Basketball Game Preview: Dr. Phillips Panthers vs. University Cougars

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Dr. Phillips Panthers face off against the University Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Friday... The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Dr. Phillips has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while University will arrive with three straight wins.

Dr. Phillips saw some tournament action on Friday. They took a 56-50 hit to the loss column at the hands of Wekiva.

Meanwhile, University posted their closest victory since December 12, 2024 on Wednesday. They skirted past Jones 65-62. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 118th, while the Fightin' Tigers are ranked 327th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Dr. Phillips' defeat dropped their record down to 9-8. As for University, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-5 record this season.

Dr. Phillips didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against University in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, but they still walked away with an 85-80 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Dr. Phillips since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.