Gators overwhelm Arkansas, stating the case that they're a No. 1 seed

Tommy Haugh cuts down the SEC championship net (Photo by Bobby D'Alessio)

The Florida Gators have successfully created a dilemma of major proportions for the people on the selection committee who will determine the top four seeds for the NCAA Tournament in two weeks. Do they go strictly by record? It seems almost inevitable that Duke, Michigan, Arizona and UConn will finish with fewer losses than the Gators, who currently stand 23-6, and head-to-head, Duke, Arizona and UConn all own wins over Florida, albeit by a combined 11 points, all nearly three months ago.

But, are any of those teams playing better than Florida right now? Which one of those teams would be favored to take down the Gators after watching how the 7^th-ranked Gators nuked 20^th-ranked Arkansas 111-77 at the O-Dome Saturday night.

Asked that question post game, Arkansas coach John Calipari, who’s been at it long enough to win a national championship while the head coach at Kentucky and accumulate 854 wins in four stops on a Hall of Fame career, responded, “They're playing well. They are, and the biggest thing is they're kind of connected, which makes it even tougher. They're big. They're connected and they play physical. They're not afraid to throw you around. That's how they play.”

The Gators did throw the Razorbacks around like rag dolls. It got so bad in the second half that all Calipari could think about was “I wish it would have gone faster.” Instead, it must have seen an eternity as he had to agonize seconds feeling like minutes as they ticked off the clock and minutes seeming like hours.

While delivering a punishing blow to any hopes the Razorbacks (21-8, 11-5 SEC) had of winning the Southeastern Conference, the Gators – 14-2 in SEC play – clinched their eighth league championship in school history, the first for Todd Golden, who already has the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament scalps of last season hanging from his belt. Florida can claim the title outright Tuesday night when the Gators play Mississippi State (13-16, 5-11 SEC) in their final home game of the year.

“We want to win on Tuesday night on our home floor to get the lone championship and as I just told the team, we're playing for a lot still,” Golden said. “We got a lot to still accomplish. This can't be the best thing that happened to us this year. Not only are we playing to be lone champs on Tuesday, but I told the guys, we're playing to become the best seed possible.

“Because of the way we played in the month of February (8-0), we've opened up a lot of opportunities for ourselves down the stretch and if we take care of business and play really well, there's not a seed out there that is unattainable for us. Obviously, there's other teams competing for it, but we have a lot that's under our control down the stretch here.” 

Yes, there is a lot under control of the Gators, who have potentially 11 more games – the final two regular season (Mississippi State and at Kentucky), three at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, and six in the NCAA Tournament where the Gators will be trying to become the second Florida team to win back-to-back national championships. A 16-2 or even 15-3 regular season record in SEC play combined with a 3-game run through the league at the SEC Tournament would make a compelling case for Florida to nudge one of those teams with fewer losses off one of the four No. 1 seeds.

Considering where the Gators were back on December 9, that Florida is even being thought of as a possible No. 1 and a serious national championship contender is a remarkable accomplishment. Lest we forget, the Gators were 5-4 after losing a white knuckler to UConn at Madison Square Garden on December 9.

We can’t also forget that less than a month later, Florida was 9-5 overall having lost the first SEC game of the season on the road at Missouri. Since then, the Gators are 14-1 and right now, there isn’t a team in the country playing better than Florida, currently on a 9-game streak in which the wins are by a combined 208 points. Only Kentucky, a 92-83 loser in a game that wasn’t as close as the score might seem to indicate, has come closer than 13 points during this exercise in which Florida has turned the Southeastern Conference into its own personal playground.

One of those nine wins, it must be noted, was by 23 points over Alabama, the only team standing that has a mathematical shot at tying the Gators for the SEC championship. Bama (22-7, 12-4 SEC) hasn’t lost since the Gators put a 100-77 stomping on the Crimson Tide but any SEC championship illusions will be ground up in the garbage disposal if the Gators win one of their last two.

In many ways, Florida’s obliteration of Arkansas was what Yogi Berra would have called “déjà vu all over again” because it seemed so much like an instant replay the Alabama game. An Urban Klavjar three with 12:49 left in the first half gave the Gators the lead for good at 18-16 and that was like chum on the water for sharks the way it created a feeding frenzy that sent the O-Dome crowd of 11,076 into an apoplectic state that nearly blew the lid off the 46-year-old arena. Arkansas never got closer than seven again.

As the Gators raced out to a 53-34 lead at the half, it wasn’t just the usual suspects doing the damage. Klavzar (8) and Isaiah Brown (10) accounted for 18 of the 53 points in a half that Golden’s entire 8-man rotation took turns inflicting pain and suffering into the Razorbacks. It was bad for Arkansas but it got even worse after the intermission. While the Gators were dunking and bombing their way to a lead that kept on expanding, they were on defensive lockdown against an Arkansas team that came into the game killing it offensively.

