At the Buzzer: Florida 83, Tennessee 70 (Instant Breakdown)
Saturday, January 7, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
The Gators were smoking hot in the second half against the Vols -- and needed to be.
AT THE BUZZER
No. 24 FLORIDA 83, TENNESSEE 70
WHAT HAPPENED: Ridiculously red-hot second-half shooting display, that's what. KeVaughn Allen bombed in four 3-pointers and keyed a wicked UF scoring onslaught that saw the No. 24 Gators hit 50 percent from the floor and go 9-for-19 from deep -- including 7-for-8 in the second half -- in finishing off a Volunteers squad that was pretty darned hot themselves (48 percent for the game). Allen finished with a season-high 23 points and five rebounds, going eight of 13 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the arc, but the UF player of the game might have been forward Justin Leon, who scored a career-high 19 points and six rebounds on a night the Florida post players were in foul trouble. Forward Canyon Barry came off the bench to score 15 for the Gators, who trailed by five early in the second half and did not take control of the game until Allen bombed in a trio of 3s over a 2-plus minutes late in the second half. The game was the third straight sellout of the new Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center and marked the first time in six years UF wore black uniforms, part of a "blackout" theme embraced by the O'Dome crowd.
WHAT IT MEANS: Three wins in as many tries in SEC play. Can't get any better than that, right? The Gators also took another step toward establishing the new O'Dome, as gorgeous as it is, as the pit they want it to be for opposing teams.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: As good as Allen was, this nod goes to Leon, who is easily the most underrated player on this team. There's a misnomer that Leon does the dirty work and the little things to help the Gators win. That's true, but only partly describes his game. Against the Vols, Leon made five of his six shots, went 3-for-4 from the arc, 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, worked the glass hard and logged 33 minutes.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Let's go with 67 percent shooting in the second half -- and 87.5 percent from the 3-point line. Florida took 24 shots in the second half and made 16. And this bears repeating: 7-for-8 from the arc.
UP NEXT: Florida (12-3, 3-0) is back on the SEC road Tuesday night against Alabama (8-5, 1-0), which has a date at Vanderbilt Saturday night. The Crimson Tide handed the Gators one of their most crippling losses of last season -- at home, no less -- relative to UF's hopes to make the NCAA Tournament.
No. 24 FLORIDA 83, TENNESSEE 70
WHAT HAPPENED: Ridiculously red-hot second-half shooting display, that's what. KeVaughn Allen bombed in four 3-pointers and keyed a wicked UF scoring onslaught that saw the No. 24 Gators hit 50 percent from the floor and go 9-for-19 from deep -- including 7-for-8 in the second half -- in finishing off a Volunteers squad that was pretty darned hot themselves (48 percent for the game). Allen finished with a season-high 23 points and five rebounds, going eight of 13 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the arc, but the UF player of the game might have been forward Justin Leon, who scored a career-high 19 points and six rebounds on a night the Florida post players were in foul trouble. Forward Canyon Barry came off the bench to score 15 for the Gators, who trailed by five early in the second half and did not take control of the game until Allen bombed in a trio of 3s over a 2-plus minutes late in the second half. The game was the third straight sellout of the new Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center and marked the first time in six years UF wore black uniforms, part of a "blackout" theme embraced by the O'Dome crowd.
WHAT IT MEANS: Three wins in as many tries in SEC play. Can't get any better than that, right? The Gators also took another step toward establishing the new O'Dome, as gorgeous as it is, as the pit they want it to be for opposing teams.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: As good as Allen was, this nod goes to Leon, who is easily the most underrated player on this team. There's a misnomer that Leon does the dirty work and the little things to help the Gators win. That's true, but only partly describes his game. Against the Vols, Leon made five of his six shots, went 3-for-4 from the arc, 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, worked the glass hard and logged 33 minutes.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Let's go with 67 percent shooting in the second half -- and 87.5 percent from the 3-point line. Florida took 24 shots in the second half and made 16. And this bears repeating: 7-for-8 from the arc.
UP NEXT: Florida (12-3, 3-0) is back on the SEC road Tuesday night against Alabama (8-5, 1-0), which has a date at Vanderbilt Saturday night. The Crimson Tide handed the Gators one of their most crippling losses of last season -- at home, no less -- relative to UF's hopes to make the NCAA Tournament.
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