Florida 92, Georgia 84
Saturday, January 23, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 92, GEORGIA 84
FLORIDA 92, GEORGIA 84
WHAT HAPPENED: Sophomore guard Tre Mann scored a career-high 24 points to lead a Florida offensive assault of 57-percent shooting on the road Saturday to rout the Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum for a second straight Southeastern Conference win. Mann hit seven of 16 shots and eight of 10 free throws to go with six rebounds and four assists over 39 minutes, while junior guard Noah Locke dropped four 3-pointers and scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half to help UF establish a lead. The Gators welcomed Colin Castleton back from an ankle injury, with the 6-foot-11 forward and Michigan transfer responding with 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting and three rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench, with his replacement, 6-10 sophomore Omar Payne, answering the call for a second straight game with 10 points (5-for-5 from the floor), nine rebounds and three blocks. Together, Castleton and Payne helped UF establish a presence in the paint, especially on the offensive end where 52 of the Gators' points came inside. Florida used a 9-1 run that bridged the first and second halves, then a run of nine straight points to open a 16-point lead six minutes into the period. The Bulldogs managed to chip it down to nine inside the 11-minute mark, but a transition slam-dunk by forward Anthony Duruji (6 points, 6 rebounds) on a lob by Tyree Applee (14 points) was followed by a old-time three-point play by Mann and second-chance 3-pointer by Locke to quickly roll back up by 15 and the Gators finished from there, with multi-late fouls from Georgia extending the game. The Bulldogs were led by 17 points from grad-transfer forward Andrew Garcia, followed by 16 points from freshman guard K.D. Johnson and a double-double from sophomore guard Sahvir Wheeler (10 points, 10 assists), as Georgia shot 61 percent in the second half (making nine of its last 11 shots), but played from behind the entire period, mostly by double digits.
WHAT IT MEANS: Two straight wins in SEC play, and three of the last four. That's also a second league road victory (always good, always tough), plus the positive vibes that came from Castleton's return and the likelihood that sophomore wing Scottie Lewis should be back next week. The Gators appear to be falling into a rhythm and identity on offense.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Even with Castleton back, Payne got the start in the post and delivered a terrific performance over 25 minutes. In starting the last two games, Payne has shot 90 percent from the floor (9-for-10) and averaged 9.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocked shots.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Florida shot 59 percent in the second half (on top of 54.5 in the first). That's hard, but it's remarkable consistency. Also very much worth noting, four days earlier, UF out-rebounded sixth-ranked Tennessee 44-36 and chased that by out-boarding the Bulldogs 41-27. Adding Saturday's numbers, give the Gators a plus-11 average on the glass the last two games.
UP NEXT: Florida (8-4, 5-3) is back home Wednesday for a rematch against Vanderbilt (4-7, 0-5), which lost at home 92-71 earlier Saturday to Arkansas. The Gators defeated the Commodores 91-72 in the conference opener for both teams Dec. 30 at Nashville.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballFlorida Men's Basketball Highlights | Colgate
Sunday, December 21
Florida Men's Basketball | Head Coach Todd Golden Postgame Press Conference | Colgate
Sunday, December 21
Florida Men's Basketball | Players Postgame Press Conference | Colgate
Sunday, December 21
Florida vs. Colgate Highlights 12-21-25
Sunday, December 21
