No. 14 Florida Looks to Extend SEC Lead at Georgia

The Gators face the high-scoring Bulldogs in a key conference matchup.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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No. 14 Florida, sitting alone atop the Southeastern Conference, will try to duplicate its strong defensive effort from the weekend when they travel to play high-scoring Georgia on Wednesday night in Athens. The Gators are coming off an 86-67 road win over Texas A&M, where their defense limited the Aggies to just 17.1% shooting in the first half. Florida will need a similar defensive performance against Georgia, the SEC's new leader in scoring at 91.9 points per game.

Why it matters

This game is a key conference matchup between two top teams in the SEC. Florida is looking to extend its lead atop the conference standings, while Georgia is hoping to bounce back from a recent three-game losing streak. The outcome could have significant implications for the SEC title race and NCAA Tournament seeding.

The details

Florida's defense was the key to its win over Texas A&M, as the Gators held the Aggies to just 17.1% shooting in the first half and blocked five layups during a 10:25 stretch without a basket. The Gators will need a similar defensive effort against Georgia's high-powered offense, which is led by Jeremiah Wilkinson (17.1 ppg), Blue Cain (13.2 ppg) and Marcus 'Smurf' Millender (11.7 ppg). Georgia is coming off an 83-71 win over LSU that ended its three-game losing streak.

  • The game will be played on Wednesday, February 10, 2026 in Athens, Georgia.

The players

Todd Golden

The head coach of the Florida Gators men's basketball team.

Rueben Chinyelu

The leading rebounder in the SEC, averaging 11.5 rebounds per game for the Florida Gators.

Thomas Haugh

A senior guard for the Florida Gators who is averaging 17.8 points per game, 7th in the SEC.

Mike White

The head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs men's basketball team.

Kanon Catchings

A junior guard for the Georgia Bulldogs who scored 23 points, including 5 three-pointers, in the team's last game.

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What they’re saying

“Obviously, we're really pleased where we are right now, but we've got eight more league games left and a lot can happen. There's a lot of teams with three and four losses and it's all about us taking care of our business. We've got to take one game at a time, as cliche as that sounds.”

— Todd Golden, Florida Gators Head Coach

“The great thing about being in this position is we don't have to worry about anybody else. Just see what's in front of us, one game at a time. And we'll be ready to go against Georgia on Wednesday.”

— Todd Golden, Florida Gators Head Coach

“I thought we were pretty sharp for 40 minutes defensively. Proud of the effort. A lot of carryover from practice. These guys worked hard and their attention to detail was pretty good against an LSU team that's capable of beating anyone in our league. That was a big win for us.”

— Mike White, Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach

“We made a significant improvement with our desire to compete on the glass. Now here comes another SEC opponent who is prolific at rebounding the basketball. If we can just stay in the fight. We can't get demolished on the glass. We've got to keep it close.”

— Mike White, Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach

What’s next

The outcome of this game could have significant implications for the SEC title race and NCAA Tournament seeding. Florida will look to extend its lead atop the conference standings, while Georgia will aim to bounce back from its recent three-game losing streak.

The takeaway

This matchup between two of the SEC's top teams promises to be an exciting and hard-fought conference battle. Both Florida and Georgia have shown the ability to play strong defense, but the Gators' rebounding advantage and the Bulldogs' high-powered offense could make for an intriguing clash of styles. The team that can best execute its game plan and limit the other's strengths is likely to come out on top.