Anywhere Near Basket Was Payne's Prairie

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Omar Payne would not be at Florida, and certainly would not have been in the lineup at the start of Saturday's matchup against No. 4-ranked Auburn, if he was not a talented player who could make an impact.

Still, prior to his breakout performance in Florida's 69-47 victory at a sold-out O'Dome, Payne was known mostly for the promise attached to his 7-foot, 5.5-inch wingspan. When Payne woke up Saturday morning, he said it was just another day with a big game to play.

Sure, he hoped to make a difference for a Gators team chasing its first victory over an opponent ranked in the top five since 2009, but Payne knew nothing was certain other than his plan to bring energy. If he's learned one lesson midway into his first season, it's the message he hears at practice more than any other.

"Coaches telling me that I have to have a higher motor,'' Payne said. "That was a big part of it."

Once Payne cranked it up Saturday, he ran over the Tigers.

A 6-foot-10, 223-pound freshman forward from Kissimmee, Payne scored Florida's first four points of the game, scored six in a row early in the second half, and in the end, finished with a career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. Payne's first bucket was a dunk and with Auburn center Austin Wiley paying a lot of attention to Gators 6-foot-10 forward Kerry Blackshear Jr., Payne was Omar on the spot all game, the majority of his game-high seven offensive rebounds dropping through the net.

Payne departed the O'Dome as the player on everyone's mind.

"To be honest, I wasn't expecting to make a big impact like that,'' he said. "Once I seen my flow start going, I was like, 'oh.' Then I was ready to go. I think the first dunk set the tone. I felt after that, 'dang, I can probably get another one.' Then after another one, I kept on getting another one."

Payne stepped on the court for the opening tip Saturday averaging 4.3 points and 4.1 rebounds and had started four of the last five games. The most points he had scored was 11 in a home victory over Long Beach State on Dec. 28, and Payne's top rebounding performance was three games in which he had nine.

However, with Wiley doing the heavy lifting inside for the perimeter-based Tigers, Payne and Blackshear Jr. were too much to handle. Blackshear Jr. added 11 points and a game-high 16 rebounds as the Gators defeated Auburn for the 13th consecutive time at home.

Tigers coach Bruce Pearl, whose team has lost two in a row following a 15-0 start, had trouble adjusting to Florida's lineup when Payne, Blackshear and 6-foot-5 leaper Keyontae Johnson teamed in the frontcourt.

"It's pretty foreign,'' Pearl said. "We couldn't make it a 94-foot game. Our defense was breaking down so often, Omar cleaned up a lot of stuff on the backside."

With the Gators leading 34-27 early in the second half, point guard Andrew Nembhard drove the lane but his layup was blocked by Wiley. No problem as Payne grabbed the rebound and slammed it home. On Florida's next possession, Payne scored inside for an 11-point Gators lead, and after Wiley scored on the other end, Payne answered to put the Gators up 40-29 with 15:20 left.

Prior to the Gators blowing the game open late in the second half, whenever they needed a basket, Payne was happy to oblige.

"He's getting better,'' Blackshear Jr. said. "He's defensively sound, high-level on the offensive glass as he showed tonight in some flashy ways. His intensity is great. He's a big reason we won."

As he was peppered with questions about Payne's performance afterward, Gators head coach Mike White was not among those caught off-guard. White has watched Payne have some of his best practices in recent weeks and inserted him into the starting lineup for the first time in the Long Beach State win.

Of course, White admitted you don't expect a freshman to be perfect from the floor against a program that made the Final Four last season and ranked fourth in the country.

"Would I have predicted him getting a few double-doubles in SEC play a month ago? Yeah,'' White said. "I don't know that anyone would have predicted him to go 9-for-9. He just continues to improve. If you ask him to do something, he wants to do it.

"He might ask you questions, 'Is this what you're talking about?' He's one of those guys. KJ's like that. Andrew's like that. Omar, in that freshman class, he's just been the most consistent worker. He's had the most serious approach, hand-down, on a consistent basis, in practice."

In his first season, Payne has tried to absorb as much as he can from Blackshear Jr. He might be new, but Payne understands the game and how a teammate like Blackshear Jr. can help.

"He's a five-year dude,'' he said.

The rest has come from hard work and paying attention to detail. And of course, the natural talent that was on display for everyone to see Saturday.

Yes, it was just one game, but what a game it was. On national TV and against Auburn. Not a bad way to spend your Saturday afternoon.

As it was unfolding, Nembhard and Johnson told Payne to keep it up.

"I really didn't even know [my numbers]. I just play,'' he said. "When I come to the bench, they tell me, 'Omar, you did this, or you did that.' I didn't really know."

Everyone knows, now.

"Obviously he's really talented," White said. "He stepped up big."

Gators Calendar

Anywhere Near Basket Was Payne's Prairie

Players Mentioned

Kerry Blackshear Jr.

Keyontae Johnson

Andrew Nembhard

Omar Payne

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