Gators Women’s Basketball Prepares For Mississippi State

Following a loss to No. 11 Oklahoma last Thursday, the Gators women’s basketball (15-12, SEC 3-9) heads to Starkville, Mississippi, for a Thursday night matchup in search of an SEC victory. Both Florida and Mississippi State (18-8, 5-7) are unranked.

 The team holds a 1-8 record on the road, with its most recent loss coming at the hands of Oklahoma

Meanwhile, Mississippi State is fifth in the country in rebounds and sixth in the SEC for offense. In their last game, the Bulldogs stayed consistent with scoring in each quarter, leading to a close win over Arkansas.

However,  the Bulldogs have a pattern in many of their losses: burnout. In some cases, Mississippi State starts hot, but the energy fizzles out as the game goes on. Over half of their losses came under a margin of 10 points or less.

But the Bulldogs are coming in with a two-game SEC win streak.  To secure a win, Florida will need to hone in on defense and score where it matters.

Sophomore forward Me’Arah O’Neal leads Florida with 187 rebounds this season. Sophomore guard Liv McGill trails her with 154 total rebounds.

The two not only lead in team statistics but also in SEC standings. McGill is ranked second in scoring, fourth in assists and eighth in steals. She has also played the most minutes out of SEC players. O’Neal is ranked thirteenth in rebounds and fifth in blocks in the SEC.

Coach Kelly Rae Finley said the team has been improving its individual skills and its ability to play together.

“We show up every day, win or lose,” Finley said. “Your character is how you do what you do when things don’t go your way.”

While Finley espouses her beliefs, the reality of her coaching is clear: Florida can’t win. By this fourth coaching year of her five-year contract, she never reached a 50% SEC win rate, and barely scraped by in the team’s overall record.  She scored a 65.5% win rate (62.5% in the SEC) during her 2022 interim season. In the three years since then, the Gators’ conference win rate has lingered at 31.3%.

While Florida struggles to garner wins, other teams are drawing attention to potential future draft picks. In 2025, NCAA Women’s March Madness averaged 1.2 million viewers, which is 89% higher than the 2022 viewership. 

Top prospect schools for the WNBA attended the University of Connecticut, University of South Carolina and UCLA. LSU has been on the rise under coach Kim Mulkey, also attracting WNBA attention. All these schools are currently ranked in the top-25, alongside half of the SEC. 

Florida is not among them.

Florida is facing mounting pressure for a win this Thursday. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.

Category: Basketball, College Basketball, Gators Women's Basketball, Women's College Basketball