In beating Kentucky by 9, Gators give glimpses of future dominance

Tommy Haugh powers up for two of his 17 points (Photo courtesy of UAA Communications)

There were stretches Saturday afternoon at the O-Dome in which we were treated by a team that has elbowed its way into serious Final Four contention. When the Gators are focused, motivated and playing hungry the way they did during the 10-2 run that began the game with Kentucky or the 11-2 second half explosion that caused the 11,230 sardined into the arena to nearly blow the roof off the joint, it isn’t difficult to foresee Florida making a second straight Final Four.

When the Gators are in their pillage and plunder mode, even very good basketball teams like the 25^th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (17-8, 8-4 SEC) look like a carcass on the side of the road with buzzards circling. The 14^th-ranked Gators (19-6, 10-2 SEC) had some moments in which they were as flat as a bottle of Coca-Cola that has been open and sitting at room temp for a few hours, but whenever necessary they went from ordinary to beastly.

During those high-powered stretches that turned Kentucky into 92-83 road kill, the Gators played great defense which turned 14 UK turnovers into 25 points. They found Xaivian Lee and Urban Klavzar open on the perimeter where they drilled in 3-pointers (4-7 for Lee, 5-11 for Klavzar). During one extended second half sequence the Gators grabbed 17 of 23 rebounds that either ignited fast breaks, resulted in stickbacks or gave another chance to nail a three.  

The good stretches showed how untouchable the Gators can be when they get their collective acts together. The bad stretches provided a pad full of coaching points for Todd Golden, who admitted, “we're getting there. We're not all the way. I thought we took a step back in some of the areas that we had been growing in, but we're also getting a lot better in some areas that I didn't expect us to maybe jump in. So we gotta stay the course."

No, the Gators are not all the way there. Not yet at least. But this is an almost avalanche effect as we see the Gators picking up momentum and laying waste to everything in their path. There are six SEC games remaining on the schedule and then three potentially in the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

How the Gators do in those nine games will determine how they are seeded and where they will play in the NCAA Tournament. The last five wins have been impressive enough that the Gators have shed the potential label, replacing it with serious national contender.

Getting past Kentucky was a rather large step in the right direction even if it wasn’t one of Florida’s best games. Of course, any win over Kentucky, is a great win even if hindsight tells you that had the Gators played to their capability, this would have gone down as a 25 or 30-point blowout. The Gators left points on the floor at the foul line (22-32). They missed way too many shots within five feet of the basket. They turned the ball over 11 times. They lost contain on UK deluxe shooter Collin Chandler (5-7 on threes). They were outrebounded in the first half.

So winning by nine was solid, but it could have been and should have been more decisive. Even so it served notice to the rest of the country that even when the Florida Gators aren’t totally in synch they are still good enough to flatten anyone that gets in their path.

It was Xaivian Lee, who for the second straight game, was the tone-setter. In getting the Gators off to a 10-2 lead in the first 3:25 of the game, Lee drained a pair of threes. After the under-16 media time out, Lee and Tommy Haugh combined to score the next 10 Florida points for a 20-8 advantage. The lead swelled to 15 – 32-17 on a steal and dunk by Boogie Fland with 9:23 remaining – but that’s when the Gators went into a bit of a funk that allowed Kentucky to go on a 10-0 run that altered thoughts of a runaway.

Kentucky got within five at 34-29, but the Gators stepped on the gas and pulled away for a 41-32 lead at the intermission. Kentucky got off to a strong second half start to narrow the margin to 43-41, but Haugh got a layup and free throw and Lee fired in a three from the left wing to create some space at 49-41.

It was a 5-point game (56-51) when Klavzar went into a shooter’s coma. Over the next 10 minutes, Klavzar nailed four threes and added a layup when he powered his way through two Kentucky bigs. When he hit his fourth three of the second half, it gave the Gators an 81-70 lead with 3:07 left in the game. Klavzar finished the game with 19 points.

