The Florida Gators women’s basketball team takes on the 17-7 Arkansas Razorbacks at 6 p.m. today at the O’Connell Center.
The Gators (11-9, 2-6 SEC) are coming off a 40-point loss to the No. 13 LSU Tigers on Sunday in Baton Rouge, La.
With only eight games remaining, the Gators look to turn their season around. The Gators sit in 11th place in the SEC standings and will need a surge for any chance at making the NCAA tournament.
Struggles in SEC Play
Starting off SEC play against the No. 1 team in the country is no easy task. UF began the new year with a 23-point loss to South Carolina. Despite starting off the season 9-3, the Gators have lost six of their next eight games against SEC opponents. And it won’t get easy for the Gators anytime soon. Florida’s next three games are against teams with winning conference records.
Despite the team’s struggles in SEC play, one player seems to shine against the toughest opponents. Senior guard Leilani Correa is averaging over 24 points per game in conference play. Correa scored 54 combined points in the Gators’ two SEC wins. She will play a large role in the matchup against the Razorbacks (5-4 in SEC).
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Razorbacks’ X-Factor
The Razorbacks are coming off a 74-72 win Sunday over the Auburn Tigers thanks to a 33-point performance from Taliah Scott. The freshman guard from Orange Park, Florida, is averaging 22.2 points per game. After missing six games due to an injury in January, Scott got back in rhythm against Auburn.
The Gators look to slow down the scorching-hot freshman who leads the SEC in scoring.
Arkansas freshman Taliah Scott dropped 33 points last night in the win! @thetaliahscott pic.twitter.com/Z0ZmSR2ywo
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) February 5, 2024
The Razorbacks may have the SEC’s scoring leader, but Florida holds down two of the top five spots in the leaderboard. Aliyah Matharu (third) and Correa (fifth) have had no problems scoring this season. The Gators have an elite pair of scorers themselves.
The Game
The contest will stream on the SEC Network+ and can be heard on ESPN Gainesville 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF.