At the Buzzer: Florida State 83, Florida 71
Saturday, December 12, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
No. 20 FLORIDA STATE 83, FLORIDA 71
No. 20 FLORIDA STATE 83, FLORIDA 71
WHAT HAPPENED: Freshman phenom guard Scottie Barnes scored 17 points, including a couple highlight-reel dunks, to lead the No. 20 Seminoles to victory over the Gators, but all eyes -- in Gainesville and beyond -- were on UF forward Keyontae Johnson, who collapsed on the court early in the first half and was later reported to be in critical but stable condition at a Tallahassee hospital. Johnson, the 6-foot-5, 231-pound preseason Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, had just converted an alley-oop slam-dunk off a pass from Tyree Appleby to give UF an 11-3 lead at the 16:18 mark, with FSU calling a timeout to stop the run. Out of the timeout, however, Johnson fell to the floor in the team's huddle and was immediately tended to by doctors and trainers, as Florida's players (some crying) huddled in concern for their teammate. Without their best player, the Gators managed to keep their emotions in check enough to build a nine-point lead, at 23-14, but that's when Florida State stormed off a run of 17 straight points, including a trio of 3s by three different players. That 17-point run also kicked in after sophomore point guard Tre Mann was hit with his second foul and went to the bench for all but the final 11 seconds of the half. Already minus Johnson, a 2020 first-team All-SEC selection, the Gators had to deal with FSU's scoring spree without their two leading scorers. UF never got closer than nine in the second half. The Gators were led by sophomore guard Scottie Lewis, who equaled his career high of 19 points, plus 17 points from Mann, with all but three coming after intermission. No other UF player reached double figures, as the team was held to just 42.4 percent from the floor. Conversely, the Seminoles shot 48 percent and made eight of 16 from distance, with Barnes going 7-for-10 from the floor. Senior point guard M.J. Walker added 17 points, going 12-for-12 from the free-throw line, with junior forward Michael Polite adding 14 points and five rebounds, including 3-for-4 from the 3-point line.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Prayers for Keyontae and his family.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The win was Florida State's seventh straight in the series, dating to 2014, the final year under Coach Billy Donovan. That equals the longest run by either team in the series, with the Gators having won seven in a row from 1965-68 when the teams played twice a season. FSU's margin of victory the last four games averages to 15.5 points. The Seminoles, meanwhile, ran their streak of home wins to 26 in a row, as well as 41 straight non-league victories.
UP NEXT: Florida (3-1) starts a three-game home stand against low-majors Wednesday when it hosts North Florida (0-7) at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. This will be the sixth consecutive season the the Ospreys, who face Florida International later Saturday, have played the Gators, a run that includes a meeting in the 2016 NIT in Coach Mike White's first season. UF has a 9-0 record in the all-time series.
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