Giveaway in Nashville: Florida Falls to Vanderbilt, 79-78

The final score, of course, is the number that matters most, but two numbers stand out prominently in Vanderbilt’s 79-78 upset of the Florida Gators at Memorial Gym in Nashville Saturday afternoon: (1) Twenty, as in 20 Vanderbilt offensive rebounds; and (2) 16 as in 16 Florida turnovers.

Photo credit UAA

The 20 offensive rebounds helped Vanderbilt take 18 more shots from the field than the Gators and allowed the Commodores to outscore Florida 21-6 on second chance points. The 16 turnovers were converted to 19 Vanderbilt points. There were two Florida turnovers in the final 23 seconds, the first that gave Vanderbilt the game-winning basket and the second that prevented Florida from even getting up a shot that could have won it.

This was a very painful one-point loss for the Gators because it could mean the difference in who they play and where they play in the NCAA Tournament. A couple more offensive rebounds and at least two fewer turnovers and Florida almost certainly would find itself on the No. 6 line when they start calling out teams on Selection Sunday seven days from now. The Gators could still play their way onto the six line, but now they probably need two wins to get there. A Thursday loss next week at the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Nashville probably means the Gators will be on that dreaded 8-9 line in the NCAA.

The outcome of the game Saturday should have never come down to the final 23 seconds. It could have been a blowout and should have been a comfortable win, but it seemed rather obvious from the opening tip that Vanderbilt came into this game highly motivated and the Gators played as if they hadn’t had their morning caffeine jolt.

Explaining what happened, Florida coach Todd Golden pulled no punches.

“I thought they out-played us,” Golden said. “They had 20 offensive rebounds, we had six. We had 16 turnovers, they had eight. That’s the game right there. We held them to 35 percent from the field, we shot 51. But it was a numbers game – they had 76 field goal attempts, we had 58. They had 20 free throw attempts, we had 14. Really impossible to go on the road and to win a game like that when you let your opponent out-shoot you 18 times from the field and six times from the foul line. It’s just not a good recipe for success.”

The recipe for success was to take advantage of Florida’s size, experience and quickness that were on full display back on Tuesday when the Gators blew the doors off Alabama in Gainesville. The team that took the floor Saturday looked nothing like the one that destroyed Alabama’s SEC regular season championship hopes.

This team looked like it had only hours before taken time off the post-Alabama win party to play a nuisance game against a bad Vandy team. About the only thing that could have stopped the Gators from leaving Nashville with their 12th SEC win and a No. 6 seed when the 68-team NCAA field is announced was arrogance.

Funny, but that’s exactly what Golden was warning Friday when he was getting ready to leave for Nashville. He was concerned enough to verbalize that Vanderbilt was plenty good enough to steal a win if the Gators left their game in Gainesville.

Obviously, the Gators ignored the warning.

“We came out lackadaisical,” Tyrese Samuel said. “We weren’t ready to play and they were just tougher than us. It was their last home game. They really had nothing to lose, and we came in here like a team that had just come off a big win and thought we were just going to come here and beat a good SEC team. The SEC is the best conference in America. Anybody can beat anybody. It showed today.”

Vanderbilt is one of the anybodies in the league. Florida is supposed to be one of the somebodies, but the way Vanderbilt spent 40 minutes crashing the backboards and hustling to come away with every 50/50 ball, it looked like the Commodores belonged to the elites at the top and the Gators somewhere else. Now, many of the Commodores’ 20 offensive rebounds were the result of long rebounds but the Commodores were in a hustle mode, willing to run down any of the SCUDs that clanged off the Memorial Gym rims. They played as if the ball were a precious commodity to be desired and possessed. The Gators played as if the ball were infected with cooties.

The Gators came into the game leading the nation in rebounding and second in offensive rebounds. Despite their vertical challenges, Vandy outrebounded Florida 41-35 and 20-6 on offensive rebounds.

“They went to the rim harder than us,” Samuel said. “We didn’t box out, didn’t execute. Simple as that.”

What happened on the offensive boards was just one part of the equation that cost the game for the Gators. The other part was turnovers. The Gators have lost 10 games this season. In eight of the ten losses, Florida turned the ball over 10 or more times. When the Gators value the basketball, they win. When they don’t, there’s a good chance they take a hit.

This was the second straight Saturday when the Gators couldn’t hold onto a comfortable lead. A week ago, Florida should have departed Columbia with a win over South Carolina, but UF couldn’t hold the lead in the second half. Against Vandy, Florida led, 39-27, with 1:36 to go in the first half, but a pair of free throws on a second chance and a 3-pointer by Ven-Allen Lubin off a Florida turnover trimmed the lead to seven (39-32) at the half. The end of the half was a precursor of things to come.

The Commodores came out of the locker room to begin the second half energized and feeling like they had a game to win. Florida played the first six minutes of the half like a team that thought it had better things to do. Vanderbilt outscored Florida 13-4 to take the lead at 45-43 with 14:52 left in the game.

The go-ahead layup by Tasos Kamertos was made possible, of course, by a Florida turnover. Florida built the lead back up to seven, 69-62, when Riley Kugel scored on a fast break, but Vanderbilt kept chipping away, in large part because the Gators played like a team with a flight to catch and the Commodores played like a team determined to show the world they’re better than an SEC bottom feeder.

Florida, obviously, has problems handling prosperity. It was only a matter of time before a 67-59 lead with 6:17 remaining in the game dissipated. A three off a turnover and a layup after an offensive rebound brought Vandy back within a single point at 69-68 with 2:41 to go. From there it was a matter of who wanted it worse.

