Mississippi State vs Florida Prediction 3/3/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Florida Gators will meet on Tuesday night in an SEC matchup at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida.

Mississippi State Bulldogs Betting Preview

The Mississippi State Bulldogs enter Tuesday night’s contest with a 13–16 overall record, including a 5–11 mark in conference play and a 4-5 record on the road. The Bulldogs have compiled recent wins over Auburn, Ole Miss, LSU, Oklahoma and the Texas Longhorns, while losing games to Missouri, Alabama, Kentucky and the Texas A&M Aggies.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs average 77.7 points on 44.7 percent shooting from the field and 32.3 percent shooting from three-point range per game. Shifting our focus to the defensive side of the basketball, the Bulldogs are allowing opponents 80.3 points per contest which ranks a dreadful 320th in the country.

Junior guard Josh Hubbard leads the Mississippi State Bulldogs averaging 21.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Senior guard Jayden Epps provides the Bulldogs with further backcourt stability averaging 13.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest.

Florida Gators Betting Preview

The Florida Gators enter Tuesday’s game with a 23–6 overall record, including a robust 14–2 mark in conference play and a 13-1 record at home. The Gators have amassed wins over Miami, Florida State, North Florida, Merrimack and the Georgia Bulldogs while dropping games Arizona, Missouri and the Duke Blue Devils.

Earlier this season, in the Florida Gators 82-68 win over the Miami Hurricanes, Florida forward Malik Reneau compiled 22 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks showcasing his ability to lead the Gators frontcourt. 

The Florida Gators average 87.1 points (9th in country) on 48 percent shooting from the field (38th in nation) and 30.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc per game. Defensively, the Gators are allowing opponents 71.4 points per contest. In my view, Florida’s size, rebounding and quality defense have been the key factors to the team’s overall success in 2025.

Sophomore guard Boogie Fland is averaging 11.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Junior forward Thomas Haugh contributes 17.1 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal a contest. Junior center Rueben Chinyelu provides the Gators with further frontcourt depth averaging 11.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.1 block per contest, while senior guard Xaivian Lee is averaging with 11.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

Why the Mississippi State Bulldogs Will Win

• Backcourt play. Junior guard Josh Hubbard leads the Mississippi State Bulldogs averaging 21.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

• Balanced scoring. Josh Hubbard and Jayden Epps have combined to average over 35 points per contest.

Why the Florida Gators Will Win

• Defensive edge: The Florida Gators are allowing opponents 71.1 points per game. Conversely, the Bulldogs are allowing opponents an abysmal 80.3 points per contest.

• Scoring depth. The Gators have six players scoring over 10 points a game.

• Momentum. The Florida Gators arrive at tomorrow’s contest on the heels of a nine-game winning streak.

• Home court edge. The Gators have amassed a rather impressive 13-1 record at home this season.

Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Florida Gators Prediction

Mississippi State’s quality backcourt play and Josh Hubbard’s elite scoring give the Bulldogs a legitimate path to staying competitive in tomorrow’s contest, but Florida’s superior offense and dominant home court edge makes the Gators the likely winner of this game. With that said, Mississippi State’s strong perimeter shooting should keep the Bulldogs inside the number (23.5) in this one. For the reasons just noted, I am backing the Mississippi State Bulldogs plus the 23.5 points in this game.

Hans Geevers's Pick: Mississippi State +23.5