Florida Basketball vs. Arkansas: SEC Crown on the Line
No. 7 Florida basketball faces No. 20 Arkansas in a crucial SEC game Saturday, and the contest’s implications cannot be expressed clearly enough.
With a victory, the Gators would lock up at least a portion of the 2026 SEC title and the top seed in the SEC tournament. That’s something Florida didn’t even achieve last year en route to its national championship. In fact, the Gators haven’t won the SEC regular season title since 2014, when they went 18-0 in conference play. The Gators lost in the Final Four that year to the eventual champions, UConn. Safe to say, that’s good company. And there will be NCAA Tournament implications Saturday, as well.
The Gators already helped their chances of earning a higher seed with a confident 13-point victory against Texas on Wednesday. With the Gators’ eighth-straight win, they improved to 13-2 in conference play. According to ESPN’s NCAA Tournament bracketology, the Gators are currently in line for a No. 2 seed. They’re looking to solidify, or even improve, their seeding with a win against the Hogs.
Alex Condon led the charge against the Longhorns with a 23-point night. He went 10-for-12 from the field. This was Condon’s third-straight game leading Florida in points. He previously stacked 20 against South Carolina and 24 against Ole Miss. All of Condon’s contributions were necessary as the Gators played a tight game against the Longhorns. They trailed 64-61 with 7:14 left to play. However, their quick pace took over, scoring 23 points in the final seven minutes, while only giving up seven, all in the form of free throws.
The focus for Saturday will be on containing the high-powered offensive attack of the Razorbacks. They average 90.3 points per game, which is second in the SEC and fourth in the country. They hit 50.5% from the field, including a 3-point clip of 37.5%. Both rates are the best in the conference. Meanwhile, the Gators’ lackluster 30.4% from 3 is last. The Hogs have scored under 80 points just three times in conference play, losing all three games.
The key for Florida will be its defensive dominance. It has only given up 80 points twice against SEC foes, and it won both of those games, anyway. The Gators allow the second fewest points per game in the SEC at 71.2.
Florida’s Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon aim to shadow Trevon Brazile, Arkansas’ most versatile offensive weapon in the paint. The Gators are assertive on the glass, averaging almost 10 more rebounds per game than the Razorbacks. In fact, Florida is the best rebounding team in the country, ranked sixth in defensive rebounds and first in both offensive and total rebounds. Grabbing defensive boards will be vital to slowing down the Razorbacks’ stellar offense.
Arkansas freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. may be the greatest threat to Florida winning the conference this weekend, though. Acuff leads the SEC and is ninth in the country in scoring, averaging 22.2 points per game. Additionally, he leads the conference in assists with 6.2 per game. In his last five games, Acuff is averaging 30, aided by a staggering 49-point performance in Arkansas’ double-overtime loss to Alabama last week. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, he has the third-best odds to win the Wooden Award, which is annually awarded to the best college basketball player in the country.
Florida and Arkansas will face off in an 8:30 p.m. primetime showing.
Category: Basketball, Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball
