Florida to Take on Top-10 Tigers in SEC Quarters Friday Night

Last Updated: March 7, 2025By


GREENVILLE, S.C.— The Gators are set to take on No. 9 LSU in their third consecutive matchup of the 2025 SEC Tournament.  LSU enters the Friday contest after a double bye as the No. 3 seed. UF will initiate The Tigers postseason with an 8:30 p.m. ET tip inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
 
Carolyn Peck and Courtney Lyle will be covering the game on SEC Network. Fans can also tune into the quarterfinals with Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis on ESPN Gainesville radio.   

No. 9 LSU (27-4, 12-4 SEC):

A FLORIDA WIN WOULD:

  • Be UF’s first win over LSU since 2022
  • Set Florida and LSU’s SEC Tournament all -time record to 2-3
  • Lift the Gators all-time SEC Tournament record to 28-44
  • Put Florida at 3-0 in 2025 postseason play
  • Tally UF’s third victory in neutral territory this season
  • Record UF’s fifth ever win in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals
  • Give the Gators a quarterfinals SEC Tournament win for the first time since 1998
  • Put Florida’s 2024-25 SEC record at 8-11
  • Set Florida’s all-time SEC record to 234-336
  • Record Coach Finley’s 28th SEC win as Florida’s head coach
  • Make UF’s record 6-5 in the month of Feb., 2025
  • Break Florida’s current four game losing streak against LSU
  • Mark UF’s fifth SEC post-season win in the past two years

 
TALE OF THE TAPE:
















Florida THE NUMBERS LSU
74.6 PPG 85.1
70.4 OPP PPG 65.3
+4.2 SCORING MARGIN +19.8
45.2 FG % 45.7
40.5 OPP FG% 37.0
31.4 3 FG% 33.6
72.4 FT % 73.6
40.2 REBOUNDS PG 46.4
14.2 ASSISTS PG 14.9
17.2 TURNOVERS PG 14.8
7.2 STEALS PG 9.9
3.9 BLOCKS PG 4.3

THE SERIES:
The all-time series between Florida and LSU stands in favor of the Tigers at 33-16. The Gators have fallen to LSU in their last four meetings, dating back to Feb. 20, 2022. UF’s four-game losing streak against LSU spans from Feb. 20, 2022 to the most recent meeting on Jan. 19, 2024.

GATORS x LSU HISTORY:

Florida and LSU have met recorded 49 times with their initial matchup dating back to 1978. Since then, UF and the Tigers have met consistently with 24 match-ups being held in Gainesville, 22 taking place in Baton Rouge and three being on neutral grounds.

 

Friday’s contest will be the first neutral meeting between UF and LSU since Mar. 5, 2020 where the Gators fell 73-59 in Greenville during the 2020 post-season tournament. Florida’s last win over LSU took place on Jan. 23, 2022, defeating the Tigers 73-72 at home inside Exactech Arena.

 

Friday’s game will be the Gators second time competing against LSU in the 2024-25 season. UF and LSU matched up in Gainesville on Jan. 19, 2025 and Florida fell 80-63 in Gainesville to the then-ranked No. 5 Louisiana State Tigers.

PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS:

FLORIDA’S LAST TIME OUT:
The Gators defeated Alabama on Thursday night to punch their ticket into the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. The final score stood at 63-61 with UF being led by standout freshman, Liv McGill. McGill posted 29 points to lift the Gators over No. 20 Alabama. McGill’s 29-point performance set her career high in scoring and was her twelfth game of the season with 20+ points in the scoring column.
 
As a team UF shot 34.9 percent from the field (22-63) to grab their first win over a ranked opponent since 2022. On the defensive end, Florida was led by Me’Arah O’Neal bringing in nine of UF’s 41 rebounds. Laila Reynolds was also key to Florida’s defense with three blocks, six rebounds, and a steal.
 
PROJECTED LSU STARTERS:









LSU No. Height  Position Class Hometown/Previous School
Last-Tear Poa 13 5-11 G Sr. Melbourne, Australia/ Northwest Florida
Kailyn Gilbert 16 5-8 G Jr. Tampa Bay, Fla./ Arizona
Mikaylah Williams 12 6-0 G So. Bossier City, La./ Parkway HS
Annesah Morrow 24 6-1 F Sr. Chicago, Ill./ Simeon HS
Sa’Myah Smith 5 6-2 F R. So Texarkana, Tex./DeSoto HS

ABOUT LSU:
The Tigers are currently on a two-game losing streak after dropping to Alabama 88-85 (2/27/25), and Ole Miss 85-77 (3/2/25). Overall, LSU has won 27 regular season games in the 2024-25 season to tie a program record and has remained in the ranks for the entirety of the year.
 
The Tigers are led by Annesah Morrow since Flau’Jae Johnson suffered a lower body injury, keeping her out of the 2025 SEC Tournament. Morrow averaged 18.2 points and 14.0 rebounds per game and leads the nation in double-doubles this season with 26.
 
FOLLOW THE GATORS:
SOCIAL: X | Facebook | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators




Source link

editor's pick

latest video

Sports News To You

Subscribe to receive daily sports scores, hot takes, and breaking news!