Saturday, February 11, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
WHAT HAPPENED: Seven-foot center Liam Robbins scored a career-high 32 points, but it was Vanderbilt's deadly 3-point shooting that bludgeoned host Florida and handed the Gators a killer 88-80 loss in their Southeastern Conference game Saturday at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. Robbins, in his second season since transferring from Minnesota, hit 10 of his 18 shots, nine of 11 free throws and went three of four from the 3-point line, part of a Commodores long-ball barrage that finished at 12 of 23 for the game (that's 52.2 percent). Five different Vandy players hit 3s, with guard Trey Thomas going 4-for-4 on his way to 14 points. Point guard Ezra Manjon had 11 points and eight assists in engineering a Vandy offense that hit 48.3 percent for the game. The Gators, meanwhile, had another dreadful shooting performance from the arc; just two of 20 (that's 10 percent) with both makes coming from reserve wing Kowacie Reeves, who scored 14 points off the bench. UF got team highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds from fifth-year forward Colin Castleton, as well as a career-high 18 points from freshman guard Riley Kugel, but the Gators just could not keep pace with Vandy's offense in finishing at 47.8 percent, with 58 of their points coming in the paint. UF also undermined itself by making only 14 of 23 free throws, including 12 of 21 in the second half when several key misses occurred while the Commodores were making their move by erasing a three-point Florida lead with less than 11 minutes left with a seven-point run to take a lead they never gave back.
Sophomore wing Kowacie Reeves (14) gives Vandy center Liam Robbins a first-half facial in Saturday's game at the O'Dome.
WHAT IT MEANS: Not only was it a third straight loss, as well as a home loss and ill-timed one, but the Gators now have an bad loss on their resume, as the Commodores came into the game at 100 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ratings, while UF's worst prior loss was against No. 65 Oklahoma. Florida's coaches and players knew going into the game that protecting the home court for the balance of the season likely was a prerequisite to getting in the mix for a NCAA Tournament at-large bid. A Quadrant 3 loss at home in February is not what a bubble team wants on its resume. The Gators also missed a chance to jump to fourth in the SEC standings, following losses by Kentucky and Auburn. So, all kinds of frustration fomented from this one.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Robbins, obviously, but give a nod to Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse, who once again brought his clothes-horse game and got his first win over the Gators in four seasons. He's now 1-9 in the series. The Commodores, meanwhile, are a three-game winning streak, highlighted by Wednesday night's buzzer-beating victory over No. 6 Tennessee. They're playing well enough to make some things difficult for other teams.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Over the last three games, the Florida defense, which carried the team to its 6-3 start to league play, has allowed Kentucky, Alabama and Vanderbilt to shoot a combined 47.7 percent from the floor and a blistering 47.0 from the 3-point line. When you can't make 3s (and the Gators can't), those numbers are unsustainable.
UP NEXT: Florida (13-12, 6-6) has a second straight home conference game Wednesday night against Ole Miss (10-15, 2-10). The Rebels lost to South Carolina 64-61 at home earlier Saturday, snapping an eight-game losing streak.
