At the Buzzer: No. 25 Florida 84, Oklahoma 52 (Instant Breakdown)
Saturday, January 28, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
The Gators blitzed the Sooners in the first half and won a second road blowout in four days.
AT THE BUZZER
No. 25 FLORIDA 84, OKLAHOMA 52
WHAT HAPPENED: Sophomore center Kevarrius Hayes came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points, grab nine rebounds and block three shots, as the No. 25 Gators completely overwhelmed the host Sooners on the way to a blowout SEC/Big 12 Challenge win at Lloyd Noble Center. UF forward Canyon Barry, another reserve, added 15, including 13 in the first half to help UF race to a 15-point lead before the break and eventually claim a second road rout (both of 30-plus points) in four days. Senior point guard Kasey Hill had 12 points and eight assists, with junior forward Devin Robinson adding 13 points. The Sooners led 20-18 with just over eight minutes left in the first half when the Gators went on an 18-4 tear to close the period for that 15-point cushion, then scored the first seven points of the second half to go up by 22. The closest OU got after that was 13 a couple times. The Gators shot a decent 43.8 percent in the first half, but their defense smothered the Sooners into just 24.2 percent to build the cushion and did not allow a 3-pointer through the first 33-plus minutes.
WHAT IT MEANS: Nothing as far as Southeastern Conference ramifications. Florida is now 3-1 in the SEC/Big 12 challenge, but more importantly claimed a second straight road victory that should be a nice boost to the confidence of a team that was riding a two-game losing skid at the start of the week. OU is a better team than its record indicates, having played much better since Woodard returned from a leg injury and a quartet of talented freshmen began figuring some things out, but the Sooners were really never in the game. That's because the Gators took it to them with rare hot starts to both halves.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Hayes was terrific off the bench, finishing seven of 11 from the floor, including 6-for-9 from the free-throw line, and making himself quite a deterrent around rim, not just with blocked shots but by altering them with his length and jumping ability. Hayes' performance came on the heels of Wednesday night's 12 points at LSU. In the six games before that, Hayes totaled 25 points, failing to hit double-figures in any.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: That was the third worst home loss -- wait for it -- in Oklahoma history. The last time the Sooners were dominated so thoroughly at home was a 44-point loss to Missouri in the 1921-22 season. Or 95 years ago.
UP NEXT: Florida (16-5, 6-2) will take off both Sunday and Monday, then return to work Tuesday and look toward a return to SEC action with a pair of home dates late next week. The Gators will face last place Missouri (5-14, 0-7) Thursday night, then deal with a quick turn-around to face first-place and fourth-ranked Kentucky (17-3, 7-1) Saturday night, with ESPN "Game Day" in Gainesville to hype that one.
No. 25 FLORIDA 84, OKLAHOMA 52
WHAT HAPPENED: Sophomore center Kevarrius Hayes came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points, grab nine rebounds and block three shots, as the No. 25 Gators completely overwhelmed the host Sooners on the way to a blowout SEC/Big 12 Challenge win at Lloyd Noble Center. UF forward Canyon Barry, another reserve, added 15, including 13 in the first half to help UF race to a 15-point lead before the break and eventually claim a second road rout (both of 30-plus points) in four days. Senior point guard Kasey Hill had 12 points and eight assists, with junior forward Devin Robinson adding 13 points. The Sooners led 20-18 with just over eight minutes left in the first half when the Gators went on an 18-4 tear to close the period for that 15-point cushion, then scored the first seven points of the second half to go up by 22. The closest OU got after that was 13 a couple times. The Gators shot a decent 43.8 percent in the first half, but their defense smothered the Sooners into just 24.2 percent to build the cushion and did not allow a 3-pointer through the first 33-plus minutes.
WHAT IT MEANS: Nothing as far as Southeastern Conference ramifications. Florida is now 3-1 in the SEC/Big 12 challenge, but more importantly claimed a second straight road victory that should be a nice boost to the confidence of a team that was riding a two-game losing skid at the start of the week. OU is a better team than its record indicates, having played much better since Woodard returned from a leg injury and a quartet of talented freshmen began figuring some things out, but the Sooners were really never in the game. That's because the Gators took it to them with rare hot starts to both halves.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Hayes was terrific off the bench, finishing seven of 11 from the floor, including 6-for-9 from the free-throw line, and making himself quite a deterrent around rim, not just with blocked shots but by altering them with his length and jumping ability. Hayes' performance came on the heels of Wednesday night's 12 points at LSU. In the six games before that, Hayes totaled 25 points, failing to hit double-figures in any.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: That was the third worst home loss -- wait for it -- in Oklahoma history. The last time the Sooners were dominated so thoroughly at home was a 44-point loss to Missouri in the 1921-22 season. Or 95 years ago.
UP NEXT: Florida (16-5, 6-2) will take off both Sunday and Monday, then return to work Tuesday and look toward a return to SEC action with a pair of home dates late next week. The Gators will face last place Missouri (5-14, 0-7) Thursday night, then deal with a quick turn-around to face first-place and fourth-ranked Kentucky (17-3, 7-1) Saturday night, with ESPN "Game Day" in Gainesville to hype that one.
Players Mentioned
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