2010 SEC Tournament Quarterfinals Gameday: Florida Gators vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Location: Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN [Capacity: 19,395]
Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST)

TV: SEC Network
Online Video: ESPN360.com
Live Updates: OGGOA on Twitter

Odds: OFF

KEEP AN EYE ON…
» Junior forward Chandler Parsons…who has scored in double figures in eight of his last ten games and has two double-doubles in those contests. He has also helped run the point and scored 18 points with 12 rebounds and six assists in Florida’s first meeting with Mississippi State.
» Double-digit scoring by Vernon Macklin…the Gators are 14-4 when the redshirt junior center finishes in double figures. Macklin has achieved this mark in six of the eight seven games and finished with 20 points earlier this season against the Bulldogs.
» Junior F Alex Tyus…who returned to his dominating ways with a season-high 24 points Thursday against Auburn after struggling to play consistently since Feb. 2.
» Mississippi State F Jarvis Varnado…who is averaging 13.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game this season. In his first meeting against the Gators, he scored 16 points and grabbed 13 boards but only registered one block.
» The Bulldogs’ trio of guards – Ravern Johnson, Dee Bost and Barry Stewart…who all average double-digits and combine to score 37.9 of the team’s 72.8 points per game.

STREAKS:
» Florida leads the all-time series against Mississippi State 57-47, most recently adding a 69-62 win in Gainesville, FL, on Feb. 6. This is the fifth time the two teams will meet in the SEC Tournament (first time since 2005), having split the previous four 2-2.
» Florida has gone 7-0 against the SEC West this season.
» The Gators have won three prior SEC Tournament titles (2005-2007). They won the 2006 title at the site of this year’s tourney and are 5-2 all-time in Bridgestone Arena.
» Though they failed to do so against Auburn, Florida is 13-4 when out-rebounding the opposition this season.
» The Gators have made a three-pointer in a school-record 610 consecutive games beginning Jan. 11, 1992.
» Florida is 233-40 when forcing more turnovers than its opponents under Donovan.
» The Gators are 242-34 under Donovan when holding opponents to 70 points or less.
» Parsons became the 45th member of UF’s 1,000-point club Thursday night.
» Opponents are shooting just 31.5 percent from three-point range against Florida.
» The Bulldogs score 1.1 points more than the Gators on average while allowing 0.7 points less than Florida per game.
» Mississippi is 1-3 against ranked opponents this season, with their sole win coming against Ole Miss 80-75 on Jan. 9.