In terms of defensive efficiency, Florida is the fourth best team in the country per the kenpom.com analytics, which prompted Calipari to point out, “And we're one of the top three offensive teams in the country, so what you saw today was a really good defensive team taking care of a really good offensive team.”

In the paint, the Gators were at their intimidating best, blocking five shots while altering at least 20 more. On the perimeter, where Arkansas pinned its hopes that freshman bombers Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas could heat up and make enough threes to keep the Razorbacks in the game, the Gators were smothering. It was rare that either Acuff or Thomas found enough of a crease in the Florida defense that they could launch a three. The two (Acuff 1-3, Thomas 0-2) combined to go 1-5. Acuff is a 42.9 percent 3-point shooter, Thomas 40.3. Minus their ability to hit threes, the Arkansas offense stalled. As a team, the Razorbacks were just 4-13 on their threes, not what anyone expected from a team that makes 37.9 percent of its threes to lead the SEC.

Taking Acuff and Thomas out of the Arkansas offensive equation was all part of the Florida defensive game plan.

“That was a big part of our scout,” Golden said. “I think Jonathan Safir, who had the scout tonight, did a great job by identifying the ways that they could beat us and ways that if we could guard them, that it would be hard for them, and that was a big part of it. Not letting Acuff … has obviously been phenomenal, he's a great player, but we did a really good job on limiting his opportunities from three.

“And then X (Xaivian Lee), along with Urb (Klavzar) and Boog (Boogie Fland) did a great job on Thomas. You know, he's been a great scorer. He’s been coming on lately providing some 3-point shooting for them, and limiting those guys to one make between them was a big reason why we won the way we did."

With their bombers unable to do much more than taxi down the runway – Acuff took 19 shots from the field and six from the foul line for his 17 points; Thomas needed 13 shots (0-2 from three) to score 10 – Without Acuff and Thomas making shots, Arkansas lacked the firepower to stay with the Gators, who saw seven of the 8-man rotation score in double figures. Tommy Haugh led the Gators with 22 points, while Alex Condon had 17, Fland and Klavjar 14 each, Lee 13, Chinyelu 12 and Isaiah Brown 11.

Florida dominated the rebounding 51-31 led by Chinyelu who grabbed 16. The Gators  outscored the Hogs in the paint 56-44, and got 33 points off the bench. It was overwhelming for an Arkansas team that was thought to be Final Four capable prior to its close encounter with the Gators at the O-Dome.

The Hogs left the O-Dome needing to regroup, maybe not a toss the script and start all over again regroup, but one in which roles are redefined and a team re-energized. The Gators, on the other hand, left the O-Dome with a night to celebrate, a Sunday to recuperate and a Monday to ready for the next rung on the ladder that could take the Gators to a second straight national title.

“As I continue in my career, you just realize that every year is different and every team is different,” Golden said. “And we were incredibly fortunate to return some really impactful players off a national championship team, but it took us a little bit to get comfortable and to find our way. And the credit that this team deserves more than anything is staying together, believing in each other when guys weren't playing at their best, not pointing fingers.

“Our staff did a great job of keeping our guys aligned and on the same page. Even when we were 5-4, we thought we had a chance to have a special season if we just improved incrementally over the rest of the year and we've done that. I think we're playing as good as anybody in America right now."

ELSEWHERE IN THE SEC

No. 17 Alabama (22-7, 12-4 SEC) 71, No. 22 Tennessee (20-9, 10-6 SEC) 69: Labaro Philon Jr.’s jump shot with 22.8 seconds remaining lifted Alabama past Tennessee in Knoxville. Tennessee’s stud freshman Nate Ament left the game with a knee injury with 7:42 remaining in the first half. The Vols blew a double digit lead in the game’s final minutes. Latrell Wrightsell scored 25 points to lead the scoring for Alabama, which has won eight straight games since losing to Florida. Tennessee’s leading scorer was Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who scored 26. 

Kentucky (19-10, 10-6 SEC) 91, No. 25 Vanderbilt (22-7, 9-7 SEC) 79: Collin Chandler hit 6-8 from the 3-point line while scoring 23 points to lead Kentucky to a blowout win over Vanderbilt. At one point in the game, Vandy was 4-24 from the 3-point line. Besides Chandler, Otega Oweh scored 23 and Denzel Aberdeen 15 for UK. Tyler Tanner led Vanderbilt with 19. 

Missouri (20-9, 10-6 SEC) 88, Mississippi State (13-16, 5-11 SEC) 64: Five Missouri players scored in double figures led by Mark Mitchell’s 17 as the Tigers solidified their chances to make the NCAA Tournament. Missouri hit 51 percent from the field overall and 40 percent from the 3-point line. Josh Hubbard scored 16 for Mississippi State. 

