At the Buzzer: Vanderbilt 73, No. 12 Florida 71 (Instant Breakdown)
Saturday, March 4, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
The Commodores stormed back from 12 down in the second half, then held on to sweep their series with the Gators for the second straight year.
AT THE BUZZER
VANDERBILT 73, No. 12 FLORIDA 71
WHAT HAPPENED: Vanderbilt forward Luke Kornet scored 24 points, including six points in the final 2:13, four of them free throws, and the Commodores overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to put away the Gators and sweep the season series between the two teams. Florida led 54-42 with just over 11 minutes to go, when Vandy started creeping back. A run of nine straight points gave the Commodores their first lead since midway through the first half with 3:23 to go. The Gators went back up by two, but Vandy got a tip-in from Kornet and driving layup by Riley LaChance with 1:31 left for a 69-67 lead. Gators guards Kasey Hill and KeVaughn Allen both missed shots to tie and the Commodores iced the game with free throws. Backup forward Canyon Barry led UF with 15 points.
WHAT IT MEANS: Florida has lost two of its last three, both on the road, and was swept by Vandy for the second straight year. A win against the Commodores, with one of the highest strength-of-schedule RPI rankings, would have further bolstered the Florida postseason resume, but the Gators, who began the day ranked No. 3 in RPI, remain in very good shape as far as NCAA seeding goes. For Vandy, a second victory over Florida may just be enough to squeeze the Commodores into the NCAA field.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Inside the eight-minute mark of the first half, Allen swished back-to-back NBA-range 3s to give him 13 points through barely 12 minutes. Allen did not score again, missing his final five shots, including a trio of threes and even two free throws, which definitely was a surprise, given he came in at 88.6 percent for the season.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Florida coach Mike White fell to 0-for-8 lifetime at Memorial Gym. He was 0-2 as a player at Ole Miss (losses in '97 and '99), 0-4 as an assistant with Ole Miss (losses in '05, '07, '09 and '11) and now twice as head coach of the Gators (2016 and '17).
UP NEXT: The Gators (24-7, 14-4) will be the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament right back here in Nashville next week. UF was locked into the second seed -- regardless of the Kentucky Texas A&M outcome earlier in the day -- before the game began and will face an opponent to be determined by Wednesday's opening round and Thursday's second-round action. The Gators' first game im the tournament will be in Friday's quarterfinals at 7 p.m. ET.
VANDERBILT 73, No. 12 FLORIDA 71
WHAT HAPPENED: Vanderbilt forward Luke Kornet scored 24 points, including six points in the final 2:13, four of them free throws, and the Commodores overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to put away the Gators and sweep the season series between the two teams. Florida led 54-42 with just over 11 minutes to go, when Vandy started creeping back. A run of nine straight points gave the Commodores their first lead since midway through the first half with 3:23 to go. The Gators went back up by two, but Vandy got a tip-in from Kornet and driving layup by Riley LaChance with 1:31 left for a 69-67 lead. Gators guards Kasey Hill and KeVaughn Allen both missed shots to tie and the Commodores iced the game with free throws. Backup forward Canyon Barry led UF with 15 points.
WHAT IT MEANS: Florida has lost two of its last three, both on the road, and was swept by Vandy for the second straight year. A win against the Commodores, with one of the highest strength-of-schedule RPI rankings, would have further bolstered the Florida postseason resume, but the Gators, who began the day ranked No. 3 in RPI, remain in very good shape as far as NCAA seeding goes. For Vandy, a second victory over Florida may just be enough to squeeze the Commodores into the NCAA field.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Inside the eight-minute mark of the first half, Allen swished back-to-back NBA-range 3s to give him 13 points through barely 12 minutes. Allen did not score again, missing his final five shots, including a trio of threes and even two free throws, which definitely was a surprise, given he came in at 88.6 percent for the season.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Florida coach Mike White fell to 0-for-8 lifetime at Memorial Gym. He was 0-2 as a player at Ole Miss (losses in '97 and '99), 0-4 as an assistant with Ole Miss (losses in '05, '07, '09 and '11) and now twice as head coach of the Gators (2016 and '17).
UP NEXT: The Gators (24-7, 14-4) will be the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament right back here in Nashville next week. UF was locked into the second seed -- regardless of the Kentucky Texas A&M outcome earlier in the day -- before the game began and will face an opponent to be determined by Wednesday's opening round and Thursday's second-round action. The Gators' first game im the tournament will be in Friday's quarterfinals at 7 p.m. ET.
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