Georgia hopes to continue its climb in the Southeastern Conference standings on Saturday afternoon when it visits Florida in Gainesville, Fla.
Following a 68-66 victory over LSU on Wednesday, the Bulldogs (14-5, 4-2 SEC) enter the weekend tied with South Carolina and Kentucky for fourth place in the standings
Russel Tchewa retrieved the rebound off Jabri Abdul-Rahim’s missed 3-pointer and banked in a shot with 2.8 seconds left to give the Bulldogs the necessary points to defeat the Tigers. He added a free throw to the final margin.
With Wednesday night’s victory, the Bulldogs escaped their first two-game conference losing streak. They were coming off a 105-96 loss to Kentucky over the weekend.
“We’ve responded to every loss the right way,” Georgia coach Mike White stated.
The Gators (13-6, 3-3) are tied for sixth with Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and LSU after defeating Mississippi State 79-70 on Wednesday.
“This was a huge win for us and one that will travel,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “They are a highly physical and good team. They’re pretty old, and many of them have SEC experience. “We felt that in the first four minutes of the game.”
The Gators have won their previous two games and three of their last four, with the sole setback coming against then-No. 6 Tennessee on January 16. Surprisingly, free throw shooting played a significant element in the Gators’ victory over Mississippi State.
The Gators, who were last in the league with a 67.0 percent average, went 17-for-20 from the line for the game and 10-for-11 in the final 1:32 to secure the victory.
“It shows that we’ve been working on them,” forward Tyrese Samuel said.
Florida has won the previous eight encounters and is 8-1 at home this season. Georgia has a 3-1 record on the road. The rematch takes place on February 17 in Athens, Georgia.
