Instant Replay: Gators 75, Arkansas 43
Sunday, January 23, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Track and Field, Scott Carter
Coming off a 45-40 win at Auburn that wasn't exactly a work of art on Thursday, Gators coach Billy Donovan had his team spend the night together in a local hotel Friday to focus on Saturday's game against Arkansas.
Based on the result – Florida cruised to a 75-43 win – Donovan might want to check the Gators back in for the rest of the season.
“The thing I was most pleased about is I felt like our guys were going to come out and play hard to start the game,'' Donovan said. “It was a complete game.''
The win was Florida's most lopsided SEC victory since a 34-point victory over South Carolina four years ago.
Here is a quick look at the game:
How the game was won: Florida took control from the start, going on a 10-0 run – center Vernon Macklin scored eight consecutive points – after Arkansas scored the game's first basket on a lay-up by Jeff Peterson. The Gators dominated in every facet, including shutting down Razorbacks leading scorer Rotnei Clarke (0-for-3, 2 air balls, 0 points).
Turning point: Macklin's eight consecutive points set the tone early, and after Arkansas closed to within 17-11 on a free throw by Julysses Nobles with 9:47 left in the first half, Florida went on a 12-0 spurt to essentially put the game away. The Razorbacks never got closer than 31-16 the rest of the way.
Co-players of the game: Gators guard Kenny Boynton scored a game-high 20 points, hitting 4 of 7 three-pointers and adding four assists. Forward Chandler Parsons had one of the most unusual stat lines of his career: 5 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, 5 assists. But Parsons' all-around play during his high-energy performance made the rest of the team better according to Donovan.
Stat of the game: Holding Arkansas' Clarke scoreless was huge for the Gators. He entered the game leading the Razorbacks in scoring at 13.5 points a game and is one of the country's top outside shooters. Donovan credited Boynton and freshman guard Scottie Wilbekin with clamping down on defense.
“I thought [Boynton] set the stage defensively for the way he guarded Clarke,'' Donovan said. “I thought Boynton and Scottie Wilbekin did a great job. We made it difficult for him to even get the ball.”
Quiet night: Florida guard Erving Walker entered the game with a streak of nine consecutive games scoring in double-figures. Walker scored a season-low two points on Saturday, but he added three assists and most importantly, remained in control when he was on the court with just one turnover.
What it means: It was a feel-good win for the Gators at a time when they needed one as they move deeper into the SEC schedule. Coupled with South Carolina's loss to Kentucky earlier in the day, the Gators moved into sole possession of first place in the SEC East at 15-4 overall, 4-1 in league play. The Gators travel to Georgia on Tuesday shooting for a similar effort to remain on top of the division.
Notes: After limiting Auburn to 16 points in the second half of Thursday's win, the Gators held Arkansas to just 17 points in the first half, a collective 61-33 advantage over the two halves … Florida improved to 8-0 at home against Arkansas under Donovan, who improved to 4-1 over former assistant John Pelphrey since Pelphrey took over the Razorbacks … Florida has now won nine consecutive games against SEC West opponents … The Gators had 18 assists and only seven turnovers … The 83 combined points allowed by the Gators the past two games is the fewest two-game total by a Donovan-coached Florida team; the previous low was 90 (Georgia 38, Kentucky 52) on March 2-6, 2005 … Florida's bench scored 22 points, including six points and four rebounds from freshman Casey Prather.
