news
It is almost time to tip off in Gainseville. We'll follow the game here. Join in and talk about the Bulldogs.
Renardo Sidney news from yesterday. With Brad on the DL will turn to some other coverage. Kyle Veazey reports in his blog for The Clarion-Ledger that MSU will accept the findings, Sidney's attorney says. Click here for more on Sidney case.
Game Update
The Associated Press
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Vernon Macklin and Chandler Parsons each scored 20 points to lead Florida to a 69-62 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday.
Florida (17-6, 6-3 Southeastern Conference) snapped a two-game losing streak in the series. The Gators' last victory over the Bulldogs came Jan. 24, 2007.
Mississippi State (16-7, 4-4) has lost four of its last five games.
Ravern Johnson finished with 20 points and Jarvis Varnado added 16 points and 13 rebounds for Mississippi State.
Florida had a 12-point lead with 2:38 to play, but struggled to close out the game.
The Bulldogs scored seven unanswered points to cut the lead to 61-56. Johnson and Barry Stewart each hit 3-pointers in the final minute, cutting Florida's lead to 66-62 with 22.4 seconds to play.
Parsons and Erving Walker combined to hit three free throws to close out the final seconds.
Florida had one of its worst shooting games of the season, making just 40.3 percent from the field. That included a 3-for-17 performance from the 3-point line. Walker and Kenny Boynton combined to go 1-for-13 from beyond the arc.
Walker, Boynton and Alex Tyus combined to make just 7 of 35 shots from the field. Parsons and Macklin combined to go 15 for 22.
Macklin scored Florida's first 10 points of the second half, most of them coming in the post against Varnado, who is rapidly approaching the NCAA career record for blocked shots.
Varnado had just one on Saturday — his fewest in any game this season — which leaves him 25 shy of former Louisiana-Monroe standout Wojciech Mydra's mark of 535.
Mississippi State struggled from the field as well. The Bulldogs shot 38.3 percent from the field and made just 8 of 23 from 3-point range. Stewart and Johnson combined to go 6-for-12.
Thanks for being with us,
Todd
Stansbury should keep Cunningham and Kirby. After all they are the ones that have been recruiting all of these great players, not Stans. Kirby is the REAL recruiting genius. Stans' just gets all of the credit. I know because I've talked to Kirby before. Back to the plan...he should keep those two and go hire Richard Williams IMMEDIATELY as the third bench coach. The man has paid his dues. He made a mistake, he's taken his lumps, get over it. RW is the disciplinarian that Stans' needs on his side. Neither of the other assts are disciplinarians either. If Pitino and a few other coaches can have escapades and keep their jobs, RW can at least be an assistant. Besides, it was in the 90s when I was a student there. Let it go. I was at a Gulf Coast Bandits game about 3 years ago and RW absolutely LIT a player up for talking back to him. He is the answer to our problems, plain and simple.
Still in the hospital, but doing better. Watching MSU-Florida. Thanks to all of my tweeps who are praying for and thinking of me.
Get well soon Brad.
State takes the lead with Varnado bucket MSU 26-25