January 19, 2013

Tigers try to solve stingy Gator defense

Coming into the SEC basketball season, most had Missouri and Florida as the top two teams in the league. The order depended upon who you asked. The Tigers and Gators are set to meet for the first time on Saturday afternoon in Gainesville.

The teams have had similar first halves of the season. Florida is 13-2, Missouri 12-3. The Gators have won all three of their league games, the Tigers are 2-1. Both are in the nation's top 20. And both have had to overcome a litany of injuries to get to this point.

The Gators have had four players miss time this season. All but Casey Prather are expected to play against the Tigers, but Donovan said he has had his full roster available for just two or three games this season. The same is true for Frank Haith. The Tigers played with a full deck against South Carolina State and Illinois after Jabari Brown became eligible. But Tony Criswell missed the next three games with a broken finger and Laurence Bowers has missed the last two with a sprained MCL. Mizzou's leading scorer is likely out again Saturday.



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