At the Buzzer: No. 15 Florida 57, Mississippi State 52 (Instant Breakdown)
Saturday, February 18, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
The Gators survived a big-time scare Saturday in Starkville.
AT THE BUZZER
No. 15 FLORIDA 57, MISSISSIPPI 52
WHAT HAPPENED: In their first game of the post-John Egbunu era, the 15th-ranked Gators got a big finish Saturday from Egbunu's replacement, sophomore center Kevarrius Hayes, whose basket and late blocked shot helped his team get out of Humphrey Coliseum with an eighth straight win. Point guard Chris Chiozza led UF with 14 points, but it was Hayes who finished strong after the Gators blew a 12-point with less than 10 minutes to play. A second-chance dunk by Bulldogs center Aric Holman tied the game at 52 with 2:23 left. UF retook the lead when Hayes gathered a shot by Kasey Hill that was blocked and put it in the basket with 1:56 to go. Down two, MSU tried to get to the basket to tie the game, but Hayes blocked the shot, Justin Leon grabbed the rebound and made one of two free throws at Florida's end for a 3-point lead. The Bulldogs' game-tying 3-ball by Quinndary Weatherspoon was off and Hill made one of two for the four-point lead with 16.8 remaining. As it turned out, the Gators held the Bulldogs scoreless for nearly the final two minutes. Hayes finished with nine points, a career-high 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in what turned out to be UF's second-lowest point total of the season -- and half of the SEC-record 114 the Gators put on Auburn four days earlier.
WHAT IT MEANS: UF momentarily moved into sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference standings, pending No. 13 Kentucky's trip to Georgia later Saturday. If the Wildcats win, they'll move back into a share of first place with the Gators, with the UF-UK rematch a week away in Lexington. Florida's eighth straight win is the longest of the season and the program's best since the school-record 30 straight and run to the Final Four in 2014.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: UF's center of the immediate future, Hayes, may have started a little slow, but he finished exactly the opposite. He went 2-for-3 from the floor. Three of his 10 rebounds came on offensive end, including one he turned into what turned out to be the go-ahead basket. Hayes also was 5-for-7 from the free-throw line.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Bulldogs came into the game as the third-best 3-point shooting team in the SEC at 36.9 percent, with four guys at 36 or above. They went 0-for-13 from distance in the first half against a UF defense which came as the second-best in the league defending the line (.313). MSU made its first trey at the 18:10 mark and went on to finish two of 23 from out there. That's 8.7 percent.
UP NEXT: Florida (22-5, 12-2) is back home Tuesday for a big game against South Carolina, The Gamecocks (20-6, 10-3), currently ranked No. 21 and with a game Saturday night at Vanderbilt, handed the Gators their first conference loss of the season on Jan. 18 at Columbia, where UF went a 0-for-17 from the 3-point line and fell 57-53. USC, currently a game back in the SEC standings, will need the win to stay in contention for the league crown.
No. 15 FLORIDA 57, MISSISSIPPI 52
WHAT HAPPENED: In their first game of the post-John Egbunu era, the 15th-ranked Gators got a big finish Saturday from Egbunu's replacement, sophomore center Kevarrius Hayes, whose basket and late blocked shot helped his team get out of Humphrey Coliseum with an eighth straight win. Point guard Chris Chiozza led UF with 14 points, but it was Hayes who finished strong after the Gators blew a 12-point with less than 10 minutes to play. A second-chance dunk by Bulldogs center Aric Holman tied the game at 52 with 2:23 left. UF retook the lead when Hayes gathered a shot by Kasey Hill that was blocked and put it in the basket with 1:56 to go. Down two, MSU tried to get to the basket to tie the game, but Hayes blocked the shot, Justin Leon grabbed the rebound and made one of two free throws at Florida's end for a 3-point lead. The Bulldogs' game-tying 3-ball by Quinndary Weatherspoon was off and Hill made one of two for the four-point lead with 16.8 remaining. As it turned out, the Gators held the Bulldogs scoreless for nearly the final two minutes. Hayes finished with nine points, a career-high 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in what turned out to be UF's second-lowest point total of the season -- and half of the SEC-record 114 the Gators put on Auburn four days earlier.
WHAT IT MEANS: UF momentarily moved into sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference standings, pending No. 13 Kentucky's trip to Georgia later Saturday. If the Wildcats win, they'll move back into a share of first place with the Gators, with the UF-UK rematch a week away in Lexington. Florida's eighth straight win is the longest of the season and the program's best since the school-record 30 straight and run to the Final Four in 2014.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: UF's center of the immediate future, Hayes, may have started a little slow, but he finished exactly the opposite. He went 2-for-3 from the floor. Three of his 10 rebounds came on offensive end, including one he turned into what turned out to be the go-ahead basket. Hayes also was 5-for-7 from the free-throw line.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Bulldogs came into the game as the third-best 3-point shooting team in the SEC at 36.9 percent, with four guys at 36 or above. They went 0-for-13 from distance in the first half against a UF defense which came as the second-best in the league defending the line (.313). MSU made its first trey at the 18:10 mark and went on to finish two of 23 from out there. That's 8.7 percent.
UP NEXT: Florida (22-5, 12-2) is back home Tuesday for a big game against South Carolina, The Gamecocks (20-6, 10-3), currently ranked No. 21 and with a game Saturday night at Vanderbilt, handed the Gators their first conference loss of the season on Jan. 18 at Columbia, where UF went a 0-for-17 from the 3-point line and fell 57-53. USC, currently a game back in the SEC standings, will need the win to stay in contention for the league crown.
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