Photo by: USA TODAY Sports
Postgame Notes: State at No. 5 Florida
March 04, 2026 | Men's Basketball
TEAM NOTES
- State dropped a 108-74 decision to No. 5 Florida on Tuesday evening at Exactech Arena inside the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
- The Bulldogs connected on 10 of their first 13 shot attempts to build a 24-14 advantage with 11:33 remaining. The run was capped by a Josh Hubbard pullup trey followed by a Hubbard dime to a cutting Quincy Ballard for a dunk. Then, Ja'Borri McGhee drove the lane for a layup to give State the 10-point lead.
- Florida responded with a 33-11 flurry of its own to take a 47-35 advantage into halftime.
- The Bulldogs would draw to within single digits on multiple occasions to begin the 2nd half. Ahead 67-56 with 12:51 left, Florida closed the contest by scoring 41 of the last 59 points.
- The Gators have won five of the last six meetings versus State in the series since the 2021-22 season. Overall, Florda holds a 70-53 series edge over the Bulldogs.
- State is 13-9 this season and 58-25 over the last four seasons under Coach Jans when scoring 70 or more points.
- State is 13-11 this season and 69-29 over the last four seasons under Coach Jans when shooting 40.0 percent or higher.
- State sank 27-of-60 from the floor (45.0 percent), hit on 9-of-26 from three-point territory (34.6 percent) and connected on a 11-of-19 clip at the free throw line (57.9 percent).
- Conversely, Florida recorded a 45-of-82 shooting effort (54.9 percent), made 8-of-22 of its three-pointers (36.4 percent) and tallied a 10-for-17 mark at the charity stripe (58.8 percent).
- The Gators hit on 35 of their 45 baskets in the paint to claim a 70-36 advantage in paint points. Florida also secured a 53-26 rebounding edge.
PLAYER NOTES
Josh Hubbard
- Started his 80th consecutive game over the past three seasons (01/27/2024-03/03/2026) where he has led the team in scoring in 53 of those 80 outings.
- Provided a team-leading 21 points where he shot 6-of-15 overall, 2-of-7 on three-pointers and 7-of-12 from the free-throw line.
- The junior guard now has 1883 career points which helped him stay in 5th place on the program's all-time list. He enters the Georgia game 36 points shy of passing Jim Ashmore (1954-55-56-57) for 4th place.
- The 1883 points allowed Hubbard to remain in 5th place on the SEC scoring list for players after their junior season. He enters the Georgia game 59 points shy of eclipsing LSU's Shaquille O'Neal (1990-91-92).
- Hubbard's 643 points in 2025-26 allowed him to pass Quinndary Weatherspoon (2018-19) and his own 2024-25 season for the 6th most in program history for a single season.
- The 643 points also are the most points scored by a State player during the 2000s.
- Hubbard and Bailey Howell (1957-58-59) are 2 of 4 players who have three of their program's top 10 scoring seasons at SEC schools.
- Secured 20+ points for the 17th time this season and collected 27 of his 44 career outings against SEC opponents.
- Notched double figures for a team-leading 28th time this season and for the 91st time over his 99 career games.
- The 91 games of 10+ points helped him tie Ray White (1976-77-78-79) for 5th place in program history.
- The 2 treys enabled Hubbard to extend his program record. He now has 302 career three's.
- He enters the Georgia game 5 triples shy of passing Vanderbilt's John Jenkins (2010-11-12) and entering the SEC's top 10.
- Drained multiple three's for the 7th straight game (02/11-03/03), the 22nd time this season and the 81st time in his career.
- Made 5+ field goals for the 23rd time this season and for the 65th time in his career.
- Dished out 5+ assists for the 9th time this season and for the 19th time in his career.
- Scored 15+ points and 5+ assists for the 8th time this season and for the 15th time in his career.
- Made his 7th consecutive start, his 21st start this season and his 82nd career start between Illinois, Georgetown and State.
- Tallied 14 points where he sank 5-of-11 from the field and 3-of-7 from three-point territory.
- Secured double-figures for the 20th time this season and the 82nd time in his career.
- Notched 10+ points for the 11th time in 17 SEC outings (01/03-03/03).
- Drained multiple three's for the 16th time this season and for the 58th time in his career.
- Connected on 2+ triples for the 8th time in the last 12 outings (01/21-03/03).
- Dished out multiple assists for the 16th time this season and for the 69th time of his career.
- Returned to State's starting five for the first time since the SEC opener at Texas and for the 4th time this season.
- Provided 4 points and a team-high tying 5 rebounds.
- Grabbed 5+ rebounds for the 8th time in SEC action and for the 14th time this season.
- Led the Maroon and White in rebounding for the 6th time this season.
- Appeared in State's starting lineup for the 6th time this season and marked his first starting nod since the Vanderbilt game (01/24).
- Registered 5 points, a team-high tying 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
- Grabbed 5+ rebounds for the 10th time in SEC play and for the 16th time this season.
- Led the Bulldogs in rebounding for the 5th time this season.
- Dished out a career-high tying 2 assists which marked his 6th outing of multiple dimes for the season.
- Started for the 10th consecutive game, the 26th time this season and for the 93rd time in his last 97 games over the last three seasons between Mississippi State and Wichita State.
- Came away with 4 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks.
- Swatted multiple shots for the 11th time this season and for the 56th time of his career.
- Tallied a block in 13 of his last 18 outings (12/29-03/03), during 21 of State's 30 games this season and in 75 of 96 games over the last three seasons.
- The Bulldogs were outscored by a 32-26 margin in bench points.
- Ja'Borri McGhee equaled his SEC season's best with 12 points where he shot 5-of-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the three-point line.
- Provided 10+ points for the 10th time this season and the 31st time in his career.
- The Bulldogs are 6-4 this season, while State and UAB are a combined 21-10 when McGhee dials up double figures.
- Buried multiple three-pointers for the 8th time this season and for the 14th time during his career.
- Dished out multiple assists for the 15th time this season and 41st time in his career.
- King Grace (8 points, 3 rebounds) and Achor Achor (6 points, 3 rebounds) rounded out the scoring for the Bulldogs.
- Grace has averaged 8.0 points per contest over his last four outings (02/21-03/03).
- Three of his four games with multiple treys are against SEC opponents.
Players Mentioned
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