Florida vs. Texas A&M score, takeaways: No. 3 Gators, Will Richard dismantle No. 12 Aggies

Basketball

0

Image Credit: UAA

Buoyed by ESPN’s “College GameDay” visiting the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for the first time in eight years, momentum was on the side of No. 3 Florida Gators basketball with the No. 12 Texas A&M Aggies in town. Though Florida did have to pull itself back from the brink late in the second half, it soared late on its way to a decisive 89-70 win that improved the program to 25-4 (12-4 SEC) with two games left in the regular season.

The best parts of head coach Todd Golden’s team were on full display Saturday as the Gators locked the Aggies down defensively, took quality shots and continued passing the rock at a rate that has not been regularly seen in Gainesville, Florida, across at least the last decade. The victory also served as a significant rebound performance coming off the program’s worst loss of the season earlier this week.

What went down inside the O’Dome? Let’s take a look with some Fastbreak Takeaways.

It was over when … senior guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard hit consecutive 3-pointers to push Florida back ahead by 14 points with 4:28 to play. The Gators would then score the final nine points of the game — holding the Aggies scoreless over the last 3 minutes — to win by a game-high 19 points at the final buzzer.

Consecutive 3-pointers by Richard opened the second half with Florida quickly amassing a 17-point lead. However, Texas A&M responded with an 11-2 run to cut its deficit first inside double digits and then down to six midway through the period before UF used its onslaught of defense to end the contest.

First half focus: Florida trailed for the first 7:54 until the second of as many 3-pointers from sophomore forward Thomas Haugh punctuated a 9-1 run that gave the Gators their first lead of the game. That got extended to a 15-3 scoring stretch with Florida suddenly going up six midway through the period. Redshirt senior guard Alijah Martin led a 13-5 burst near the end of the period that put UF up a half-high 14 points, though it ultimately led by 11 at the break thanks to 12 points from Martin in the opening 20 minutes.

Exceptional efforts: Richard broke thorugh Saturday night with 25 points on efficient 9 of 13 shooting as he hit 6 of 9 attempts from beyond the arc with 6 rebounds to boot. Haugh (17), Martin (14), Clayton (10) and sophomore F Alex Condon (10) gave the Gators five double-digit scorers in the game. However, Clayton again struggled hitting just 3 of 13 shots with 3 turnovers. Condon (9 rebounds) finished just shy of a double-double with Haugh and Martin carrying UF in the first half.

Cause for concern? The most consistent scorer on the team, Clayton has struggled massively over the last three games combining to shoot 31% from the field (13 of 42) with 9 assists and 8 turnovers. It’s likely that Clayton breaks out of his funk soon, but it was enough to doom Florida earlier this week against Georgia, and similar performances could be costly in the postseason.

Odds & ends: Florida improved to 11-9 all-time against Texas A&M with a 6-1 mark in the O’Dome … the Gators are now 8-2 overall and 5-1 when “College GameDay” visits the House of Horrors with this being their first such game against an opponent other than Kentucky … UF under Golden improved to 51-9 when leading at halftime, 60-5 when leading with 5 minutes left, 46-10 when outrebounding an opponent, 39-15 when forcing more turnovers, 44-8 when shooting better than 45% from the field, 58-7 when outshooting an opponent from the field, 21-4 when shooting 40% or better from 3-point range, 53-8 when outshooting an opponent from 3-point range, 40-15 when winning the bench scoring battle and 22-3 when 5+ players score in double figures … Florida improved to 4-2 this season against AP Top 25 opponents, 10-12 since Golden took over the program … Clayton extended his program record making a 3-pointer in his 50th consecutive game

What it means: The Gators again took care of business against a top 25 opponent by decimating the Aggies in the second half on the way to a well-rounded win. Florida had 21 assists on 32 baskets while holding Texas A&M to just three (three!) on 23. That speaks to the defensive proficiency shown by UF, particularly in the backcourt around the perimeter where TAMU only made 5 of 17 attempts from long range. Saturday marked another Quadrant 1 win for Florida, which will improve to 6-4 in that category, though it does not make up for the abhorrent loss earlier in the week, particularly given the Ags similarly dropped a midweek game before this showdown.

The Gators have fallen to the consensus No. 2 seed line in the NCAA Tournament, though a win in their next game could certainly move them up. The goal now is securing the second bye in the SEC Tournament, which UF does not currently possess as it sits third in league standings despite only holding four losses on the season.

What’s next? Florida will have a quick turnaround as it hits the road to play its final ranked opponent — and penultimate game — of the regular season, No. 6 Alabama, on Wednesday in a game that will tip off at 7 p.m. ET and air live on ESPN2.