Florida hopes to relocate shooting stroke vs. Missouri

After getting stifled at No. 6 Tennessee Tuesday, Florida will try to get back in sync offensively when they play Missouri on Saturday in Columbia, Mo.

The Gators (11-6, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) face the Tigers (8-9, 0-4) after suffering an 85-66 loss to the Volunteers. It was their third loss in four games.

Florida opened Tuesday's game with 4-for-15 shooting from the floor in the first 10 minutes. The Gators trailed 44-32 at the half after shooting 10-for-34; they wound up making just 29.4 percent of their field-goal attempts (20 of 68), a season low by far.

Walter Clayton Jr., who leads Florida with 15.9 points per game, finished with 16 points against Tennessee but shot just 6-for-18.

Zyon Pullin averages 14.9 points and 4.9 assists for the Gators. He had 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists against the Volunteers, but he shot just 2-for-11 from the floor.

"They're very physical," Pullin said. "Definitely, took some time to get adjusted to it. They denied a lot of our guys. We have to find ways not to let that bother us next game."

That game is against the Tigers, who fell at Alabama 93-75 on Tuesday for their fourth straight loss and their seventh time in eight outings.

Sean East II, who leads Missouri with 16.5 points and 3.8 assists per game, scored just six points against the Crimson Tide while battling a minor illness.

"He was a little bit under the weather. He's totally fine now," Missouri coach Dennis Gates said during his "Tiger Talk" radio show. "But for that young man to go into the game and play 30 minutes — I went into the game not knowing if he would be available or not."

Noah Carter averages 12.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Nick Honor, who averages 10.8 points, scored 18 points at Alabama after scoring just 18 points in his previous three games combined.

—Field Level Media