At the Buzzer: Florida 70, Ole Miss 63 (Instant Analysis)
Tuesday, January 3, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
The Gators opened their SEC home slate Tuesday night by thwarting a late rally bh the Rebels and going to 2-0 in league play.
AT THE BUZZER
No. 24 FLORIDA 70, OLE MISS 63
WHAT HAPPENED: Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen made two free throws and junior guard Chris Chiozza knocked down one inside the final minute to help the No. 24 Gators hold off the Rebles in UF's Southeastern Conference home opener and the first league game at renovated Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. Fifth-year grad transfer Canyon Barry came off the bench to score 20 points, but it was the UF defense -- led by senior point guard Kasey Hill (career-high 6 steals) -- that set in motion the win. Florida played sensationally on the defensive end for about 35 minutes before the Rebels, one of the highest-scoring teams in the SEC, woke up late and turned what was a 16-point lead for the Gators with 3:20 left into a six-point margin twice with less than a minute to play. Allen (14 points, 4-for-7 from 3) made two free throws with 36.8 seconds left to make it a four-point game. Chiozza made one of two with 15.5 remaining to make it a seven-point (and three-possession) margin, sealing the win, after his team's inabilty to hit some late free throws (just 11 of 21 for the game) allowed the Rebels to make things interesting late.
WHAT IT MEANS: A 2-0 start in league play and an appropriate christening of the new O'Dome for the Rowdy Reptiles, as UF students began filing back to campus this week for the start of the spring semester. The Gators want to get that dome mojo going again. Good start.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Barry came in as UF's No. 3 scorer at 10.9 points per game, but had reached double figures just twice over the previous five games, including just two points in 12 minutes at Arkansas last week. He provided a nice jolt off the bench against the Rebels, who led 10-9 when Barry scored all eight points during an 8-2 run, including a pair of 3-pointers, that opened a lead the home team never gave up. Barry finished eight of 14 from the floor, including 3-for-6 from the 3-point line. His 20 points were a high for his one season as a Gator.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Ole Miss came in averaging 80.7 points per game. The Rebels had just 21 at halftime after the Florida defense held them to just 20 field-goal attempts, 0-for-6 from the 3-point line and forced 14 turnovers to take a 35-21 lead into the locker room. Ole Miss guard Deandre Burnett, who came in as the No. 3 scorer in the league (19.2 ppg), was held to just two in the first half, though he got hot late to finish with 18.
UP NEXT: Florida (11-3, 2-0) stays at home, where it will face Tennessee (9-5, 2-0) Saturday at 5:15 p.m. The Volunteers (8-6, 1-1) pulled off a surprising road win at league co-champion Texas A&M in their SEC opener last week, but then returned home Tuesday night and lost 84-78 to Arkansas.
No. 24 FLORIDA 70, OLE MISS 63
WHAT HAPPENED: Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen made two free throws and junior guard Chris Chiozza knocked down one inside the final minute to help the No. 24 Gators hold off the Rebles in UF's Southeastern Conference home opener and the first league game at renovated Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. Fifth-year grad transfer Canyon Barry came off the bench to score 20 points, but it was the UF defense -- led by senior point guard Kasey Hill (career-high 6 steals) -- that set in motion the win. Florida played sensationally on the defensive end for about 35 minutes before the Rebels, one of the highest-scoring teams in the SEC, woke up late and turned what was a 16-point lead for the Gators with 3:20 left into a six-point margin twice with less than a minute to play. Allen (14 points, 4-for-7 from 3) made two free throws with 36.8 seconds left to make it a four-point game. Chiozza made one of two with 15.5 remaining to make it a seven-point (and three-possession) margin, sealing the win, after his team's inabilty to hit some late free throws (just 11 of 21 for the game) allowed the Rebels to make things interesting late.
WHAT IT MEANS: A 2-0 start in league play and an appropriate christening of the new O'Dome for the Rowdy Reptiles, as UF students began filing back to campus this week for the start of the spring semester. The Gators want to get that dome mojo going again. Good start.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Barry came in as UF's No. 3 scorer at 10.9 points per game, but had reached double figures just twice over the previous five games, including just two points in 12 minutes at Arkansas last week. He provided a nice jolt off the bench against the Rebels, who led 10-9 when Barry scored all eight points during an 8-2 run, including a pair of 3-pointers, that opened a lead the home team never gave up. Barry finished eight of 14 from the floor, including 3-for-6 from the 3-point line. His 20 points were a high for his one season as a Gator.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Ole Miss came in averaging 80.7 points per game. The Rebels had just 21 at halftime after the Florida defense held them to just 20 field-goal attempts, 0-for-6 from the 3-point line and forced 14 turnovers to take a 35-21 lead into the locker room. Ole Miss guard Deandre Burnett, who came in as the No. 3 scorer in the league (19.2 ppg), was held to just two in the first half, though he got hot late to finish with 18.
UP NEXT: Florida (11-3, 2-0) stays at home, where it will face Tennessee (9-5, 2-0) Saturday at 5:15 p.m. The Volunteers (8-6, 1-1) pulled off a surprising road win at league co-champion Texas A&M in their SEC opener last week, but then returned home Tuesday night and lost 84-78 to Arkansas.
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