GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida started off SEC play on the right note with a win over Vanderbilt at home on Saturday, but the road is about to get a whole lot tougher.

The Gators will return to action tonight at 9 ET on ESPN2 against the Aggies of Texas A&M, ranked No. 11 nationally with an 11-2 record.

"It's going to be rocking in there," coach Mike White said. "It'll be a great environment, and they're a Top 10 team in the country and they're playing really, really well. They're solid, they execute and they're deep. They've got a tremendous frontcourt. It's a great opportunity."

The thing that stands out most about the Aggies is their size and physicality inside. That's obviously something the Gators have struggled with this year, ranked just 184th nationally in rebounding margin at +1.2 per game.

Texas A&M, on the other hand, checks in at No. 10 nationally in that category at +9.5.

If Florida can't neutralize Texas A&M on the boards, at least to some degree, the Aggies will simply get too many opportunities and overwhelm the Gators.

"It'll be a bloodbath on the interior, of course," White said. "It needs to be for us to have any chance. If it's not we have no chance. It needs to be incredibly competitive on the interior. We've got to put forth as great a physical effort as we have this year just to have a chance at the end of the game. It's going to be a very tough game for us."

Florida still isn't quite at full strength, either. Big men John Egbunu and Isaiah Stokes aren't projected to return until later in the month, while guard Jalen Hudson has been dealing with a virus and center Gorjok Gak missed the previous game with a knee injury, while forward Chase Johnson has been out for more than a month with various issues.

Basically, anyone who can suit up needs to play lights out on Tuesday night.

This would be a win that would go a long way toward shoring up Florida's resume. Not just that, but it would signify perhaps a significant change in the way the Gators play.

"We're not the toughest team, the most physical team," White said. "We've learned how to play a little bit harder, but it's still a process for us. I'm just hopeful we can take another jump or two in those regards."

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