At the Buzzer: Texas A&M 63, Florida 62 (Instant Analysis)
Sunday, February 15, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
TEXAS A&M 63, FLORIDA 62
WHAT HAPPENED: At College Station, Texas, another game went down to the final possession and once again the Gators came up on the short end. Down a point, with the ball and 5.6 seconds left, UF tried to work for a shot, but three passes proved one too many, as junior forward Alex Murphy failed to get his three-point shot from the corner off in time, allowing the host Aggies to hold on for the victory. The final play came just over a minute after Aggies forward Jalen Jones sank two free throws to push A&M, which led for all but 33 seconds of the game, to a one-point edge that eventually stood up. Make that eight UF games this season that have gone to the final possession. Florida has won just two of them. Aggies forward Kourtney Roberson scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Jones added 16 points and six rebounds.
WHAT IT MEANS: With four straight defeats, the Gators equaled their worst losing skid since dropping four straight -- the final three of the regular season, plus a first-round SEC Tournament game -- at the end of the 2007-08 season. Florida also is under .500 on Valentine's Day for the first time in Coach Billy Donovan's 19 seasons.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Junior guard Eli Carter came to Florida by way of Rutgers with the reputation as a streaky scorer. He had been mired in a tough shooting slump for the last few weeks, but went 9-for-17 from the floor, including 4-for-10 from the 3-point line, and finished with a UF career-high of 22 points.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Aggies took advantage of some live-ball turnovers and long 3-point attempt rebounds to score 11 points in transition. The Gators, meanwhile, had just points in transition. That's because A&M was getting so many shots (and making a bunch) deep in the post. How about 42 points in the paint, with Roberson basically having his way on the block with whoever the UF defender happened to be.
UP NEXT: Florida (12-13, 5-7) is home Wednesday night against Vanderbilt (13-11, 3-8). The Commodores, who defeated the Gators 67-61 at Nashville on Feb. 3, are playing at Alabama Saturday night.
