Basketball Game Preview: Mitchell Mustangs vs. Land O' Lakes Gators

Mitchell is 2-8 against Land O' Lakes since January of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Mitchell Mustangs will be taking part in a tournament against the Land O' Lakes Gators at 7:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Mitchell is headed into the matchup having just suffered their closest loss since December 4, 2024 on Tuesday. They fell just short of Sunlake by a score of 77-74.

Meanwhile, Land O' Lakes ended up a good deal behind Wesley Chapel on Tuesday and lost 81-65. While losing is never fun, the Gators can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 372nd, while the Wildcats are ranked 182nd).

Land O' Lakes has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-13 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.3 points per game. As for Mitchell, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-11.

Mitchell came up short against Land O' Lakes when the teams last played back in December of 2024, falling 60-54. Can Mitchell avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.