In the midst of a six-game win streak, No. 12 Florida has a chance to further establish its lead atop the Southeastern Conference standings against a struggling Ole Miss team.
On Saturday, the Gators (20-6, 11-2 SEC) face the Rebels (11-15, 3-10 SEC) in Oxford, Mississippi, with a chance to maintain their place in the SEC standings en route to their first conference regular season championship since 2014.
“When you kind of look at all their results, big picture wise, their record’s not great, but they’re a very capable team,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “On their home floor, just like any team in the league, you got to do a really good job of playing well if you want to get out of there with a win.”
Here are three keys for UF to grab its first win in Oxford since 2016.
Continue defensive dominance
Florida comes into Saturday's contest as one of the better defenses in the conference, ranking No. 2 in scoring defense (71.1 points per game) and holding teams to a conference-best 40.4% shooting from the field.
Last time out, Florida held South Carolina to 62 points on 38% shooting from the field and 21% from beyond the arc. Moreover, starter Myles Stute was scoreless in 15 minutes of action for the Gamecocks.
Conversely, Ole Miss has struggled offensively this season, recording an SEC-worst 74.2 points per game.
The principal contributors to the Rebels' offensive effort are AJ Storr and Malik Dia.
Storr, a transfer from Kansas, leads the team, averaging 14.8 points per game on 44.2% shooting from the field. He’s recorded at least 20 points in three straight outings, including 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting against Alabama on Feb. 11.
Dia is averaging 13.5 points per outing and has recorded back-to-back 20-plus point performances. Against Mississippi State on Saturday, the senior forward recorded 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the field.
Aside from these two, the Rebels have struggled to provide consistent offensive support.
Therefore, look for the Gators to try to neutralize Storr and Dia while maintaining their recent defensive form against one of the more pedestrian offenses in the SEC.
“We're a more talented defensive team this year, and that's something that we got to continue to hang our hat on,” Golden said.
Dominate the glass
Florida’s frontcourt continues to be a dominating factor, coming into Saturday's game leading the nation with 46 rebounds a game, 16.4 offensive boards an outing and a plus-14.7 rebounding margin.
Conversely, Ole Miss has struggled on the glass, ranking second-worst in the conference with 34.4 rebounds per game and a minus-2.3 rebound margin.
The Rebels’ effort on the glass is led by Dia, who is averaging six rebounds a contest, considerably lower than Florida’s big men.
At the forefront of Florida's effort on the glass is junior center Rueben Chinyelu, who comes into the game averaging a team-high 12 boards a game. Against South Carolina on Tuesday, the Nigerian recorded his 16th double-double of the season with 15 points and 17 boards.
He is on track to be the first Gator to average a double-double in 50 years and two shy of tying a single-season record set by Bob Smyth, who recorded 18 double-doubles in the 1975-76 season.
Behind Chinyelu is junior forward Alex Condon, who averages 8.1 rebounds a game in addition to 13.6 points an outing. The Aussie has logged two straight double-doubles, including a 20-point, 10-rebound outing against USC on Tuesday, where he became the 58th Gator to reach 1,000 career points.
"Just having these guys in our program makes me feel really good on a daily basis," Golden said about Chinyelu and Condon after the South Carolina game. "These guys next to me are two of the best players in America, and they've worked really hard to get there."
To finish off Florida’s effort on the glass are Thomas Haugh and Micah Handlogten, who are averaging 6.1 rebounds per game apiece.
Given the Gators’ dominant frontcourt, their ability to dominate the glass can play a vital role in a win on Saturday.
“For us to play well and to win, we got to do well on the boards for sure,” Golden said. “Really every game we want to have a big advantage on the boards.”
Start Fast
One area that has helped the Gators to their streak of five straight conference road wins is their ability to start games fast.
Against Texas A&M on Feb. 7, Florida’s defense held the Aggies to a 9:38 scoring drought in the first half, pushing the Gators to a 30-19 advantage at the break and quieting a sold-out Reed Arena.
Then, against Georgia on Feb. 11, the Gators came out of the gate flying again, starting the contest on a 10-0 run. UF finished the first half up 16 points en route to an 86-66 win in Athens, Georgia.
“I don’t take it for granted what we’ve been able to do early in these games,” Golden said. “It’s been really important to our success, and it’s something that we can’t take for granted, and we got to try and do it again tomorrow to give ourselves the best chance to win at Ole Miss.”
With Florida sitting on top of the SEC standings, Saturday provides Ole Miss the opportunity to pull off the upset with the support of its home fans. Another quick start for the Gators will be crucial to setting the tone early and keeping the crowd out of the contest.
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
