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Men's Basketball

Men's Basketball Travels to Face Florida Wednesday

University of Missouri men's basketball squares off on the road with Florida on Wednesday night. Tipoff at the Stephen O'Connell Center is set for 5:30 p.m. on SEC Network.

Missouri (8-19, 0-14 SEC) at #24/24 Florida (19-8, 9-5 SEC)
Game Details Tuesday, Feb. 28 • 5:30 p.m. CT • Gainesville, Fla. • Stephen O'Connell Center
Television SEC Network
Radio Tiger Radio Network | Sirius XM: 380 | Sirius XM App: 970
Game Notes Missouri | Florida
Game Coverage Live Stats | Twitter: @MizzouHoops | Instagram: @MizzouHoops

University of Missouri men's basketball squares off on the road with Florida on Wednesday night. Tipoff at the Stephen O'Connell Center is set for 5:30 p.m. on SEC Network.

ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Missouri is 8-19 during the 2023-24 season with a 0-14 record in SEC action.
• Arkansas earned an 88-73 win over the Tigers on Tuesday thanks to a strong finish to the contest.
• Graduate guard Sean East II led the Tigers with a career-best 33 points versus the Razorbacks.
• East now leads Mizzou with 17.0 points and 4.2 assists per game in his final collegiate season.
• Overall, four Tigers are scoring in double figures as Tamar Bates (13.6), Noah Carter (11.7) and Nick Honor (10.9) follow East's lead.
• Carter also leads all active Mizzou players with 5.2 rebounds per game.
• The Tigers are averaging 72.0 points and allowing 74.9 points per game.

ABOUT THE GATORS
• Florida is 19-8 during the 2023-24 campaign with a 9-5 mark in SEC play.
• The Gators are currently ranked No. 24 in both the AP and coaches polls.
• Florida has won four of its last five – including a 77-64 win over Vanderbilt Saturday – with its only setback coming in overtime at Alabama.
• Walter Clayton Jr. leads Florida with 16.9 points. 
• Zyon Pullin is second with 15.0 points to go with a team-best 5.0 assists, while Tyrese Samuel is third with 13.0 points and a team-best 7.8 boards.
• The Gators average 84.8 points, while allowing 77.2 defensively.

SERIES HISTORY
• The schools have met on 14 previous occasions with the Gators holding a 10-4 edge over Mizzou.
• Florida earned a 79-67 win earlier in the year in CoMo despite Tamar Bates scoring 36 points for Mizzou – the most ever by a Tiger in a SEC game.
• Overall, the Gators have won their last three games versus Mizzou.
• The Tigers' last win in the series was also their only victory at Florida (in six attempts), posting a 72-70 win in March 2021.

EAST CATCHES FIRE
• Since returning from an injury, Sean East II has been at his best over the last three games.
• East has averaged 27.3 points and 4.7 assists since missing two contests with a knee injury – shooting 61.1 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from beyond the arc (4-8) and 87.2 percent (34-39) from the free-throw line.
• The point guard is coming off the highest scoring game of his career with a personal-best 33 points at Arkansas on Saturday.
• Overall, East's 82 points are the most in a three-game span by a Tiger since Thomas Gardner had 83 from Jan. 14 to Jan. 21, 2006.

TOP PASSER AND SCORER
• Graduate guard Sean East II can beat you in a number of ways and not just with his scoring.
• East currently leads the Tigers with 17.0 points and 4.2 assists per game.
• East is aiming to be the sixth player in MU history to average 15.0 points and 4.0 assists in a season.
• East is one of three players in the SEC to rank in the top 10 in both points and assists, placing sixth in points and fifth in assists.

BENCH SCORING
• Because of its injuries, the MU's depth and bench has been the biggest reason for its SEC slide.
• In their 14 SEC games, the Tigers starters have played their opponents nearly even – being outscored by just 0.4 points, 57.3 to 56.9.
• However, the team's bench has been outscored in 13-of-14 league contests and by a 293-153 total (average of 20.9 to 10.9).
• The Tigers have failed to score more than 10 bench points in five of their last six games – averaging 7.7.

CHARITY STRIPE DIFFERENTIAL
• One area that has hurt the Tigers this season is at the free-throw line.
• Mizzou ranks 263rd nationally (of 362 teams) in free throws (17.59) and 31st in free throws allowed (23.19).
• Overall, the Tigers are 350th nationally and last among Power 6 schools with 5.59 fewer free throws per game than its opponent.
• Mizzou has not attempted more free throws in a game since Dec. 30 versus Central Arkansas.

FREE-THROW SUCCESS
• When the Tigers get to the free-throw line, they are largely able to take advantage.
• Mizzou ranks ninth nationally by making 78.9 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe.
• Additionally, the team's clip ranks as the best mark in school history.