The No. 12 Florida Gators (5-2) host the Arizona Wildcats (6-2) on Wednesday night at the O'Connell Center in a nationally televised matchup of two of the most respected programs in the country.
Florida will hope to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time this season following its 72-68 loss to the then-No. 4 Syracuse Orange last Friday. Kenny Boynton scored 22 points and Erving Walker added 17, but the Gators couldn't stop Orange guard Brandon Triche. He scored 20 points, including 9-of-9 from the foul line, to lead Syracuse to victory.
The Wildcats have won their last two games, albeit against unimpressive competition. Most recently, they downed the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, 53-39, to improve to 6-2 on the season. Arizona limited the Lumberjacks to 37.2 percent shooting from the field, and the lone Lumberjack to score more than seven points, Colin Gruber, managed just 13.
The Gators have won their last seven games against Pac-12 teams, a streak which started with a 2003 victory over Arizona.
Tipoff for Wednesday's Florida/Arizona showdown is set for 7 PM on ESPN. Mark Jones and Jimmy Dykes will have the call.
For more on the Gators, please visit Alligator Army, SB Nation's Gators blog. For the perspective from the other side, please visit SB Nation Arizona and Arizona Desert Swarm, SB Nation's Wildcats blog.