The Arkansas Razorbacks (11-4, 0-2 SEC) need to flip the script if they want to defeat the No. 8 Florida Gators (14-1, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena.
Led by third-year head coach Todd Golden, the Gators are off to a rapid start to the 2024-25 season. Florida owns wins over teams such as Florida State, Wake Forest, Virginia, Arizona State, North Carolina, Tennessee and others with a transfer-heavy squad. Florida is coming off a 24-12 (11-7 SEC) overall season that saw it get eliminated by Colorado in the NCAA Tournament.
"They’re probably one of the better teams in the country in transition," assistant coach Chuck Martin said Friday. "They really do a great job of rebounding the ball, hitting ahead and getting to the rim. I think when they play in transition they’re as good as anybody in the country. Then they go to the glass.
"They really do a great job of rebounding the ball. I think those are two things they do really, really well. Obviously there’s some other things that they’ve done well throughout the season, but transition and offensive rebounding have been really good for that team."
A major storyline entering this game is the reunion between Florida guard Alijah Martin and Arkansas guard Johnell Davis, who both played major roles at Florida Atlantic before transferring to the SEC.
"I think everyone on staff recognizes that they played together a few years ago," Martin said. "But I don’t think there’s been a ton of conversation in regards to their relationship. I think Nelly’s been really good and informative in terms of what type of player he is, the things he thought he did well at FAU.
"So I think that’s been helpful, just having insight from a former teammate that can help us in the scouting report. And he’s been playing really well for them. Like he’s been playing tremendous for Florida."
Here's a closer comparison of Arkansas' and Florida's stats, efficiency ratings, projected lineup for the Gators and more ahead of Saturday's game, which is set to tipoff at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN:
