Final: Oklahoma 74, Florida 67
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
OKLAHOMA 74, No. 14 FLORIDA 67
OKLAHOMA 74, No. 14 FLORIDA 67
WHAT HAPPENED: Forward Tanner Groves scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while forward Jalen Hill added 18 points, including a big old-fashion three-point play late, as the host Sooners turned the defensive tables on the 14th-ranked Gators and handed UF its first loss of the season Wednesday night before a raucous crowd at Noble Center. The Gators, despite shooting just 31 percent in the second half and trailing by 10 with less than four minutes to go, still gave themselves a chance, thanks to a run of eight straights points, including back-to-back 3-pointers by point guard Tyree Appleby that drew the visitors within two, 69-67, with two minutes to go. All Florida needed was a stop. Instead, Hill got loose on a pick roll for a layup, foul and free throw that took the lead to five. The Gators got no closer the rest of the way. Groves, the 6-foot-10 transfer from Eastern Washington, hit eight of his 11 shots, including a pair of 3s, and got the better in his low-post matchup against UF 6-11 forward Colin Castleton, who had 14 points and 11 boards but turned the ball over six teams against aggressive OU double teams. The score was tied at 54 with just over nine minutes remaining after a couple free throws from backup graduate wing Phlandrous Fleming Jr., who led the Gators with 17 points to go with six boards off the bench. OU, though, scored on its next three possessions, while UF, playing its first true road game of the season, was going through a drought of seven consecutive missed field goals over nearly eight-plus minutes that allowed the Sooners to take out the lead. Given what Florida had shown on the defensive end through six games, Oklahoma got too many easy makes in deep on the way to scoring 38 points in the paint. The Gators, who trailed 9-0 out of the box, fought back to make it a contest, despite going 0-for-9 from the 3-point and turning the ball over 10 times for 13 Oklahoma first-half points. UF, down just two at intermission, shot 42 percent for the game, but just 31.4 after the break and finished 4-for-24 from the 3-point line. OU, against a Florida defense that began the night ranked 11th in the country in efficiency, shot 48 percent and forced 16 turnovers on the other end.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Sooners choose this game, appropriately enough, honor former coach Lon Kruger with a halftime salute. Kruger, now 69 and alongside wife Barbara, watched a video tribute, said a few words and obviously was moved by the moment. Kruger, of course, took over a UF program in disarray and scandal in 1990 and four years later had the Gators in the first Final Four for the first time in school history. He went 104-80 in six seasons at Florida, then embarked on a path that took him to Illinois, the NBA Atlanta Hawks, UNLV and then to Oklahoma in 2011. He coached the Sooners for 10 seasons, went 195-128 and guided them to the 2016 Final Four.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: How 'bout 16.7 from the 3-point line. The Gators came into the game at a not-great 34.4 percent, just not 16.7 bad. They just couldn't find the bottom of the bucket from deep, which was a big reason they went more than eight minutes without a field in the second half.
UP NEXT: Florida (6-1) is back home Monday to face Texas Southern (0-7). The Tigers, out of the Southwest Conference, are doing their annual budget-building tour of nothing but road games against mostly Power 5 programs. Before Wednesday's 87-60 at Louisiana Tech, the Tigers had played at Oregon, St. Mary's, Washington, Air Force, North Carolina State and Brigham Young. And after the date in Gainesville, it'll be off to UT-Rio Grande, Cincinnati and TCU. And they do it every year.
Players Mentioned
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