The Gators were good enough to get the lead, but not good enough to hold it. A pair of free throws by Zyon Pullin with 35 seconds to go gave Florida a 78-75 lead but Vandy trimmed it back to one when JQ Roberts was awarded a pair of free throws on a rather questionable foul call with 24 seconds to go.

All the Gators had to do was inbounds the ball and Vandy would have fouled, but a lazy pass by Clayton was picked off by Lawrence, who drove in for what proved to be the game-winner with 15 seconds to go. Florida had a chance to win it at the other end, but Clayton bounced the ball off his foot with one second to go, ending Florida’s chance to pull it out.

Florida wasted a brilliant game by Pullin, who scored 20 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out eight assists with only a single questionable turnover in which the zebra awarded possession to Vandy when it seemed a Vandy player touched it last. Samuel scored 16 points and Walter Clayton Jr., whose two turnovers in the last 23 seconds sealed Florida’s fate, had 14. Freshman Alex Condon had 11 points and eight rebounds.

SEC Basketball

Saturday’s scores: Vanderbilt (9-22, 4-14 SEC) 79, FLORIDA (21-9, 11-7 SEC) 78; No. 15 Kentucky (23-8, 13-5 SEC) 85, No. 4 Tennessee (24-7, 14-4 SEC) 81; No. 13 Auburn (24-7, 13-5 SEC) 92, Georgia (16-15, 6-12 SEC) 78; No. 16 Alabama (21-10. 13-5 SEC) 92, Arkansas (15-16, 6-12 SEC) 88, OT; No. 17 South Carolina (25-6, 13-5 SEC) 93, Mississippi State (19-12, 8-10 SEC) 89; Texas A&M (18-13, 9-9 SEC) 86, Ole Miss (20-11, 7-11 SEC) 60; LSU (17-14, 9-9 SEC) 84, Missouri (8-23, 0-18 SEC) 80

SEC Tournament

Wednesday’s games

Game one: No. 12 Arkansas (15-16, 6-12 SEC) vs. No. 13 Vanderbilt (9-22, 4-14 SEC)

Game two: No. 11 Georgia (16-15, 6-12 SEC) vs. No. 14 Missouri (8-23, 0-18 SEC)

Thursday’s games

Game three: No. 9 Mississippi State (19-12, 8-10 SEC) vs. No. 8 LSU (17-14, 9-9 SEC)

Game four: Winner game one vs. No. 5 South Carolina (25-6, 13-5 SEC)

Game five: No. 10 Ole Miss (20-11, 7-11 SEC) vs. No. 7 Texas A&M (18-13, 9-9 SEC)

Game six: Winner game two vs. No. 6 FLORIDA (21-10, 11-7 SEC)

Friday’s games

Game 7: Winner game 3 vs. No. 1 Tennessee (24-7, 14-4 SEC)

Game 8: Winner game 4 vs. No. 4 Auburn (24-7, 13-5 SEC)

Game 9: Winner game 5 vs. No. 2 Kentucky (23-8, 13-5 SEC)

Game 10: Winner game 6 vs. No. 3 Alabama (21-10, 13-5 SEC)

No. 16 Alabama (21-10, 13-5 SEC): Lock for the NCAA, but in trouble if opposing teams can defend the three.

Arkansas (15-16, 6-12 SEC): The Razorbacks aren’t going anywhere but they did beat Duke this year, so they’re capable of springing an upset.

No. 13 Auburn (24-7, 13-5 SEC): The way the Tigers defend, they’re capable of winning the tournament and going deep in the NCAA Tournament.

FLORIDA (21-10, 11-7 SEC): The Gators are going to the NCAA Tournament but how well they do in Nashville and beyond has everything to do with which Florida team shows up. The one that beat Kentucky at Rupp, Auburn and Alabama can beat anyone and make a deep NCAA run. The one that lost to Vanderbilt could see its season end in two games.

Georgia (16-15, 6-12 SEC): At Florida people would be calling for Mike White’s head. At Georgia, they think a winning season is acceptable.

No. 15 Kentucky (24-7, 13-5 SEC): The Wildcats are capable of winning it all, both in Nashville and the NCAA Tournament. They’re the deepest and most talented team in the country and right now they’re on a roll.

LSU (17-14, 9-9 SEC): They’re playing to get into the NIT. One win in Nashville should do it, but two for sure.

Mississippi State (19-12, 8-10 SEC): The Bulldogs need to win two in Nashville to get into the NCAA Tournament.

Missouri (8-23, 0-18 SEC): The Tigers have a top five recruiting class coming in, providing, of course, the recruits aren’t scared of the oh-fer in SEC play.

Ole Miss (20-11, 7-11 SEC): NIT baby! The Rebels can’t beat anyone away from Oxford.

No. 17 South Carolina (25-6, 13-5 SEC): They bring teams down to their level and then grind them. The Gamecocks can make it to the semifinals in Nashville and they can win one in the NCAA.

No. 4 Tennessee (24-7, 14-4 SEC): The Vols have a lot of ways to beat you and they have the SEC’s best player in Dalton Knecht. The only thing that can get in their way of winning the SEC Tournament and making the Final Four is depth. One game with zebras who like to toot their whistles is all it takes to send UT packing.

Texas A&M (18-13, 9-9 SEC): This is the team absolutely NOBODY wants to play because it’s a 40-minute grind that can throw your game off for a week afterward. The Aggies need two wins in Nashville to make the NCAA Tournament.

Vanderbilt (9-22, 4-14 SEC): Will Jerry Stackhouse still have a job after Vandy loses its first game?