After claiming a share of the Southeastern Conference regular season, their first since 2014, the Gators look to grab a win in their last home game of the season and start March off on the right foot.
On Tuesday, No. 5 Florida (23-6, 14-2 SEC) hosts Mississippi State (13-16, 5-11 SEC) at 8 p.m. for Senior Day. A win would make the Gators outright SEC regular-season champions and give Todd Golden his 100th victory as Florida's head coach.
“We have to make sure we approach it the right way,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “It's an opportunity to win the league outright, and that's a goal of ours. So, we have plenty to play for tomorrow night."
Here are four keys for the Gators to extend their win streak to 10 games.
Shut down Josh Hubbard
Mississippi State may have one of the weaker scoring offenses in the SEC, averaging 78.2 points per game, but that does not mean leading scorer Josh Hubbard is incapable of causing damage.
In his third year with the Bulldogs, the junior guard is averaging 21.4 points per game, putting him second in the conference behind Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. He can score at all three levels, shooting 41.8% from the field and 34.4% from beyond the arc. Against Auburn on Feb. 18, Hubbard recorded 46 points on 15-of-27 shooting, including 10 3-pointers.
Last season against UF on Feb. 11, 2025, he logged 19 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field and four 3-pointers despite the Gators coming out on top 81-68.
“Josh Hubbard's been a problem for a lot of teams in the SEC for a long time,” Golden said. “He's a really great young man, really talented guy, loyal, has been the face of their program for a couple of years. Anytime he's on the floor, it's dangerous.”
Aside from Hubbard, there is not much scoring for the Bulldogs. The only other player to average double-digit points per game is Jayden Epps (13.7). Therefore, Florida should concentrate its defensive efforts on Hubbard.
Moreover, the Gators’ defense has been a problem for opponents throughout the season and will look to keep it that way on Tuesday.
UF comes into the contest holding opponents to an SEC-best 40.5% from the field and second-best 71.4 points per game. Last time out against Arkansas on Saturday, the aforementioned Acuff logged 17 points, his lowest-scoring effort since he also recorded 17 against Vanderbilt on Jan. 20.
For the Gators to run away with Tuesday's game, they have to shut down the Bulldogs offense, and that starts with Hubbard.
Maintain the balanced attack
Florida comes into Tuesday with six players in its rotation averaging double-digit points this season, tying them for first nationally with Miami (OH) and Queens, according to ESPN research. As a result, the Gators have broken a program record, scoring 90 or more points in 14 games this season.
Against Arkansas, that balanced attack was on display with seven Gators finishing the night in double figures. Isiah Brown’s 11 points marked his fourth double-digit outing this season.
Tuesday offers another opportunity for UF to showcase its balanced attack, given Mississippi State’s defensive struggles.
The Bulldogs enter Tuesday's matchup giving up the second-worst in the conference, 80 points per game.
Expect Florida’s balanced attack to overwhelm a struggling Bulldogs defense and play an important factor if the Gators grab the win on Tuesday.
Win the turnover battle
The Gators may be playing some of their best basketball of the season, but turnovers remain a lingering issue.
Against Arkansas, UF finished minus-three in the turnover battle. Overall, the Gators have a minus-0.73 turnover margin on the season
However, Mississippi State has also struggled to take care of the basketball.
The Bulldogs have an SEC-worst minus-1.96 turnover margin in large part because their 5.9 steals per game is second-lowest in the conference. Moreover, Mississippi State has five players in its rotation averaging a turnover or more per game, led by Hubbard’s 2.3 giveaways per game.
Looking to take advantage in the turnover battle will be Florida’s Boggie Fland, who leads the team with 1.9 steals per game. However, against the Razorbacks on Saturday, Fland went without a steal for the first time since Florida's 76-74 loss to Missouri on Jan. 3 to open SEC play.
Given the Bulldogs’ struggles to take care of the basketball, look at the turnover battle to play a decisive factor in Tuesday's contest and for Fland to showcase his defensive presence.
Keep players fresh
While Mississippi State may not have elite scorers off its bench, head coach Chris Jans has used his rotation quite a bit throughout the season.
The Bulldogs run a nine-man rotation, with players like Brandon Walker and Deliquan Warren occasionally appearing in meaningful contests. Last time out against Missouri on Saturday, the Bulldogs had five players come off the bench, with four of them logging double-digit minutes.
Conversely, Florida has strictly stayed to its eight-man rotation. As a result, the Gators’ rotational players like Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Fland are averaging around 30 minutes of gametime an outing.
“With these guys playing the way they are, we're nicked up a little bit,” Golden said. “This time of year everybody probably is, and it just kind of is what it is.”
However, Tuesday marks UF’s third game in seven days, and with the SEC Tournament and March Madness coming up, giving players like CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd limited time off the bench could provide Florida’s starters some rest.
Look for Florida’s bench, led by Urban Klavžar and Brown, to take on more minutes than usual and pave the way for reserves to check into the contest later in the second half.
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
