Despite a much needed win on the road against Alabama on Tuesday, the Florida men’s basketball team still has some resume building to do in order to have a case for the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee in March.
A win against Arkansas would certainly help.
The Gators (11-9, 4-3 SEC) will have a heavy task on their hands when they host the Razorbacks (16-4, 5-2) at the O’ Connell Center on Saturday.
Florida is 9-0 against Arkansas at home with Billy Donovan at the helm but their streak is in danger as the Razorbacks come into the Gainesville with the nation’s eighth best offense, putting up 81.7 points per game.
“They’re very good in transition, they’ve got really good speed,” Donovan said about Arkansas. “I think one of the things I’ve always loved about (Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson’s) teams is that they’re (typically) a good passing team and they move the ball really well.”
The Razorbacks will lean on the services of sophomore forward Bobby Portis, who’s averaging 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Michael Qualls is another weapon the Gators hope to contain as the 6’6” guard is averaging 16.5 points and 5.4 rebounds this year.
Meanwhile, the Gators will look to counter with a big game from Dorian Finney-Smith, who had one of his best games of the 2013-2014 season against the Razorbacks, dropping 22 points and 15 rebounds in an overtime win.
Finney-Smith had his least productive offensive output of the season against Alabama but made big plays when it mattered. The junior forward scored his only points on a game-winning dunk during Florida’s last offensive possession and then clinched the win by rejecting Alabama’s Levi Randolph layup in the game’s waning moments.
“I give (Finney-Smith) credit for staying engaged in the game like he did the whole entire time because clearly for him personally, it was not a great performance in terms of what he’s been playing to as of late,” Donovan said.
Riding a three-game win streak with victories over Alabama, Missouri, and Tennessee, Arkansas looks to get another SEC win to stay behind Kentucky in the conference standings. The Razorbacks have looked good out-of-conference as well with wins over SMU and Dayton.
A win for the Gators against Arkansas would be a solid confidence boost for an inconsistent Florida team that has a date with number-one ranked Kentucky a week from Saturday.
Tipoff against Arkansas is set for 1 PM on Saturday. Catch coverage of the game on our sister station 103.7 the Gator at 12:25 PM.
To listen to the audio from the story above, click below:
Donovan talks about Arkansas’s strengths
Donovan on Finney-Smith fighting his offensive struggles against Alabama