Florida Gators

What Happened

Ole Miss forward Jaemyn Brakefield scored a season-high 28 points, guard Matthew Murrell added 23 and the host Rebels shot 59 percent for the game, including 75 percent in the second half, in crushing Florida 103-85 in their Southeastern Conference contest Wednesday night at the SJB Pavilion in Oxford, Miss. The duo of Brakefield and Murrell combined to go 19 of 31 from the floor and 5-for-10 from the 3-point line, with guard Allen Flanigan, the Auburn transfer, adding 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Mississippi, as a whole, made 21 of 28 field-goal attempts in the second half on the way to 59 points, while smothering UF into 41 percent for the game and blocking an mind-boggling 16 shots, with nine from 7-foot-5 backup center Jamarion Sharp, the transfer from Western Kentucky. Florida was led by guard Walter Clayton's 23 points. Point guard Zyon Pullin scored 18 and freshman forward Alex Condon had his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 15 rebounds, but the Gators were thoroughly outplayed and out-hustled by an Ole Miss team that won its 14th game in 15 this season. UF had an early five-point lead, at 17-12, but Mississippi took off on a 15-2 run to take command. The Gators cut the margin to two late in the first half and trailed by just four, 44-40, at the break. The Rebels, though, broke the game open with a 17-2 run early in the second half while the Gators were missing nine of 10 shots. The Mississippi lead swelled to 23 late int he period . UF shot just 39 percent in the second half and finished with 13 turnovers that Ole Miss converted into 24 points.   

What it Means

This lopsided performance will require a major reset for Coach Todd Golden and his team. 

In the Spotlight

Ole Miss, in its first season under Coach Chris Beard, went into last weekend as one of three unbeaten teams in the country and were hammered 90-64 at fifth-ranked Tennessee, tarnishing their remarkable start ... or so some might have thought. The Rebels responded in a big way to move to 10-0 at home on the season. They'll be heard from some more in the league.  

Staggering Statistic

The last time Florida gave up at least 100 points in a SEC game was Feb. 5, 2008, when Tennessee beat the Gators 104-82 at Knoxville.  

Up Next

Florida (10-5, 0-2) returns home to play Arkansas (9-6, 0-2), which lost 76-66 Wednesday night at Georgia. Take note: the UF-UA game Saturday will tip off at 4 p.m., one hour earlier than the original 5 p.m. start. The Gators have lost three straight against the Razorbacks, with the last win in the series back in 2020. The Rebels (14-1, 1-1) are home Saturday against Vanderbilt.