At the Buzzer: No. 13 Florida 81, South Carolina 66 (Instant Breakdown)
Tuesday, February 21, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
The Gators ran their season-high winning streak to nine games by racing past Gamecocks in second half.
AT THE BUZZER
No. 13 FLORIDA 81, SOUTH CAROLINA 66
WHAT HAPPENED: The 3-point shot that eluded them in the first meeting was alive and well Tuesday night at Exactech Arena, where the No. 13 Gators worked the nation's second-ranked defense for some big numbers, especially in the second half, on the way to running the Gamecocks out of the O'Dome for a ninth straight win. Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen led the charge with 26 points, pacing a quartet of UF players into double figures. Junior forward Devin Robinson scored 14 and grabbed six rebounds, while backup guard Chris Chiozza went for 12 points and four assists off the bench. Senior forward Justin Leon had just eight points, but he hit two 3-pointers in the second half at critical moments. Florida shot 49 percent from the floor and 47 percent from the 3-point against a South Carolina defense that led the Southeastern Conference in defending both areas (38.5 percent and 28.5, respectively).
WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators remained atop of the SEC standings and successfully navigated the first leg of a brutal four-game stretch to end their league regular-season schedule (see below). Nine straight wins at this juncture of the season (and another "W" over a Top 50 RPI opponent) will look good for the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. And Florida's 23 regular-season victories to date equal fourth-most in program history, with three games still to go.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The last time Allen led the Gators in scoring was Jan. 21 when he went for a season-high 29 against Vanderbilt. The Gators lost that game, but have not lost since -- even minus Allen's offensive proficiency. He finished 5-for-7 from the floor, 3-for-5 from the 3-point arc and hit 13 of 14 free throws. He also grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, dished three assists and had two steals. Even blocked a shot. If Allen can maintain that aggression and get his scoring going -- he averaged only 11 points over the previous eight games -- things will come a lot easier for the Gators on the offensive end.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Considering the Gators went 0-for-17 from the 3-point line in the last meeting, a 57-53 win for the Gamecocks at Columbia, it's pretty easy to point to UF's 9-for-19 night from the arc, including six of nine in the second half, as the big difference in the two games -- and one of the most bizarre outliers in Florida basketball over the last however many years. UF, in fact, hit its first trey of the night, courtesy of Allen, just 38 seconds into the game. that was big. The Gamecocks, meanwhile, were just 3-for-14 from deep.
UP NEXT: Florida (23-5, 13-2) is back on the road Saturday for a nationally televised showdown with No. 11 Kentucky that likely will determine the SEC regular-season champion. The Wildcats (23-5, 13-2), who defeated Missouri on the road Tuesday night, no doubt will have revenge on their minds for the 88-66 spanking -- UK's worst loss as a Top-10 team in 25 years -- they took at Gainesville three weeks earlier. After that, the Gators' final two league games will be home against Arkansas, which is likely NCAA Tournament-bound, then wrap the regular season at Vanderbilt, which is playing its best basketball of the season and trying to get into the NCAA conversation.
No. 13 FLORIDA 81, SOUTH CAROLINA 66
WHAT HAPPENED: The 3-point shot that eluded them in the first meeting was alive and well Tuesday night at Exactech Arena, where the No. 13 Gators worked the nation's second-ranked defense for some big numbers, especially in the second half, on the way to running the Gamecocks out of the O'Dome for a ninth straight win. Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen led the charge with 26 points, pacing a quartet of UF players into double figures. Junior forward Devin Robinson scored 14 and grabbed six rebounds, while backup guard Chris Chiozza went for 12 points and four assists off the bench. Senior forward Justin Leon had just eight points, but he hit two 3-pointers in the second half at critical moments. Florida shot 49 percent from the floor and 47 percent from the 3-point against a South Carolina defense that led the Southeastern Conference in defending both areas (38.5 percent and 28.5, respectively).
WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators remained atop of the SEC standings and successfully navigated the first leg of a brutal four-game stretch to end their league regular-season schedule (see below). Nine straight wins at this juncture of the season (and another "W" over a Top 50 RPI opponent) will look good for the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. And Florida's 23 regular-season victories to date equal fourth-most in program history, with three games still to go.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The last time Allen led the Gators in scoring was Jan. 21 when he went for a season-high 29 against Vanderbilt. The Gators lost that game, but have not lost since -- even minus Allen's offensive proficiency. He finished 5-for-7 from the floor, 3-for-5 from the 3-point arc and hit 13 of 14 free throws. He also grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, dished three assists and had two steals. Even blocked a shot. If Allen can maintain that aggression and get his scoring going -- he averaged only 11 points over the previous eight games -- things will come a lot easier for the Gators on the offensive end.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Considering the Gators went 0-for-17 from the 3-point line in the last meeting, a 57-53 win for the Gamecocks at Columbia, it's pretty easy to point to UF's 9-for-19 night from the arc, including six of nine in the second half, as the big difference in the two games -- and one of the most bizarre outliers in Florida basketball over the last however many years. UF, in fact, hit its first trey of the night, courtesy of Allen, just 38 seconds into the game. that was big. The Gamecocks, meanwhile, were just 3-for-14 from deep.
UP NEXT: Florida (23-5, 13-2) is back on the road Saturday for a nationally televised showdown with No. 11 Kentucky that likely will determine the SEC regular-season champion. The Wildcats (23-5, 13-2), who defeated Missouri on the road Tuesday night, no doubt will have revenge on their minds for the 88-66 spanking -- UK's worst loss as a Top-10 team in 25 years -- they took at Gainesville three weeks earlier. After that, the Gators' final two league games will be home against Arkansas, which is likely NCAA Tournament-bound, then wrap the regular season at Vanderbilt, which is playing its best basketball of the season and trying to get into the NCAA conversation.
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