Florida Gators

WHAT HAPPENED: Sophomore forward Keyontae Johnson scored a career-high 22 points, equaled his career-best with 12 rebounds and helped the foul-plagued and Kerry Blackshear Jr.-less Gators stave off the Hawks in Thursday's opening-round play of the Charleston Classic at TD Arena. Freshman backup forward Omar Payne and sophomore guards Andrew Nembhard and Noah Locke each hit a pair of free throws inside 33 seconds remaining to keep SJU at bay after the Hawks rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit and cut the Florida lead to two with 56 seconds to go. Blackshear, UF's leading scorer and rebounder, played just three minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, then was ejected 90 seconds into the second half for throwing an elbow. The Florida lead was 16 at the time of Blackshear's exit and the Gators were left to play small. Little by little, the Hawks worked their back, rendering a dismal first-half shooting performance (26 percent overall, 1-for-15 from 3) practically moot. Behind guard Ryan Daly's game-high 25 points, SJU was within two points, 64-62, when Payne (4 points and career highs of 9 rebounds and 3 blocks) answered at the UF end with a couple free throws and a after a loose-ball steal by Johnson, it was Nembhard (16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers) hitting a pair with 32.2 left for a six-point cushion. Two free throws from Locke (13 points, 4 rebounds) with 6.5 left iced the game. UF, which hit seven 3-pointers to open their 16-point lead at the break, shot just 38 percent in the second half and missed all four of its 3-balls. SJU, meanwhile, heated up to 46 percent after the break, outscored UF in paint points, 38-28, but still finished just 3-for-23 from the 3-point stripe (13 percent). 
WHAT IT MEANS: A victory, above all else, for a team that needed to get the tournament off on a positive note. Also, a solid victory over an Atlantic 10 Conference opponent on a neutral floor. Tough to make any brushstroke assessment of the UF offense after having to play basically the entire game minus Blackshear, one of the best low-post players in the country. 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Johnson was pretty hard on himself following Sunday's loss at Connecticut, after he bypassed a game-tying 3-point try and, instead, turned the ball over on a pass with five seconds to go. No doubt, Johnson felt a lot better about things Thursday after going 9-for-15 from the floor, with a couple 3-pointers on five attempts over his career-high 37 minutes. 

STAGGERING STATISTIC: Blackshear, given his foul trouble and ejection, played just five minutes. He came in averaging 14.3 points and 12.0 rebounds, but finished with one point, two rebounds and three assists. 

UP NEXT: Florida (3-2) moved into the winner's bracket and will face Miami (4-1) in Friday's second-round tournament action. The Hurricanes advanced by defeating Missouri State, 74-70, behind 25 points from guard Dejan Vasiljevic and 19 points from backcourt mate Kameron McGusty in the first game of the day. UM, so far this season, has wins over Florida Atlantic, UCF (on the road) and Quinnipiac, as well as a home loss to fifth-ranked Louisville in early Atlantic Coast Conference action. Former UF forward Keith Stone, now at Miami as a grad-transfer, will not play against his ex-teammates, as he's still recovering from a season-ending knee injury suffered Jan. 19 at Georgia.