Florida Gators
Arkansas
No. 2 Men's Basketball Defeats Arkansas 79-72
Wednesday, January 10, 2007 | Men's Basketball
All five starters scored in double figures pacing the second-ranked Florida Gators (15-2, 2-0) past the Arkansas Razorbacks (12-4, 1-1) 79-72 on Tuesday night at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Junior Taurean Green (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) led the team in scoring with 17 points helping the Gators extend their current and season-best winning streak to eight games. Florida opens up Southeastern Conference play 2-0 for the sixth-straight year.
Green scored his 17 points in a variety of ways that proved critical for UF. Early on the first half the Gators opened up their biggest lead of the game at 18-6 on the heels of seven points from Green. He finished the first half as the leading scorer for Florida with 10 points. In the second period, when Arkansas was crawling back in the game at 59-56, Green hit the first of two three-pointers by the Gators that pushed the advantage to nine points. Then, down the final stretch of the game, he sunk four free throws to help maintain the lead.
The second of the two key three-pointers in the second half came from senior guard Lee Humphrey (Maryville, Tenn.), who finished the night with 11 points including three baskets from beyond the arc. He has now made at least one three-pointer in 16 consecutive games.
Corey Brewer (Portland, Tenn.), Joakim Noah (New York, N.Y.) and Al Horford (Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) round out the starting five who all scored in double figures. Brewer finished with 13 points including five-of-six from the free throw line. Noah dropped 11 points while contributing a team-best eight rebounds, and Horford scored 10 points including two significant baskets in the second half. After Arkansas took their only lead of the game at 54-53, Humphrey quickly put Florida back up with a basket in the paint. Then, Horford followed up two defensive stops with buckets of his own stretching the score to 59-54, and the Gators never relinquished the lead from there on out.
Florida was the first team to get on the board at the start of the game on a three-pointer from Humphrey. Then Green led the charge that put UF up 18-6. Those first six points from Arkansas all came via the free throw as the Gator defense held the Razorbacks without a field goal for nearly the first eight minutes of the game. However, UA then went on an 8-0 run that pulled the game to within four at 18-14. The remainder of the first half was closely contested, and the game went into the locker room with the Gators up just one point at 37-36.
A key factor in Florida pulling out the victory was the UF defense holding Arkansas to 13.3 percent (2-for-15) from beyond the arc, a season best defensive performance. The Gator defense also held the Razorbacks' leading scorer, freshman Patrick Beverley, to just 10 points, 4.2 point shy of his average. Arkansas had a total of four player score in double figures as well. Darian Townes had a game-high 18 points, Sonny Weems contributed 13 and Gary Ervin put up 10 points, but it proved not to be enough.
With the win, UF evened the all-time series versus Arkansas at nine games a piece. The Gators have now won the last six home matchups against UA, having not lost to the Razorbacks at the O'Connell Center since 1995. Florida has now won 13 games in a row at home dating back to last season and holds a 12-0 record in Gainesville this season.
Also of note, at half-time the Gator football team was recognized for winning the National Championship over Ohio State 41-14. UF is the only school to ever win the national title in both men's basketball and football in the same year.
The Gators will travel to Columbia, S.C. on Saturday, Jan. 13, for their next contest and first SEC road game of the year facing off against South Carolina (10-3, 0-0). The Gamecocks open up SEC play on Wednesday, Jan. 11, on the road at Georgia. The matchup versus the Gators will be South Carolina's home conference opener. Tip off is set for 1:00 p.m. ET.
