This past Saturday, the University of Florida men’s basketball team opened its SEC slate with a 76-74 upset loss at Missouri. The Tigers handed the Gators their only home loss during the 2024-45 national championship season.

Florida’s plus-15.9 rebounding margin, 17.0 offensive rebounds per game and 46.7 rebounds per game all lead the nation, but Missouri matched the Gators on the glass with 37 total rebounds, Florida’s lowest since grabbing a season-low 31 against TCU on Nov. 27.

The elephant in the room continues to be the guard play, although over the last five games, senior Xaivian Lee is shooting 42.3% from 3-point range and is averaging 16.8 points per contest.

But as a team, the Gators (9-5, 0-1) shot just 25.9% from behind the arc (7-of-27) at Missouri. It marked the ninth time (64.3% of the season) that Florida has shot less than 30% from the 3-point line in 2025-26.

Sophomore Boogie Fland continues to struggle beyond the arc. He was 0-for-6 against Missouri, 0-for-2 against Dartmouth, and 1-for-3 against Colgate.

Fland, who has made just four of his last 27 shots from distance, is 12-for-60 (20%) shooting the 3-ball this season. He has only made more than two 3s in a game once all season (four vs. Providence).

Last year, Florida made 9.8 3s per game and shot 35.6% from 3-point range compared to 7.4 and 28% this season.

This year, Florida is 347th nationally in 3-point percentage.

Despite the struggles from deep, Florida has been in every game with a chance to win. Three of their losses have come against No. 1 Arizona, No. 4 UConn, and No. 6 Duke, all away from home, by a combined 11 points.

The Gators entered conference play with a top 50 nonconference slate, according to KenPom. They were one of three SEC teams to do so, along with Alabama and Auburn, which lost in overtime at Georgia, 104-100, this past Saturday.

It was the first time Georgia won an SEC game as a ranked team since Jan. 15, 2011, at Ole Miss.

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Florida will host Georgia, looking for its first conference win of the season.

Florida has dropped out of the new AP Top 25, and with a 0-1 start in league play, the stakes are exceptionally high heading into the home SEC opener against the No. 18 Bulldogs.

Georgia, which is ranked 20th in the coaches poll, has its highest rankings since being No. 17 (AP) and No. 18 (coaches) on Feb. 3, 2003.

It marks the first time in 30 years (Jan. 17, 1996) that an unranked Florida team has faced a ranked Georgia team.

It’s hard to imagine, but former Gator basketball coach Mike White and the Bulldogs are leading the country in scoring. The ‘Dogs, who averaged 75.3 points per game last season, are averaging 99.4 ppg.

Georgia finished 109th in the country in scoring last year, while the Gators finished third (84.8). This year, Florida is 48th (84.3).

With the win against Auburn, Georgia (13-1) equaled its second-best start and best since 1931. Four years ago, I was probably in the minority when I said White would win at Georgia.

He never had a losing season in the SEC in his seven years at Florida.

Florida will have to find a way to slow down a Georgia team that is No. 1 in the nation in fastbreak points (27.0 ppg). It has contributed to Georgia topping the 100-point plateau in seven of its first 14 games, already breaking the program’s single-season record of five century mark tallies during the 1990-91 campaign.

The Bulldogs have scored 40 or more points during 26 of 28 halves of basketball this season.

Florida’s front court will be challenged as Georgia has earned the nickname “Dunkyard Dawgs,” thanks to a nation-leading 22.7 percent of their field goals on dunks this season.

Individually, sophomore Somto Cyril’s 42 dunks lead the SEC and are ranked No. 2 nationally.

No doubt Florida will have its hands full against Georgia. A loss could put the defending national champions in crisis mode.

According to an AI search, no SEC team has won the national championship following a 0-2 start in league play.

Even though Florida lost guards Walter Clayton, Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard to the NBA, the Gators had enough front-court talent to compete for and defend their national title.

Despite a tough non-conference schedule, the reality is that this team has already exceeded its loss total from the entire 2024-25 championship season (36-4).

But if you’re looking for a silver lining, the Gators have won 12 of their last 13 meetings in the Georgia series dating back to 2020.

After Florida’s loss in Athens last February, the Gators rattled off 12 straight wins on their way to the NCAA Tournament and SEC Tournament championships.

But with a brutal schedule ahead, including hosting No. 21 Tennessee on Saturday, and games at Oklahoma (11-3, 1-0) and 14-0 and No. 11 Vanderbilt next week, if Florida falls to 0-2, then the path to a winning conference record becomes a mountain.

The Georgia game is an opportunity to earn a “Quad 1” win and defend the home floor, where the Gators have been outstanding.

Florida is 6-0 at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center this season, 15-1 last year and 14-1 during the 2023-24 season.

According to AI, a win would give them a boost of confidence they desperately need and reinforce their status as contenders. But a loss leaves them winless in the SEC with a target on their backs and a rapidly narrowing margin for error in the NCAA Tournament selection process.