The defending national champion Florida Gators begin Southeastern Conference play, ready to defend their title. But first, they meet one of the four teams that beat them last season.
No. 22 Florida travels to Columbia to face Missouri on Saturday to begin its 18-game conference slate. The Tigers were the only team to defeat the Gators in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center last season, with an 83-82 upset.
Here are five keys for how UF can avenge last year’s loss and give head coach Todd Golden his first win to open SEC play.
Limit the open looks
Through 13 games, Missouri boasts one of the most efficient offenses in the nation, ranking No. 1 in the SEC and No. 13 nationally in field goal percentage. The Tigers are also 18th nationally in effective field goal percentage (58.6%).
A large reason for Missouri’s success on offense is Mark Mitchell.
In his second season with Missouri since transferring from Duke, the senior guard/forward leads the Tigers with 17.2 points per outing. He is shooting 58.6% from the field, putting him at the No. 44 spot among all Division I players.
Despite shooting 17% from beyond the arc to start the season, Mitchell, who stands 6-foot-9 and weighs 230 pounds, is most successful inside the arc. Against No. 21 Kansas on Dec. 7, he had 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. In last year’s upset win for Missouri, Mitchell had 15 points coupled with eight rebounds on 5-of-11 shooting from the field.
Given his size, it will be crucial for junior forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon to play tight defense on Mitchell, preventing him from reaching his spots in the 2-point range.
In general, Florida will have to tighten up defensively and limit the number of open shots the Tigers get. The Gators are holding opponents to 40% shooting from the field, and if they can keep this Tigers offense to a similar number, UF should come out on top.
Win on the perimeter
Last game, Florida struggled to limit Dartmouth’s success from beyond the arc. The Big Green finished the contest 12 of 27 (44%) from beyond the arc, which prevented the Gators from creating further separation in the second half.
While Missouri may not be a premier 3-point shooting team, Jacob Crews provides the Tigers with a lift from beyond the arc.
Crews, a graduate guard, is No. 5 nationally in 3-point percentage (51%). In the last 10 games, the Hilliard, Florida, native is averaging 15.2 points per outing. He had a season-high 22 points on 5-of-10 shooting from three at Notre Dame on Dec. 2.
However, on the defensive end, the Tigers have struggled to keep opponents quiet from beyond the arc.
Missouri is allowing an SEC-worst 36.8% shooting from 3-point range. Against No. 20 Illinois on Dec. 22, the Tigers allowed 15-of-33 shooting (45%) from beyond the arc en route to a 91-48 deficit.
Florida has struggled from distance, shooting 28% this season. However, Saturday's game will be an opportunity for guards Xaivian Lee and Urban Klavzar to get back on track from 3-point range.
Dominate the glass
With each game, the Gators continue to show their dominance on the glass. Through 13 games, Florida is No. 1 nationally in rebound margin, rebounds per game and offensive rebounds per game.
A large reason for UF’s success on the glass is junior center Rueben Chinyelu. He leads the team with 10.9 rebounds per contest and is on track to become the first Gator in 50 years to average double-digit rebounds.
The Tigers are third-worst in the SEC in rebounding, averaging 37.2 rebounds a game, which is about 10 fewer than the Gators. Missouri’s leading rebounder is Mitchell, who at 6-foot-9, will be at a disadvantage to Condon (6-foot-11), Chinyelu (6-foot-10 and Micah Handlogten off the bench (7-foot-1).
Given that Dennis Gates’ team is efficient on offense, the Gators will have to limit the number of extra possessions they allow while also grabbing offensive rebounds to make up for the third-worst shooting percentage in the SEC at 46%.
Keep guys fresh
Missouri has not played since its loss to No. 20 Illinois on Dec. 22, while Florida last played Dartmouth at home on Monday, giving the Tigers more rest heading into Saturday’s contest.
Additionally, the Tigers have used much of their bench so far this season, with 10 players averaging 10-plus minutes per game. While some bench players have seen more game time due to injuries to Jayden Stone and Jevon Porter, Missouri rotates more players than Florida. The Gators have just seven players averaging double-digit minutes a game.
While it remains unclear if the Tigers will have Stone or Porter back for Saturday, Florida will have to battle against a team that relies less on each player and comes in with more rest.
Look for the Gators to use more of their bench, with players like Isaiah Brown and CJ Ingram seeing more court time as the season progresses.
Take care of the ball
In three of Florida’s four losses this season, it was haunted by turnovers.
Against TCU on Nov. 27, UF fell short 84-80, in large part because it couldn't take care of the ball. The Gators lost the turnover battle 19-9, leading to a plus-10 advantage in points off turnovers for the Horned Frogs.
These issues continued for Florida against No. 4 Duke and No. 5 UConn.
Against the Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Gators had two turnovers down by one with four seconds left, leading to a 67-66 defeat. Then, against the Huskies in Madison Square Garden, Florida had an inbounds play down by three with nine seconds left, but a five-second violation threw the opportunity away, leading to a 77-73 loss.
Overall, Florida has the lowest turnover margin in the SEC (-2.16).
UF’s turnover issues are something Missouri will try to take advantage of, as the Tigers are fourth in the SEC in steals per game (8.23).
At the forefront of the Tigers’ defensive threat is junior guard Anthony Robinson II. He leads the team with 2.3 steals a game, putting him at the No. 25 spot nationally. Last season, he received the SEC’s All-Defensive Team honors.
Florida’s ballhandlers, particularly Boogie Fland and Lee, will have to take care of the ball to prevent Robinson from taking over the game defensively.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the spring 2026 men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major with a media, management and production minor. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams
