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Saturday night was a special night at the O’Connell Center for Florida basketball.
For the first time since last season’s SEC Conference Championship, Gators center Micah Handlogten suited up after suffering a leg fracture against the Auburn Tigers.
While he didn’t contribute much to the box score, it was a significant moment for Florida’s season and depth heading into a likely NCAA Tournament run.
“I’m proud of [Handlogten], he’s been through a lot,” said Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen. “It’s been nothing but smiles from him.”
Handlogten scored two points and secured three rebounds to help the No. 3 Gators (22-3, 9-3 SEC) defeat the South Carolina Gamecocks (10-15, 0-12 SEC) 88-67 Saturday at the O’Dome.
Inside the Gators’ Instant Analysis takes a quick look at how the game unfolded.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Aberdeen landed three three-pointers in a two minute stretch midway through the second half.
Florida players did everything they could to feed the ball to Aberdeen. The junior guard entered the half with nine points but hadn’t landed a three pointer yet. Immediately, Aberdeen landed his first shot attempt in the second half with a three-point make in the first minute.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: Florida forward Thomas Haugh has stepped up tremendously in the wake of Gators center Alex Condon’s injury. Haugh had arguably the best game of the season against Mississippi State Tuesday and recorded 16 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
Saturday night, Haugh dropped 20 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
THESE STATS DON’T LIE: South Carolina has had a nightmare of a season, losing every single conference matchup and suffering close losses to competitive teams.
In Florida’s previous matchup against the Gamecocks, it took a second half comeback and a game-winning shot from Florida guard Will Richard to avoid defeat. Additionally, South Carolina lost by just three to No. 1 Auburn, by three to Vanderbilt, and by four to Texas A&M.
According to KenPom, the Gamecocks are expected to lose the remainder of their games for the season.
THIS MATCHUP PROVED KEY: The Gamecocks are a defensive-minded squad, but Florida’s backcourt overpowered South Carolina significantly at times.
Aberdeen finished with 22 points while Richard scored eight points and Gators guards Walter Clayton and Alijah Martin tallied 11 and 10 points each. The offense ran through Florida’s backcourt and thrived off the play of Haugh.
WHAT A PLAY: Aberdeen landed back-to-back triples to extend his point total to 21 and improve Florida’s lead to 21.
UP NEXT: The No. 3 Florida Gators (22-3, 9-3 SEC) host the Oklahoma Sooners (16-9, 3-9 SEC) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the O’Connell Center.
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