At the Buzzer: Florida 88, Jacksonville 47 (Instant Analysis)
Thursday, November 2, 2017 | Men's Basketball
The Gators beat up on the Dolphins in a charity exhibition game at Swisher Gym.
AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 88, JACKSONVILLE 47
WHAT HAPPENED: The eighth-ranked Gators, after losing senior point guard Chris Chiozza to a sprained shoulder less than a minute into the game, used a mini-run at the end of the first half and a maxi one to start the second to blow out the Dolphins in their charity exhibition game before a sold-out crowd of 1,500 at packed-in Swisher Gymnasium. Combined, the run was 25-1 (7-1 to end the first half; 18-0 to start the second), with junior guard Jalen Hudson (21 points), junior guard KeVaughn Allen (17 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists) and grad-transfer forward Egor Koulechov (17 points, 4 rebounds) doing the bulk of the damage. Freshman wing Deaundrae Ballard had 11 points in his UF debut.
WHAT IT MEANS: As for the outcome? Absolutely nothing. That the Gators appeared to have dodged a bullet mushroom cloud with Chiozza's injury? Only everything. Chiozza tried to return to the game, but was in obvious pain and favored his left arm. When he was lifted from the game the second time, it was for good -- and needed to be. He is the most valuable player on the team; the guy who makes the offense go. UF doesn't have a true backup point guard, but in the run-up practices to the regular-season opener Nov. 13 against Gardner-Webb, some guys are going to have to work the "1" spot while Chiozza rehabs that shoulder.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Florida has seven new guys on the roster this season, but the two most expected to provide instant impact -- Hudson, from Virginia Tech, and Koulechov, by way of Rice -- did not disappoint. Combined, they went 13-for-24 from the floor and 7-for-13 from the 3-point arc.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The UF defense held JU without a field goal for a 13-minute span that bridged both halves. Dolphins forward Jalyn Hinton had a run-out dunk at the 3:23 mark of the first half to draw the home team within 28-23. The Dolphins' next field goal came at the 9:37 mark of the second half, a 3-pointer by JD Notae. That basket made the score 64-34. For the game, JU shot just 23.4 percent, including only 3-for-19 after intermission (15.7 percent).
UP NEXT: One more exhibition before the real thing gets underway the week after next. Florida will face Division II Tampa, out of the Sunshine State Conference, in its preseason Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center debut Sunday at 2 p.m.
