Gators comeback falls short at home vs Mizzou

Tonight, the Gators lost a close one in a tight battle against the Missouri Tigers, with the final score being 72-70. The fast-paced Missouri offense, who finished their night shooting 46% from FG and 33% from 3-point land, led the way for the Tigers.

While their offense was fast, their defense was even faster. Missouri forced 15 of UF’s 18 turnovers in the first half and held them to 36% from behind the arc. Surprisingly though, UF still had somewhat of a stellar night from FG, shooting 58% behind Tre Mann’s 21 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one block.

He had this to say about his confidence, and his performance tonight.

“My teammates and my coaches have given me a lot of confidence. I’ve just been going off of the confidence that they give me. I just try to do whatever I can to help win and if I have to make the shot, that’s what I’m going to try to do. The game – you never know when it could be your last, so I try to give it my all.”

The matchup against Tennessee will be even bigger now after the loss to Missouri. Coach Mike White had some good things to say about Missouri and the way they handled the matchup.

"Great execution by Missouri out of the timeout. They got it to Dru Smith on the wing and we didn't handle that ball screen situation very well, got beat to his strong hand, allowed the ball screen reject and then we had a couple guys swarming to the basketball, trying to make plays from the help side, I thought it looked like one of those guys might be able to get a hand on it, but he had a great finish. Credit those guys."

Florida continued to follow the projected tendencies of fans by losing tonight after a few good wins and will need to do a much better job against Tennessee. It will be interesting to see what happens. The last time UF met with Tennessee was in Gainesville, with a final score of 75-49, seeing the gators prevail in a big way.

This upcoming matchup for the gators will especially be important due to SEC tournament play. So, keep an eye out on projected positions in the tournament after the loss tonight against Missouri, and look forward to the next matchup.

Who: Florida Gators vs Tennessee Volunteers

When: Sunday March 7th | 12:00 pm

Where: Thompson-Boiling Arena | Knoxville, Tennessee

TV: ESPNU, Gator Sports Network

The Gators battled back from eight points down with 2:27 remaining and tied the game at 70 on a pair of Colin Castleton free throws with less than 20 seconds left, but Dru Smith’s driving layup with 0.7 seconds left provided Missouri the decisive points

Tre Mann’s electric play continued, as the Gainesville native led Florida with 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the floor. Over the past three games, Mann is averaging 20.3 points and shooting 24-for-36 (.667) from the field.

Anthony Duruji grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds