Florida Gators

WHAT HAPPENED: Senior shooting guard KeVaughn Allen scored all of his game-high 21 points in the second half and overtime Wednesday night, including 10 in the extra period, as the Gators stared down the 13th-ranked Tigers before a hostile Pete Maravich Assembly Center crowd and left Baton Rouge with their biggest win of the season. Freshman guard Noah Locke coolly sank two free throws with 8.6 seconds left after LSU's Tremont Waters, who a possession earlier had bombed a 35-footer, missed a game-tying 3-point attempt. Locke's makes made it a two-possession game and sealed the outcome. Both teams had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Florida got a shot-clock violation inside five seconds and LSU missed a desperation 3 at the horn. In overtime, the Tigers twice led by a point early, but a free throw from freshman forward Keyontae Johnson (7 points, 6 rebounds) and 3-ball from Locke opened a four-point margin. The lead was one when Allen nailed back-to-back 3s, the second after an offensive rebound by Kevarrius Hayes (10 points, 7 rebounds) for a six-point advantage that went to seven with 47.9 seconds left, and the Gators survived from there. Locke, who totaled just two points the previous two games while dealing with hip/groin soreness, finished with 15 points, while fifth-senior Jalen Hudson added 15 off the bench. The Gators shot 46.2 percent and made 11 3s, and won despite being out-rebounded and shooting just four free throws through regulation. The Tigers, who came into the game tied with Tennessee atop the Southeastern Conference standings, got 18 points from junior guard Skylar Mayes, plus 16 points and 15 rebounds from freshman forward Naz Reid, with the team shooting 42.9 percent and just 7-for-22 from the 3-point line.
WHAT IT MEANS: A lot. Four days ago, the Gators won their biggest game of the season by beating Alabama on the road. This one, against a team trying to win its first league title in 10 years, was twice as significant. UF won its first game this season against a ranked opponent (after six losses), but more importantly (as far as the bigger, postseason picture) added a fourth "Quadrant 1" victory to its NET resume, as far as the NCAA Selection Committee is concerned, and is now 4-10 when facing Q1 foes, with the 14 games against Q1 opponents the most in SEC. Florida has now won three straight games and sits in sixth place in the league standings, with three of its final five regular-season games at home.  

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Allen was 0-for-3 in the first half and missed both his 3-point tries. He knocked down an early trey in the second half, then went on to go 6-for-9 from the floor and 5-for-7 from 3 over the final 23-plus minutes.



STAGGERING STATISTIC: Waters came into the game leading the SEC in scoring in league play at 19.6 points per game. He went 3-for-12 overall, including two of eight from deep, and finished with 10 points, plus four assists and three turnovers. In two games against the Gators, including UF's home win last season, Waters is 6-for-27 from the floor and 3-for-17 from distance, plus 10 turnovers. 

UP NEXT: Florida (15-11, 7-6) is back at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center for the first of two straight home games (and three of the next four) when the Gators will take on Missouri (12-13, 3-10). The Tigers were competitive at home Tuesday night against No. 5 Kentucky, but lost 66-58. The game will have a retro theme, what with it being '90s Night and the Gators bringing back the 1993-94 team, the first in program history to reach a Final Four, to salute its 25th anniversary.