Florida vs Mississippi State: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for 2023 SEC Tournament

The 2023 SEC Tournament’s first full day of action, the second round in Nashville officially tips off Thursday with the 8/9 matchup, as Florida takes on Mississippi State. The Gators won the previous matchup this season between the two back on January 21 in Starkville, winning a close game, 61-59.

Florida enters the 2023 SEC Tournament as the conference’s No. 8 seed in Nashville, coming off a regular season in which they owned a 16-15 overall record, as well as a 9-9 mark in SEC play. Led by head coach Todd Golden, the Gators also enter the week on a two-game winning streak, and will likely have to make a deep run in Nashville to make the NCAA Tournament, if not win the SEC Tournament entirely.

The nation’s No. 7 team in BPG at 5.3, Florida is averaging 72.1 PPG offensively, as well as also allowing 68.6 PPG on defense. The Gators have four players averaging at-least 8+ PPG in Will Richard, Riley Kugel, Kyle Lofton, and Kowacie Reeves, while others such as Trey Bonham, Alex Fudge, and Myreon Jones are also averaging at-least 5+ PPG.

Mississippi State is the No. 9 seed in the 2023 SEC Tournament, currently sitting at 20-11 overall, as well as 8-10 in the SEC. Led by head coach Chris Jans, the Bulldogs dropped their most recent contest at Vanderbilt, 77-72, and are currently projected in the NCAA Tournament field as an 11-seed by sitting in ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s “Last Four In” category on the bubble.

The Bulldogs rank No. 8 fewest nationally with only 60.4 PPG allowed to opponents, while also averaging 66.4 PPG themselves, a group led by one of the SEC’s top frontcourt players in Tolu Smith, who averages 15.4 PPG and 8.3 RPG. Mississippi State also has four others who average in double-figures that all play key roles – Shakeel Moore, DJ Jeffries, Dashawn Davis, and Cameron Matthews.

Florida vs Mississippi State 2023 SEC Tournament Prediction

A must-win game for Mississippi State, my pick here goes to the Bulldogs. With star forward Colin Castleton out for Florida, the Gators could struggle to defend Tolu Smith inside, and I’ll say that the Bulldogs get a big game from the forward on their way to a big win, which will set up another must-win for Mississippi State on Friday against Alabama. Prediction: Florida 66, Mississippi State 72

What Channel is the Florida vs Mississippi State Game On?

A second round matchup in the 2023 SEC Tournament, Florida and Mississippi State will play on Thursday, March 9 at 1:00 PM ET from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. The game will be available on SEC Network.

Florida vs Mississippi State Live Stream

A live stream of the 2023 SEC Tournament showdown between Florida and Mississippi State can be found on fuboTV here.