Florida’s big guys did their part. Outrebounded for much of the first half, the Gators were dominant in the second. Over one stretch, the Gators outrebounded Kentucky 17-6, turning UK possessions into one-and-dones and extending UF possessions. In the second half, the Gators scored on 61.1 percent of their possessions and for the entire game, Florida scored on 58.3 percent of the possessions. For a second straight game, the Gators nailed 10 threes (10-26).

“Our tenaciousness, our physicality showed up in last 10 minutes of the game,” Golden said. “I thought we dominated that way. We kind of refused to not get the ball. That has to be our calling card as we move forward.”

While this wasn’t anything close to perfection it was a shot across the bow of the SEC and nation that the Gators have so many ways to win games.

“I think when we hit 10 threes – I think it was in back-to-back games – I don't think anyone in the country can play with us,” Alex Condon said after 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot. “We’re a dangerous team. Inside, especially rebounding is a big emphasis. That's our DNA. Every game we try to win the rebound count by at least 12, and it sucks the guys inside, and then you throw it out, and these guys hit threes. It's really unbeatable basketball I think.”

Beating Kentucky kept Florida in first place, a full game ahead of Arkansas, and provided a 2-game cushion over Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Alabama, who all have four losses in league play. So, even though it wasn’t the complete game that Golden would have liked, particularly on the national stage (game was broadcast on ABC), it was a purposeful win in which the Gators made it abundantly clear that even when they aren’t 100 percent locked in for a full 40 minutes, they’re still better than everyone else.

Game notes: Five Gators scored in double figures – Lee 22, Klavzar 19, Haugh 17, Condon 14 and Chinyelu 10. Chinyelu also had 11 rebounds for his SEC-leading 15^th double-double of the season … Haugh hit a three for the 20^th consecutive game … Former Gator Denzel Aberdeen led Kentucky with 19 points, but it took him 21 shots to get there. Aberdeen and Otega Oweh shot a combined 12-35 from the field.

ELSEWHERE IN THE SEC

No. 19 Vanderbilt (21-4, 8-4 SEC) 82, Texas A&M (17-8, 7-5 SEC) 69: Tyler Tanner scored only four points, but Tyler Nickel picked up the slack by hitting five 3-pointers as part of a 25-point night. AK Okereke added 23 for the Commodores. In losing their fourth straight game, the Aggies were led by Marcus Hill with 20.

No. 21 Arkansas (19-6, 9-3 SEC) 88, Auburn (14-11, 5-7 SEC) 75: This was an easier than expected win for the Razorbacks, who got 31 points and seven assists from Darius Acuff Jr., who hit 7-10 of his threes. Billy Richmond scored 25 for the Razorbacks. The story for Auburn was leading scorer Keyshawn Hall, suspended indefinitely by head coach Steven Pearl. Tahaad Pettiford led Auburn with 29 points and seven assists.

Alabama (18-7, 8-4 SEC) 89, South Carolina (11-14, 2-10 SEC) 75: Aden Holloway had 20 while Labaron Philon Jr. and Latrell Wrightsell 19 each to lead Alabama to an easy win. Meechie Johnson scored 26 for South Carolina.

Tennessee (18-7, 8-4 SEC) 73, LSU (14-11, 2-10 SEC) 63: The Vols dominated the rebounding 45-24 to take out LSU. Nate Ament led Tennessee with 22 points while Jalen Reece and Marquel Sutton each scored 15 for short-handed LSU, playing without injured Max Mackinnon.

Texas (16-9, 7-5 SEC) 85, Missouri (17-8, 7-5 SEC) 68: The Longhorns blew a tight game open in the second half in a matchup that has serious NCAA Tournament implications. Dailyn Swain led Texas led Texas with 25 points while Matas Voiketaitis had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Mark Mitchell and Jayden Stone each scored 16 for Missouri.

Oklahoma (13-12, 3-9 SEC) 94, Georgia (17-8, 5-7 SEC) 78: Oklahoma, which trailed by two at the half, outscored Georgia 53-35 in the second half. The Sooners got 19 from Tae Davis and 18 each from Nijel Pack and Kuol Atak. Georgia, which has lost five of its last six, got 20 from Blue Cain.