Texas (18-11, 9-7 SEC) 76, Texas A&M (19-10, 9-7 SEC) 70: Ahead by three with 5:18 remaining in the game, Texas got a 3-pointer from Cameron Heide and kept its distance from the Aggies, who have lost six of their last eight games. Tramon Mark scored 23 points to lead Texas while Rashaun Agee had 22 for A&M.

Georgia (20-9, 8-8 SEC) 87, South Carolina (12-17, 3-13 SEC) 68: Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 18 points as five Bulldogs scored in double figures, evening the SEC record at 8-8. Meechie Johnson scored 20 for South Carolina, which hit just 6-24 from the 3-point line. 

Oklahoma (15-14, 5-11 SEC) 83, LSU (15-14, 3-13 SEC) 67: Nijel Pack hit five 3-points and scored 21 points as Oklahoma moved a game ahead of .500 with a blowout win over LSU. Xzayvier Brown added 20 for the Sooners. LSU, which made only 6-23 from the 3-point line, was led by Max Mackinnon, who scored 17.

Ole Miss (12-17, 4-12 SEC) 85, Auburn (15-14, 6-10 SEC) 79: Auburn’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament probably hinge on winning both games next week and then one or two at the SEC Tournament after falling to Ole Miss. The Rebels got 26 points each from AJ Storr and Patton Pinkins. The game was won at the foul line where the Rebels hit 13-17 while Auburn was 19-27. Auburn’s scoring leader was Tahaad Petiford, who scored 24.

Tuesday’s SEC games

Mississippi State (13-16, 5-11 SEC) at No. 7 FLORIDA (23-6, 13-2 SEC)

No. 17 Alabama (22-7, 12-4 SEC) at Georgia (20-9, 8-8 SEC)

No. 22 Tennessee (20-9, 10-6 SEC) at South Carolina (12-17, 3-13 SEC)

No. 25 Vanderbilt (22-7, 9-7 SEC) at Ole Miss (12-17, 4-12 SEC)

Missouri (20-9, 10-6 SEC) at Oklahoma (15-14, 5-11 SEC) 

Kentucky (19-10, 10-6 SEC) at Texas A&M (19-10, 9-7 SEC)

LSU (15-14, 3-13 SEC) at Auburn (15-14, 6-10 SEC)

Wednesday’s SEC game

Texas (18-11, 9-7 SEC) at No. 20 Arkansas (21-8, 11-5 SEC)

Top 25 plus SEC in kenpom.com rankings: 1. Duke 27-2; 2. Michigan 27-2; 3. Arizona 27-2; 4. FLORIDA 23-6; 5. Illinois 22-7; 6. Houston 24-5; 7. Purdue 22-6; 8. Iowa State 24-5; 9. UConn 27-3; 10. Michigan State 23-5; 11. Nebraska 25-4; 12. Gonzaga 28-3; 13. Texas Tech 22-7; 14. Alabama 22-7; 15. Vanderbilt 22-7; 16. Kansas 21-8; 17. Virginia 25-4; 18. Tennessee 20-9; 19. Louisville 20-9; 20. Arkansas 21-8; 22. Saint Mary ‘s 27-4; 23. BYU 20-9; 24. Iowa 20-9; Kentucky 19-10 (SEC: 29. Texas 18-11; 33. Georgia 20-9; 37. Texas A&M 19-10; 39. Auburn 15-14; 47. Missouri 20-9; 50. Oklahoma 15-14; 58. LSU 15-14; 79. Ole Miss 12-17; 95. South Carolina 12-17; 96. Mississippi State 13-16;

Top 25 plus SEC in barttorvik.com rankings: 1. Michigan 27-2; 2. Duke 27-2; 3. FLORIDA 23-6; 4. Arizona 27-2; 5. Houston 24-5; 6. Illinois 22-7; 7. Purdue 22-6; 8. UConn 27-3; 9. Iowa State 24-5; 10. Texas Tech 22-7; 11. Michigan State 23-5; 12. Nebraska 25-4; 13. Kansas 21-8; 14. Tennessee 20-9; 15. Gonzaga 28-3; 16. Vanderbilt 22-7; 17. Alabama 22-7; 18. Virginia 25-4; 19. Louisville 20-9; 20. St. John’s 23-6; 21. Arkansas 21-8; 22. Saint Mary’s 27-4; 23. Wisconsin 20-9; 24. Iowa 20-9; 25. North Carolina 23-6 (SEC: 32. Kentucky 19-10; 34. Texas A&M 19-10; 38. Georgia 20-9; 39. Texas 18-11; 44. Missouri 20-9; 45. Auburn 15-14; 50. Oklahoma 15-14; 73. LSU 15-14; 80. Ole Miss 12-17; 99. Mississippi State 13-16; 102. South Carolina 12-17