Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla.— Florida will compete in its eleventh road matchup of the season on Thursday night at No. 4 South Carolina. The Gamecocks will host UF inside Colonial Life Arena and the game is slated for a 7 p.m. start time.
 
Thursday's game will mark UF and South Carolina's first meeting since Jan. 4, 2024. Both Florida and South Carolina will enter the midweek matchup coming off tough losses. UF fell to No. 23 Alabama 84-66, and the Gamecocks dropped 66-62 to then ranked No. 4 Texas.

No. 4 South Carolina (22-2, 10-1 SEC)

• Date: Thurs., Feb. 13
• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Site:  Colonial Life Arena
• Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM
• Watch: SECN
• Live stats: Statbroadcast

  
A FLORIDA WIN WOULD:

• Be UF's first win over a top-5 team since 2006
• Mark the Gators first ranked win since 2022
• Even Florida's away record to 4-4
• Put Florida's SEC record at 4-7
• Make Florida's all-time SEC record 230-332
• Give Finley her first win over South Carolina as UF's head coach

 
TALE OF THE TAPE:

Florida		South Carolina
77.8	PPG	80.3
69.8	OPP PPG	55.8
+8.0	SCORING MARGIN	+24.5
47.0	FG %	46.7
40.6	OPP FG%	34.6
33.8	3 FG%	33.8
72.3	FT %	75.0
40.7	REBOUNDS PG	42.6
14.8	ASSISTS PG	16.6
16.8	TURNOVERS PG	12.4
7.4	STEALS PG	9.7
4.0	BLOCKS PG	6.0

THE SERIES:
The all-time series between Florida and South Carolina stands in favor of the Gamecocks at 22-20.

GATORS x GAMECOCKS HISTORY:
Florida has met South Carolina a recorded 42 times with their initial contest dating back to 1992. Since then, the Gators and the Gamecocks have matched up every year with 20 games being tipped in Gainesville, 20 being played in Columbia, and two taking place at neutral sites.
 
Thursday's contest will be Florida's first time back in the Colonial Life Arena since Feb. 16, 2023, which marked Florida's 15th consecutive loss to the Gamecocks. The Gators' last win over South Carolina dates back to January of 2011, as UF upset the Gamecocks 65-63 at Colonia Life Arena.

PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS:

Florida	No.	Height	Position	Class	Hometown/Previous School
Alexia Dizeko	9	5-11	F	Sr.	Sion, Switzerland
Laila Reynolds	13	6-1	G	So.	PG County, MD
Jeriah Warren	20	6-0	G	Sr.	Lake Charles, LA
Liv McGill	23	5-9	G	Fr.	Minneapolis, MN
Ra Shaya Kyle	24	6-6	C	Sr.	Marion, Ind. / Purdue

FLORIDA'S LAST TIME OUT:
UF's last time on the hardwood was Thurs, Feb. 6 dropping 84-66 at home to No. 23 Alabama. The Gators were led in scoring by Liv McGill with a 22-point outing. With 22 points, McGill recorded her 22^nd game at Florida in double figures for scoring; ten of them being 20+ point outings.
 
Ra Shaya Kyle followed for the Gators in the scoring column on Thursday night, tallying 15 points and Laila Reynolds was not far behind with 14. Defensively, UF was led by Jeriah Warren, snagging 10 of UF's 44 rebounds. 
 
GATOR QUICK HITS:

• McGill is the only freshman in the country with a triple-double this season
• McGill has tallied 10 games with 20+ points
• Florida is ranked No. 3 in the SEC and No. 17 in the NCAA with a 47.0 field goal percentage
• UF has four players averaging in double digits: McGill (16.4) Kyle (15.0), Jeriah Warren (12.5), and Laila Reynolds (10.8)
• McGill and Kyle are in the SEC's top 20 for scoring: McGill at No. 13 (16.4), and Kyle at No. 19 (15.0)
• Florida is No. 4 in the SEC through all games for 3-point FG percentage with 33.8
• Kyle is No. 11 in the country and No. 2 in the SEC for double-doubles with 12
• McGill is the No. 1 freshman in the NCAA for total assists (129), and average assists per game (5.4)
• Kyle is No. 4 in the SEC for rebounds per game (9.3)
• Florida is undefeated this season when their opponent is held to 69 points or less
• The Gators have secured 20+ points in 46 of 98 quarters played this season
• Kyle is No. 10 in the NCAA and No. 3 in the SEC with a field goal percentage of 61.9
• Kyle is No. 32 in the nation for total rebounds with 223
• Alexia Gassett leads Florida in total blocks with 21 on the season
• Liv McGill has hit double figures in 22 of her 24 outings at UF

 
PROJECTED SOUTH CAROLINA STARTERS:

South Carolina	No.	Height	Position	Class	Hometown/Previous School
Te-Hina Paopao	0	5-9	G	Sr.	Oceanside, Calif./ Oregon
Bree Hall	23	6-0	G	Sr.	Dayton, Ohio/ Wayne
Raven Johnson	25	5-9	G	Jr.	Atlanta, Ga./ Westlake
Chloe Kitts	21	6-2	F	Jr.	Oviedo, Fla./ DME Academy
Sania Feagin	20	6-3	F	Sr.	Ellenwood, Ga./ Forest Park

 
SOUTH CAROLINA QUICK HITS:

• The Gamecocks are No. 1 team in the nation for bench points, averaging 41.3 a game
• USC is No. 2 in the SEC for both scoring defense (55.8), and scoring margin (+24.5)
• South Carolina is No. 6 in the SEC and No. 24 in the nation for field goal percentage (46.7)
• The Gamecocks sit at No. 2 in the SEC and No. 5 in the NCAA for blocks per game averaging 6.0
• South Carolina is No. 4 in the SEC for defensive rebounds per game with 28.4
• Feagin leads South Carolina in field goal percentage with 58.0
• Joyce Edwards leads South Carolina in total points for the season with a combined 294
• Three Gamecocks are averaging double figures for scoring
  • Edwards (12.3), MiLaysia Fulwiley (11.5), and Paopao (10.3)
• Chloe Kitts is No. 9 in the SEC for rebounding averaging 7.4 per game
• Feagin is No. 6 in the SEC for blocked shots with 38 on the season

 
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