Image Credit: UAA
No. 5 Florida Gators basketball provided a “welcome to the SEC” moment for the Texas Longhorns on Saturday afternoon inside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Despite being unable to find the bottom of the basket early in the contest, Florida pulled away for a resounding 84-60 victory, improving to 16-2 (3-2 SEC) and ending a rough week — on and especially off the court — on a high note.
The Gators suffered a tough loss a few days ago playing their worst half of basketball of the season against Missouri. While UF rallied in the second half and nearly pulled off a miraculous come-from-behind victory, it did ultimately fall short. A similarly poor start on Saturday raised concerns of a trend potentially developing. Instead, Florida snuffed that out and regained the form it has displayed most of the season.
With head coach Todd Golden still the subject of a Title IX investigation amid accusations of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment, former point guard turned assistant Taurean Green was revealed this week to be the subject of a separate Title IX investigation having been accused of sexual assault by an employee of the University Athletic Association.
Let’s take a look at what went down with some Fastbreak Takeaways.
It was over when … redshirt senior guard Alijah Martin drove for a layup, assisted on a fastbreak drive and drained a dagger 3-pointer to fuel a 15-2 run that pushed the Gators ahead by 20 points with 3:30 remaining. Florida held double-digit leads for large swaths of the second half but kept seeing Texas cut into its deficit by taking advantage of miscues, though UF’s 24-point final margin wound up it largest of teh game.
First half focus: Florida started 1 of 10 from the field and 0 of 3 from beyond the arc, trailing by as many as six points despite grabbing four early offensive rebounds. Martin scored six straight points as part of a 15-0 run that flipped the game as the Gators took a 28-18 lead. and the Longhorns went scoreless for 6:21. UF ultimately took a seven-point margin into the break with a massive 20-8 edge in paint scoring fueling the comeback.
Exceptional efforts: Martin controlled the contest for Florida scoring a game-high 22 points while grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing 4 assists. While Martin got it done without much to detract from his play, senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. kept finding the bottom of the basket but left a lot to be desired with his ball handling. He posted 19 points with 4 boards and 3 dimes but committed 5 turnovers that helped Texas stay in the game longer than it deserved. Martin and Clayton combined to score 49% of UF’s points. Sophomore center Alex Condon started slow missing his first six shots, but he made five straight baskets to end the game and ultimately finished with a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Odds & ends: Florida improved to 4-4 all-time against Texas with a 2-2 mark in the O’Dome … the Gators and Longhorns played for the first time as SEC opponents; their most recent previous meeting came 17 years ago … Florida under Golden improved to 46-9 when leading at halftime, 52-5 when leading with 5 minutes left, 40-9 when outrebounding an opponent, 37-8 when shooting 45% or better from the field, 50-7 when outshooting an opponent from the field, 18-4 when shooting 40% or better from 3-point range and 45-8 when outshooting an opponent from 3-point range
What it means: The Gators started slow for the second straight game but leaned on what they do best — defending, rebounding (41-33) and scoring in the paint (44-20) — to take the lead and put the game away. As the pressure melted away, Florida began to drain 3-pointers and rotate the ball, opening the offense and keeping Texas on its heels. The most notable issue in the game was turnovers — particularly from Clayton, who gave the rock away with one failed lob after another. The focus on making highlight plays as opposed to creating high-percentage shots would have been more costly against a better opponent.
It was nevertheless important that UF rebounded from its second loss of the season — a game it easily could have won from earlier this week — with a resounding victory proving it truly belongs among the top 10 teams nationally.
What’s next? Florida will return to the road Wednesday when it faces South Carolina at 7 p.m. ET in a game airing live on SEC Network.