Mississippi State (12-13, 4-8 SEC) 90, Ole Miss (11-14, 3-9 SEC) 78: Led by Josh Hubbard, who lit up the Rebels for 32 points, Mississippi State ran out to a 19-point first half lead. Malik Dia scored 32 to lead Ole Miss, which has lost seven in a row.

Tuesday’s games

South Carolina (11-14, 2-10 SEC) at No. 14 FLORIDA (19-6, 10-2 SEC)

Georgia (17-8, 5-7 SEC) at No. 25 Kentucky (17-8, 8-4 SEC)

LSU (14-11, 2-10 SEC) at Texas (16-9, 7-5 SEC)

Wednesday’s games

No. 19 Vanderbilt (21-4, 8-4 SEC) at Missouri (17-8, 7-5 SEC)

No. 21 Arkansas (19-6, 9-3 SEC) at Alabama (18-7, 8-4 SEC)

Oklahoma (13-12, 3-9 SEC) at Tennessee (18-7, 8-4 SEC)

Ole Miss (17-8, 7-5 SEC) at Texas A&M (17-8, 7-5 SEC)

Auburn (14-11, 5-7 SEC) at Mississippi State (12-13, 4-8 SEC)

WORST TO FIRST IN THE SEC

16. South Carolina (11-14, 2-10 SEC): The Gamecocks have lost six in a row. They haven’t hit rock bottom yet, however. That happens Tuesday night in Gainesville.

15. Ole Miss (11-14, 3-9 SEC): The Rebels have lost seven in a row and next week they have to go to Aggieland and host the Gators.

14. Mississippi State (12-13, 4-8 SEC): The schedule eases a bit, enough that the Bulldogs could potentially get to 8-8 in the SEC. The four games other than at Florida and at Alabama are winnable.

13. LSU (14-11, 2-10 SEC): The only win in the last seven games is South Carolina. Matt McMahon’s situation grows more grim by the game. 

12. Oklahoma (13-12, 3-9 SEC): Six games to go and four are winnable. At 7-9 in the SEC Porter Moser might save his job.

11. Missouri (17-8, 7-5 SEC): Mizzou went right back to the bubble by losing at Texas. The Tigers are dangerous opponents, but they’re as capable of losing as they are of winning at this point.

10. Georgia (17-8, 5-7 SEC): The Bulldogs are backsliding their way to the NIT. They’ve lost five of six and the next three games are at Kentucky, Texas and at Vanderbilt.

9. Auburn (14-11, 5-7 SEC): If the Keyshawn Hall suspension lasts more than a week, Auburn can start thinking NIT.

8. Texas A&M (17-8, 7-5 SEC): Bucky Ball has hit the skids. The Aggies have lost four straight. This kind of thing happens when you have the shortest and least talented team in the SEC.

7. Texas (16-9, 7-5 SEC): The Longhorns have won four in a row with two very winnable games upcoming that will ensure at least break even in the SEC. This is a dangerous team.

6. Tennessee (18-7, 8-4 SEC): The Vols have Oklahoma and a roadie to Nashville for Vandy this week. They could get to 22-23 wins in the regular season which would probably get a No. 4 or No. 5 seed.

5. Alabama (18-7, 8-4 SEC): The Tide went 2-0 without Charles Bediako last week. Can they bushwhack Arkansas Tuesday without a 7-footer who can block shots?

4. Kentucky (17-8, 8-4 SEC): The Wildcats should win the next three easily. A 5-1 finish in SEC play could get UK within sniffing distance of the No. 4 line.

3. Vanderbilt (21-4, 8-4 SEC): Mark Byington says Duke Miles could be back in a week or two. Vandy needs him desperately to take the heat off Tyler Tanner.

2. Arkansas (19-6, 9-3 SEC): Wednesday in Tuscaloosa is a chance for Arkansas to get a statement win.

1. FLORIDA (19-6, 10-2 SEC): The Gators beat Kentucky without playing anywhere close to their best.