Chris joined FloridaGators.com in 2011 after nearly three decades as a sports reporter at newspapers in Tampa and Orlando, including 10 years covering the UF athletic program and another 10 covering the NFL.
FINAL: No. 2 Florida 79, LSU 65
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What channel is No. 2 Florida basketball vs LSU on today? Time, TV streaming info to watch SEC game
Florida basketball will take a five-game win streak, its longest in SEC play since 2019, into its matchup Saturday at LSU.
The No. 2 Florida Gators (23-3, 10-3 SEC) are tied for second in the SEC with Alabama (21-5, 10-3 SEC) and two games behind No. 1 Auburn (24-2, 12-1 SEC) with five games remaining.
“For us right now, probably our biggest ― I don’t want to say goal ― but we just want to make sure we finish top four in the league to try to avoid playing ‘til Friday (at the SEC Tournament) in Nashville,” Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said. “Playing four games last year was tough.”
Florida is 53-66 all-time against LSU but has won its last three meetings against the Tigers, including an 82-80 win last season at the O’Connell Center on Feb. 13, 2024.
LSU (14-12, 3-10 SEC) takes a two-game win streak into the matchup and are coming off an 81-67 win over South Carolina. The Tigers are 45-47 in three seasons under head coach Matt McMahon.
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Florida and LSU are slated to tip off at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday from the Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La. (cap. 13,215).
Florida and LSU will air on SEC Network and stream on ESPN+. Kevin Fitzgerald will handle play-by-play duties, with Jon Sundvold as the color analyst.
Per FanDuel, Florida is a 10.5-point favorite over LSU. The over/under is 152.5 points.
The Florida-LSU game will air on AM 850 and FM 98.1 in Gainesville and across the state on the Gator Radio Network. Sean Kelley will handle play-by-play duties, with former Gator great Lee Humphrey as the color analyst.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
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Chinyelu’s 19 points and 13 rebounds leads No. 2 Florida past LSU 79-65
Florida Gators vs. LSU Tigers: Game Highlights
BATON ROUGE, La. — — Rueben Chinyelu had a career-high 19 points to go with 13 rebounds and No. 2 Florida roared back from an eight-point second-half deficit to beat LSU 79-65 on Saturday night.
Thomas Haugh scored 16 points, Alijah Martin added 14 and Walter Clayton Jr. 13 for Florida (24-3, 11-3 SEC), which won its sixth straight.
LSU freshman Robert Miller III scored a career-high 19 points to go with 10 rebounds and was the big reason the Tigers (14-13, 3-11) looked poised to challenge Florida well into the second half.
Florida raced to a 29-15 lead during the opening 13 minutes. But LSU suddenly found its footing when Curtis Givens III hit a 3, sparking a stunning 22-2 run during the final 6:41 of the half.
Florida surged into the lead for good with a 15-2 run that gave the Gators a 53-48 lead. Chinyelu scored seven points during that spurt, including a put-back as he was fouled.
Florida played its third game without starting forward Alex Condon and backup Sam Alexis.
Takeaways
Florida: The Gators shot 7 of 22 from 3-point range, marking the first time in six games they did not hit as many as 10 3s. But they showed the ability to adjust and use their size advantage to dominate the paint, where they outscored LSU 44-24.
LSU: The Tigers are showing the ability to compete in spurts against the SEC’s elite teams, but closing out such games has been another matter.
Key moment
Clayton’s steal from Mike Williams III led to Martin’s right-wing transition 3, which gave Florida a 69-59 lead with 4:16 to go.
Key stat
In addition to outrebounding LSU 48-33, Florida grabbed 19 offensive boards and converted those into 17 second-chance points.
Up next
Both teams return to action on Tuesday night, when Florida visits Georgia and LSU hosts No. 6 Tennessee.
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Florida Gators
LSU Tigers
Florida Gators vs. LSU Tigers: Game Highlights
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Game Information
2024-25 Southeastern Conference Standings
Men’s College Basketball News
| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FLA | 31 | 48 | 79 |
| LSU | 37 | 28 | 65 |
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 13-1 | – | 25-2 |
| Florida | 11-3 | 2 | 24-3 |
| Alabama | 11-3 | 2 | 22-5 |
| Missouri | 9-4 | 3.5 | 20-6 |
| Tennessee | 9-5 | 4 | 22-5 |
| Texas A&M | 9-5 | 4 | 20-7 |
| Ole Miss | 8-6 | 5 | 19-8 |
| Mississippi State | 7-7 | 6 | 19-8 |
| Kentucky | 7-7 | 6 | 18-9 |
| Vanderbilt | 6-8 | 7 | 18-9 |
| Texas | 5-8 | 7.5 | 16-10 |
| Arkansas | 4-9 | 8.5 | 15-11 |
| Oklahoma | 4-10 | 9 | 17-10 |
| Georgia | 4-10 | 9 | 16-11 |
| LSU | 3-11 | 10 | 14-13 |
| South Carolina | 0-13 | 12.5 | 10-16 |
