At the Buzzer: Texas A&M 72, Florida 66 (Instant Analysis)
Friday, March 11, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
TEXAS A&M 72, FLORIDA 66
WHAT HAPPENED: The top-seeded and 17th-ranked Aggies broke a tie game open with about two minutes left on a Jalen Jones post-up move and turnover-turned-runout layup by Alex Caruso, the lot of which helped send the Gators packing from the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. The four-point sequence took place about 20 seconds apart, and after Kasey Hill made one of two free throws to make it a three-point (and one-possession) game, Danuel House bombed a 3-point shot and A&M, which shared the league's regular-season title with Kentucky, went on to advance to the tournament semifinals. UF had five players score in double figures, led by Hill, the junior guard who came off the bench and went for 18 points (two off his career high) for the second straight game. Senior Dorian Finney-Smith had 11 points and nine rebounds.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators, barring unforeseen (and unlikely) developments behind the NCAA selection committee curtain, will have to suffer through the unveiling of the NCAA bracket early Sunday night and wait for the NIT selection show later in the evening to see where their second-tier postseason path takes them.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: During one eye-popping stretch in the second half, Hill flashed the flash that once made him one of the most sought-after point guard prospects in the nation, scoring nine points during an 11-5 UF run that erased a four-point deficit and put the Gators ahead 50-47 with 11:46 to go. Hill drove the ball for buckets and hit a pull-up jumper from the elbow, all the while displaying an element confidence the rest of his team fed off of. It was nice to see. He finished 6-for-11 from the floor and 6-for-9 from the free-throw line.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Florida held A&M's two leading scorers, Jones (15.8 ppg) and House (15.3 ppg), to a combined 11-for-30 from the floor, but center Tyler Davis and backup Tonny Trocha-Morelos helped the Aggies pile up 44 points in the paint -- the most by a Gators opponent in five seasons -- against a UF frontcourt that was saddled with foul trouble most of the game.
UP NEXT: UF (19-14) will be on the road for its NIT game, thanks to the interior gutting of the O'Connell Center that gets underway this weekend, with a likely scenario sending the Gators to Jacksonville to face North Florida of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Ospreys (22-10) won their league's regular-season title, but were upset by Florida Gulf Coast in the A-Sun Tournament title game. Another possibility could be a trip to Ruston, La., to face Louisiana Tech, the team coached the last four years by UF's Mike White.
TEXAS A&M 72, FLORIDA 66
WHAT HAPPENED: The top-seeded and 17th-ranked Aggies broke a tie game open with about two minutes left on a Jalen Jones post-up move and turnover-turned-runout layup by Alex Caruso, the lot of which helped send the Gators packing from the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. The four-point sequence took place about 20 seconds apart, and after Kasey Hill made one of two free throws to make it a three-point (and one-possession) game, Danuel House bombed a 3-point shot and A&M, which shared the league's regular-season title with Kentucky, went on to advance to the tournament semifinals. UF had five players score in double figures, led by Hill, the junior guard who came off the bench and went for 18 points (two off his career high) for the second straight game. Senior Dorian Finney-Smith had 11 points and nine rebounds.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators, barring unforeseen (and unlikely) developments behind the NCAA selection committee curtain, will have to suffer through the unveiling of the NCAA bracket early Sunday night and wait for the NIT selection show later in the evening to see where their second-tier postseason path takes them.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: During one eye-popping stretch in the second half, Hill flashed the flash that once made him one of the most sought-after point guard prospects in the nation, scoring nine points during an 11-5 UF run that erased a four-point deficit and put the Gators ahead 50-47 with 11:46 to go. Hill drove the ball for buckets and hit a pull-up jumper from the elbow, all the while displaying an element confidence the rest of his team fed off of. It was nice to see. He finished 6-for-11 from the floor and 6-for-9 from the free-throw line.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Florida held A&M's two leading scorers, Jones (15.8 ppg) and House (15.3 ppg), to a combined 11-for-30 from the floor, but center Tyler Davis and backup Tonny Trocha-Morelos helped the Aggies pile up 44 points in the paint -- the most by a Gators opponent in five seasons -- against a UF frontcourt that was saddled with foul trouble most of the game.
UP NEXT: UF (19-14) will be on the road for its NIT game, thanks to the interior gutting of the O'Connell Center that gets underway this weekend, with a likely scenario sending the Gators to Jacksonville to face North Florida of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Ospreys (22-10) won their league's regular-season title, but were upset by Florida Gulf Coast in the A-Sun Tournament title game. Another possibility could be a trip to Ruston, La., to face Louisiana Tech, the team coached the last four years by UF's Mike White.
Players Mentioned
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