FLORIDA AT SOUTH CAROLINA

STAKES, STARS AND STATS

Dorian Finney-Smith

Michael Carerra

SOME NUMBERS OF NOTE

Kasey Hill

WATCH FOR IT

Saturday, noon (ET)Colonial Arena, Columbia, S.C.Florida (17-9, 8-5), South Carolina (21-5, 8-5)SEC Network (withandGator IMG Sports Network (withand). Check for availability here Yet another game between two Southeastern Conference teams vying to better their predicaments relative to NCAA Tournament hopes. The Gators are coming off a big win at Georgia that not only was just their second road victory of the league season, but was much needed on the heels of a home loss against surging Alabama. The Gamecocks, meanwhile, have dropped two straight. They were brutalized by 27 at home last weekend against first-place Kentucky, then lost Tuesday at last-place Missouri. Both teams boast solid RPI numbers -- Florida 31st and South Carolina 34th -- but both are also flirting with the bottom half of projected NCAA fields, meaning late-season results are pivotal. ... UF leads the all-time series 43-22, including a 21-13 edge on the road, and seven straight victories dating to the 2010-11 season. ... This will mark the third straight game at Columbia for the Gators, who won 72-68 there on Jan. 7, 2015 to open the SEC schedule whenhit a pair of free throws with 6.4 seconds left to preserve the victory.After shooting 24 percent in the first half and missing 18 of their first 19 shots from 3-point range at Georgia, the Gators flipped a switch and went 50 percent on both fronts (13 of 26 overall, 4-for-8 from deep) in the second half to race past the Bulldogs. Still a problem: free throws. UF bounced its way to just 14-for-24 from the line, but did make five of six in the final minute to help seal the deal. ... Florida had just six turnovers last game. Similar ball security will the Gators a much better chance against a team that specializes in forcing turnovers. Where UF really struggled at Georgia (besides shooting in the first 20 minutes) was on the defensive glass, where the Bulldogs got 15 offensive rebounds and 23 second-chance points. ... Senior forward(15.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg) had a run of serious scoring production -- at least 20 points in six of seven games -- but has gone for 16, 12 and 7 in the last three, respectively, and was just 1-for-10 against the Dogs. After hitting at least one 3-pointer in 23 straight games, Finney-Smith is 0-for-8 from deep the last two. ... Freshman guard(11.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg) came to the rescue for the Gators last game, scoring 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting and 4-for-9 from 3. ... Center(10.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg) played his best road of the season, despite picking up two fouls and his minutes limited in the first half. He had 10 points, seven rebounds and blocked five shots. ... Point guardmaking his first start in three games and just fourth in SEC play, only scored three baskets at Georgia, but his ability to penetrate set up Egbunu for some timely drive-and-dish assists in the second half. ... The Gators are 3-6 on the road this season, including 2-4 in SEC play.Coach, now in his fourth season, figures to have his team on edge given the two-game losing strea and that loss at Missouri -- the same day the Tigers kicked their best player off the team -- still fresh in their minds. ... USC is a veteran squad, with two seniors and a junior in the starting lineup, plus three more backup upperclassmen who see quality minutes in the rotation. ... The Gamecocks are notorious for their effort, evidenced by some of the best rebounding numbers in the country: 41.4 per game (1st in SEC, 10th nationally), 14.3 offensive rebounds per game (1st in SEC, 8th nationally), plus-7.7 rebounding margin (1st SEC, 20th nation). Throw in the most made free throws in the league for this hard-driving bunch (19.9 pg, which is 4th nationally) and it's clear the Gators have a pending brawl on their hands. ... South Carolina opened the season 15-0, based on a non-conference schedule that rated 301st in difficulty, and have gone 6-5 since that school-record start, but they're 13-1 at home. ... Senior 6-5 forward(14.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg) is a high-effort, high-production player, but has developed into one of the SEC's best 3-point shooters (.466). He is just one of seven players in program history with at least 1,000 points and 700 rebounds. ... Junior guard(12.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and backup(11.4) hit in double-figures as well, with Notice at 41.7 percent from 3. ... Forward(9.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg) and backup 6-11 center(9.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg) are two more of those seniors that give USC so much experience (not to mention size and girth) on the floor.-- UF's 3-point shooting percentage on its last six attempts from beyond the arc against Georgia. The Gators started 1-for-19, but hit four of their last six.-- Points by backup freshman centerover the previous four games. Hayes played a combined 19 minutes at Kentucky and at home against Ole Miss and Alabama, then got a DNP-Coach's Decision at Georgia. Coachhas not filed Hayes away. His opportunities will come game to game.-- Points needed by Finney-Smith to hit 400 this season. His 392 to date already have surpassed the team-high 367 he scored as a junior last season.-- Hill's assist-to-turnover ratio the last three games, based on 11 assists and just two turnovers.-- Dunks by Egbunu this season. He needs one more to ring up the 10th 50-dunk season by a Gator and become the ninth player to do so. The most recent player to hit 50 in a season was56 in 2011-12, withthe only player in UF history to reach 50 in two different seasons.Colonial Arena, with its capacity of 18,000, will be sold out for the third time this season. Last week's home game against Kentucky was billed as one of the biggest home games in years for the Gamecocks ... and they lost 89-62. The natives will be restless (on South Carolina primary day, no less) and out for blood.