Special 'K' Day: Allen Delivers in Arkansas Homecoming

Thursday, December 29

Fayetteville, AR

9 PM

Florida Gators

Arkansas

Guard KeVaughn Allen rises for one of his five 3-pointers Thursday night in his rip-roaring return to his home state of Arkansas. Allen starred at North Little Rock, where he helped guide the team to three state championships.

Special 'K' Day: Allen Delivers in Arkansas Homecoming

Friday, December 30, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry

Box Score Photo Gallery by Chris Brashers

Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, in leading the Gators to an 81-72 win to open the SEC season.

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Before taking the court for the first time back in his home state, Florida guard KeVaughn Allen was visited by his head coach. Allen was a prep superstar in Arkansas, a three-time state champion, player of the year and scoring machine at North Little Rock High who dared to take his talents to Gainesville.

Now he was back and White told him to expect the worst.

Allen, as he does, nodded. And smiled.

Then he went out and (also as he does) got buckets.

Allen scored 21 points, including 15 in the first half, and helped the No. 25 Gators stake themselves to a lead and eventually pull away and put away the Razorbacks at notoriously rowdy Bud Walton Arena for a feel-good 81-72 victory in front of 16,035 mostly frustrated fans. The ones that weren't were family and friends of Allen's.

"I felt like I'd just go out and treat it like any other game," Allen said.

Except this was anything but for Allen (with dozens of backers in the house) and his team. This was the Southeastern Conference opener for the Gators (10-3, 1-0) and to go into a venue like Bud Walton and get the league slate off to a positive start was a great jolt of confidence for White and his program in their second season together.

"It would have been big for anyone in this league," White said. "It's hard to win here."

Allen, who was booed every time he touched the ball or when his name was announced, went 7-for-16 from the floor, but it was his 5-for-9 marksmanship from the 3-point arc that silenced his hissers, among them two second-half, NBA-plus-range bombs that came when the Razorbacks (11-2, 0-1) seemed poised to make a run.

"That was to be expected," said Arkansas coach Mike Anderson, who invested a lot of time recruiting Allen. "When a guy comes home — and we all know he's a great player — you just know he's going to play lights-out. But the other guys hurt us, too."

Junior forward Devin Robinson had 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots in one of the best all-around conference games of his career. Sophomore Kevarrius Hayes, making his third straight start, and junior John Egbunu, back from a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury, combined for 16 points and 17 rebounds in the post. Senior point guard Kasey Hill had 10 points, six assists and steady-handed an offense that stymied whatever resistance the Razorbacks put up by hitting 50 percent from the floor in the second half.

The win was UF's third straight, but it also its sixth in a row in the series. It also snapped an eight-game winning streak for Arkansas.

"We haven't had a big road win the last couple years," Robinson said after knocking down six of his 11 field-goal tries. "So it's good to come in here, play well and come out victorious."

The night had a weird undertone to begin with. Several thousand red-clad fans were in place at the arena a couple hours before tipoff as part of a "watch party" for Arkansas's football game against Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl, which was projected on the giant center-hung JumboTron above the court. When the Gators entered the building, the Hogs were winning that one 24-0 at halftime.

When the basketball game tipped off nearly 90 minutes later, the Hogs were down 35-24 and the fans, witness to four second-half turnovers and an abject meltdown, were in a state of shock.

The Gators proceeded to pile on.

There were a combined 10 ties or lead changes through the first nine minutes. UF last trailed at 19-17, but that changed when Robinson scored all eight points of an 8-3 run. The lead was 25-24 when Allen then scored all eight of an 8-2 spurt, as the visitors methodically took the margin out to nine by halftime, at 44-35, with Arkansas keeping things manageable by making 10 of 11 first-half free throws to UF's 5-for-9 and two missed front ends.

"We got settled in after our first few stops. We started playing with some confidence," White said. "Not that we strung together 40 [minutes], but we were pretty close to it. It was one of our best efforts of the year, if not the best."

Nonetheless, the second half began with back-to-back UF turnovers and two Arkansas field goals, including a 3-pointer, giving White flashbacks to the atrocious second half starts that doomed his team in its three losses.

"I thought about using all my timeouts in a hurry," he said.

Wouldn't need them, as it turned out. Though the Hogs had a hot hand in junior guard Daryl Macon (22 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including three 3s) and a beastly post presence in center Moses Kingsley (13 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks), the Gators had timely answers that stifled potential runs and kept the crowd at bay. Their defense also did a nice job checking guard Dusty Hannahs (11 points), who came in averaging nearly 15 a game and last year hit UF for 33 in the SEC Tournament.

When Arkansas instantly cut the nine-point halftime lead to three 90 seconds into the second period, Robinson scored five straight, including three free throws after being fouled on an attempt from the arc. That put the lead back to eight. When the Razorbacks made it a five-point game two minutes later, UF scored six straight when Chris Chiozza drove for a reverse layup, Egbunu (11 rebounds in just 16 minutes) scored off a putback and freshman forward Keith Stone added a bucket off a pick and roll.

The closest the Hogs got after that was six. Twice — when the lead was eight, and later when it was 10 — Allen rose up and bombed long 3s to deflate the home-court faithful.

"I really wasn't paying attention to the crowd. [The booing] didn't matter to me," the soft-spoken Allen said after enjoying a third win over Arkansas (one at home, one at a neutral site, one on the road) in as many tries. "I just came in with the right mindset, not worrying about the fans or how many times we played."

This from White.

"KeVaughn is as steady a kid as I've ever coached. He's as even-keeled as any player, as calm, as laid back on the court and off the court. He's not a guy who gets easily rattled," he said. "The only thing different I noticed [about him] in the entire setting was the booing. We anticipated that. We talked about that. Obviously, it wasn't a factor."

Obviously, Allen was. For the game. For his team. A catalyst for a really good win the Gators hope can be a tone-setter for the SEC season.