Fresh off a thrilling one-point win over Georgia on Saturday, the 22nd-ranked Mississippi State welcomed the third-ranked Florida Gators for a Tuesday night marquee Southeastern Conference matchup. Needing another signature win, Mississippi State looked to play spoiler to the Florida Gators, who dominated Auburn on the Plains on Saturday before heading into the depths of the Hump to deal with Coach Jans and the feisty Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Knowing the challenge, Mississippi State came looking to match the physically talented Florida Gators step by step. Arguably, the Florida Gators came into the game with the Bulldogs in consideration as one of the best basketball teams in the country, with a legitimate shot at not only reaching the Final Four but also winning the National Championship.

Mississippi State opened the game on a roll, even taking a 34-33 lead over the Gators to the locker room.

Despite what seemed like a promising night for Coach Jans and Mississippi State, Florida opened the second half on a 22-4 run over the Bulldogs, racing to a 53-38 lead at the under-16 media timeout. At the under-12 media timeout, Florida had extended the lead over Mississippi State to 59-43. The under-8 media timeout saw the Gators’ lead extend to 65-46 over the Bulldogs. At the game’s final media timeout, the Gators led the Bulldogs 77-62.

Despite the loss, Mississippi State will shift the focus to round two with the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday night. Mississippi State won the first matchup with Ole Miss in Starkville by a slim margin of 84-81. The first meeting with Ole Miss delivered an instant classic, arguably one of the best games in the rivalry’s history. Coming into the matchup on Saturday in Oxford, fans from both sides can expect more of the same as the Bulldogs and Rebels are about as even as it comes. Saturday’s game might be more significant than the first meeting because a Mississippi State win would bump the Bulldogs in recruiting the state with two wins over Ole Miss, plus the seeding implications for the NCAA Tournament and Southeastern Conference in Nashville. An Ole Miss win would level the playing field between the two, giving the Rebels an extra boost in the momentum column heading into the final stretch before the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

The next home game for Mississippi State will be next Tuesday night as they welcome the Aggies of Texas A&M to the Hump.