At the Buzzer: Duke 87, Florida 84 (Instant Analysis)
Monday, November 27, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
The Gators let a win against the No. 1 Blue Devils slip away in the final 10 minutes.
No. 1 DUKE 87, No. 17 FLORIDA 84
WHAT HAPPENED: Down by 17 points with less than 10 minutes to go Sunday night, the top-ranked Blue Devils stormed back to stun the seventh-ranked Gators in the Motion bracket championship game of the PK80 Invitational at Moda Center in Portland, Ore. Forward Gary Trent Jr. hit the go-ahead two free throws with 1:11 to go, putting the Blue Devils up by one. At the 53.7 mark, swingman Jalen Hudson stepped to the free-throw for a one-and-one and chance to tie and/or give the Gators the lead. Hudson, though, missed the front end, and Duke rebounded. Florida, though, forced a shot-clock violation with 23.4 seconds left and still training by just one. But in the UF halfcourt, Hudson lost control of the ball as he looked to attack the defense. Trent secured possession, was fouled and hit two more free throws with 8.9 seconds remaining to push the lead to three. The Gators, who were out-scored 15-2 over the final four minutes, had a final possession to the tie the game, but forward Egor Koulechov's off-balanced 3-pointer was challenged and not close. Duke got 30 points and 15 rebounds from forward Marvin Bagley III, while Florida was led by Hudson's 24 points and 10 rebounds. Shooting guard KeVaughn Allen had 17 points and senior point guard Chris Chiozza was good for 13 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
WHAT IT MEANS: The season's first defeat came against the nation's top-ranked team in the championship game of the most prestigious holiday tournament ever staged. It's something the Gators can live with, but failing to close out the game will haunt them in the coming days. After coming across the country, pummeling Stanford, out-lasting No. 17 Gonzaga in a double-overtime, high-scoring marathon that amounted to a road game, then squaring off against the blue-blood Blue Devils, Coach Mike White's guys should be proud, but also not satisfied. The Gators, now 2-14 all-time against No. 1 teams, have a lot clearer understanding now of who they are and what they need to work on. And they need a healthy John Egbunu back for post defense.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: We'll see Bagley in the NBA next year. The undersized Gators had no answer for him in the post, much like Gonzaga's Johnathan Williams (39 points, 12 rebounds) two nights earlier.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The high-scoring Gators, averaging 102.6 points per game, opened that 17-point lead -- at 74-57 -- in the first 30 minutes, but had just four field goals and 10 points the rest of the way. Florida hit just one 3-point field goal in the second half after hitting at least 11 in four of its first five games, and three times hitting at least 15.
UP NEXT: A long flight home Monday, then the Gators (5-1) get a couple days off to settle back into routine and ready for a visit next Monday night from Florida State at the Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. The Seminoles (5-0) have a three-game winning streak in the rivalry and are off to an unbeaten start, with a date Tuesday night at Rutgers in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge before coming to Gainesville.
