GAME NOTES: Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville is the site of tonight's SEC matchup between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. At 5-1 against SEC competition, Florida is obviously in tremendous position to contend for the SEC title. The Gators have put together back-to-back victories, including Saturday's 80-72 triumph over South Carolina. They have only played three true road games to date, and two of those have resulted in wins. Meanwhile, Mississippi State will attempt to improve on a 10-game homecourt winning streak that dates back to last season. The Bulldogs own a stellar 16-5 overall record, but three of their last five games have resulted in defeat. On Saturday, they fell to 4-3 in league play with a 69-62 setback at LSU. Florida owns a 53-44 lead in the all-time series with Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs posted a 79-68 victory in the most recent meeting last season.

Florida's Matt Walsh is back from injury, so the team's tremendous trio will take the court in unison tonight. Walsh is scoring 14.1 ppg, good for second on the squad. Anthony Roberson is tops offensively with 18.2 ppg on 50.2 percent shooting from the floor, tremendous efficiency for a guard. As for David Lee, who is netting 12.4 ppg on 54.3 percent shooting from his forward position, he is pulling down a team-high 7.9 rpg. Thanks in large part to the efforts of Lee, Florida is outrebounding its opponents by 7.6 rpg, a major reason the squad has been able to outscore foes by 18.0 ppg. On Saturday, Lee posted 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead his team to victory over South Carolina. Roberson added 15 points and Corey Brewer pitched in 12 points for the Gators, who earned a 39-24 rebounding advantage and outscored the Gamecocks 24-6 from the foul line.

Reigning SEC Player of the Year Lawrence Roberts racked up 15 points and 12 rebounds for Mississippi State against LSU on Saturday, but his 3-of-11 shooting effort from the field was clearly disappointing. Walter Sharp tallied 12 points and Gary Ervin added 10 points for the Bulldogs, who finished with only six assists against 15 turnovers. Roberts has now led his team in scoring in 10 straight games, and he has been tops in rebounding the last 11 times out. He is averaging 18.8 ppg and 11.3 rpg overall, and his numbers against SEC foes alone are strong as well (19.5 ppg, 10.7 rpg). Winsome Frazier is the only other double-digit scorer for Mississippi State, but he has been sidelined with injury. Without Frazier, the team simply isn't as formidable.

The Bulldogs are not one of the top teams in the SEC, as Roberts simply does not have enough help around him. Expect Walsh to have his first breakout game since returning from injury, leading his team to a strong road win.