Arkansas basketball vs Florida: Scouting report, score prediction for Razorbacks vs Gators
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball will try to avoid extending its losing streak to three games on Saturday when it hosts Florida.
The Razorbacks (17-9, 6-7 SEC) dropped back-to-back games to Mississippi State and No. 25 Texas A&M. They now enter the home stretch of the regular season fighting for an NCAA Tournament bid.
Florida (14-12, 7-6) is a strong defensive team, but the Gators just lost their top player to a broken hand.
Here's what to know about the matchup between Arkansas and Florida on Saturday (1 p.m. CT, ESPN2).
LAST TIME OUT:Arkansas basketball can't complete comeback, falls to Mississippi State 70-64
MORE:Arkansas basketball went cold late against Texas A&M. Where was Nick Smith Jr.?
Florida's season summation
The Gators are in a three-way tie for sixth place in the SEC, one spot ahead of Arkansas. They struggled in their nonconference slate: They lost to six nonconference foes, four of which were unranked.
More recently, Florida went on a three-game losing streak. The Gators fell to Kentucky, Alabama and Vanderbilt, then ended their skid Wednesday with a win over Ole Miss.
Florida is No. 51 in the NET rankings, 30 spots below Arkansas.
Gators without their star
Florida got some bad news on Wednesday: senior forward Colin Castleton suffered a broken hand in the Gators' game against Ole Miss and could miss the rest of the season.
Castleton was leading Florida in scoring (16 points per game) and rebounding (7.7 per game). He was tied for the SEC lead in blocks per game with three.
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman likened the Gators' loss of Castleton to the Razorbacks' loss of forward Trevon Brazile. He anticipates Florida using more perimeter players with the loss of its best big man.
Florida's difficult defense
Florida's defense ranks No. 16 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Gators have held SEC opponents to 39.3% from the field, the third-best mark in the league. Arkansas has faced three other teams ranked in the top 20 in defensive efficiency, and the Razorbacks themselves come in at No. 11.
"Every night it seems like we tell the team that we're facing one of the nation's best defensive teams," Musselman said. "(Florida has) really, really solid defensive principles, and Florida's a hard team to score on."
Score prediction
Arkansas 70, Florida 65 — Florida is facing an excellent defensive team in Arkansas without its top scorer. The Gators, fresh off the loss of Castleton, will be less physical on defense and less effective on offense, and the Razorbacks will take advantage of both.
Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA Today Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swtimes.com
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball vs. Florida: Score prediction, scouting report
