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As the final seconds winded down during the 2005-06 National Championship game between Florida and UCLA, Gators point guard Taurean Green couldn’t help but dance with the ball still in his hands.
That was nearly 20 years ago. And while Green is no longer on the court, the now-Gators player development coach is watching something eerily similar to what happened during Florida’s first national championship season.
The Gators are off to their best start (9-0) since their first national championship year. Florida dismantled the Virginia Cavaliers (5-3) 87-69 Wednesday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
Inside the Gators’ Instant Analysis takes a quick look at how the game unfolded.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Walter Clayton Jr. turned it on offensively in the second half.
After winning MVP during the ESPN Events Invitational, Clayton got off to a slow start in the first half and hit just three of his 10 shot attempts.
Everything changed in the second half.
Clayton played nearly every minute in the half and logged 18 points, while landing three of his five three-point attempts. He finished the matchup with 27 points.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: Florida’s bench helped catalyze a comeback after an early deficit in the first half. The Gators offense struggled out the gate and went 2-7 from the field. However, behind a 15-0 run during the final minutes of the first half, Virginia’s lead quickly dissipated.
The main catalyst of that run was shooting guard Denzel Aberdeen. Aberdeen hit four of his five shot attempts, with his only miss coming near the end of a possession as the clock winded down.
THESE STATS DON’T LIE: Coming into the matchup, Virginia had one of the slowest offenses in the nation. The program has always maintained a defensive-minded reputation, but the Gators’ lackluster defense allowed the Cavaliers to have their second-best first half start this season.
The Cavaliers scored 39 points as Florida failed to defend well around the perimeter. Close-outs looked slow, help defense was minimal, and at times, Golden was evidently discontent with his team’s effort.
THIS MATCHUP PROVED KEY: Wednesday’s matchup was a battle of titans. Historically, one of the best defenses in college versus one of the most efficient offenses. Florida, the offensive juggarnauts, won.
While the first half wasn’t quite reflective of the Gators offense this entire season, Florida didn’t shy away from continuing its streak of blowouts.
The Gators have outscored every one of their opponents by 13 or more points. Their slimmest margin of victory came on the road against Florida State, but since then, Florida has won by an average of 22 points.
WHAT A PLAY: Clayton’s shots weren’t falling in the first half, and rather than being complacent, the senior guard continued to be effective with the ball in his hands.
Clayton dished out four assists, one of which came near the wing, where he muscled an alley-oop pass to center Alex Condon at the rim. Condon finished viciously with two-hands.
UP NEXT: The Florida Gators (9-0) hit the road to face the Arizona State Sun Devils (8-1) Dec. 14. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
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