on the season.
While Mizzou got outstanding offensive efforts from juniors Jabari Brown (33 points) and Jordan Clarkson (28 points), the top scoring duo in a power conference this year, the rest of the roster is failing to score or do their job consistently. Forwards Jonathan Williams III and Ryan Rosburg combined for three points and four total rebounds on Saturday.
Let’s focus on the good and that of course is Jabari Brown and Jordan Clarkson. The fact those two nearly carried the Tigers on their shoulders and pulled off the comeback is remarkable. John Calipari’s Wildcats knew those two would get the ball and still couldn’t slow down the tandem. They combine for 39.3 points which ranks No. 3 nationally, just behind the VMI’s QJ Peterson (21.1) and Rodney Glasgow (19.1) and the Louisiana-Lafayette’s Elfrid Payton (20.0) and Shawn Long (19.8).
Florida will add freshman Chris Walker to the roster who will make his first appearance tonight. That should add to the woes for Missouri inside.
“To be honest, it hasn’t really hit me yet,” Walker told GatorZone.com after his first practice following official reinstatement by the NCAA. “I’m pretty sure Tuesday night, when I get to put the jersey on for the first time, get to run out there with the team, stretch, the the layup lines.”
With a dominating 69-36 win over SEC-foe Texas A&M, Florida matched the fewest points UF has allowed to a league opponent since 1950. Now 8-0 in conference play, the Gators remain the SEC’s only unbeaten team. Florida has won 13-straight SEC home games and will attempt to break the school record.
