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There haven’t been many instances where the No. 4 Florida Gators men’s basketball team has looked inferior to its opponent. Florida had just four losses entering Friday’s Southeastern Conference Tournament Quarterfinal — one of those being to the Missouri Tigers.
In the Gators’ matchup against the Tigers Jan. 14, Florida looked uncharacteristic nearly all 40 minutes. The offense struggled, UF rebounded poorly, and Missouri forced 12 steals.
“I think our guys would like another crack at them simply because we didn’t feel like we played our best game,” Florida coach Todd Golden said Wednesday. “We’re excited about the opportunity to play Friday night.”
Florida (28-4, 15-4 SEC) made the most of its rematch against Missouri and defeated the Tigers 95-81 Friday night at the Bridgestone Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Gators will advance to the SEC Tournament semifinal round to play the winner between No. 5 Alabama (24-7, 13-5 SEC) and No. 15 Kentucky (22-10, 10-8).
Inside the Gators’ Instant Analysis takes a quick look at how the game unfolded.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Florida began the contest on a 10-0 run. Florida guard Will Richard quickly scored eight of the Gators’ 10 points.
Florida never trailed the entire contest.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: Florida star guard Walter Clayton Jr. became the first All-American in program history Wednesday afternoon.
“A lot of stuff comes from winning, this is a product of that, so I’m just thankful,” Clayton said.
In his first game following the honor, Clayton recorded 18 points, six assists and three rebounds.
Much of his contribution came in the first half after he suffered a lower leg injury in the beginning of the second period, sidelining him for five minutes. Clayton reentered the game and looked fine afterward but logged just one point on zero field goals with three turnovers in the second half.
THESE STATS DON’T LIE: Missouri is one of the best teams in the country in forcing turnovers and ranks No. 7 in steals with 9.6 per game. The first time these two teams met, Florida struggled to limit its mistakes and allowed the Tigers to score 18 points off of 13 turnovers.
The outcome was quite identical in the teams’ rematch. The Gators committed 16 turnovers, creating 22 points for Missouri. However, the key to Florida’s victory was limiting opportunities beyond the arc.
Missouri made just a quarter of its 16 three-point attempts Friday. In the first matchup, the Tigers landed seven triples in the first half and finished the contest with 11 made threes.
THIS MATCHUP PROVED KEY: On the topic of threes, a large reason why Florida was so disruptive defending beyond the arc was its ability to prevent SEC Sixth Man of the Year Caleb Grill from converting his three-point attempts.
On Jan. 14, Grill had 22 points on six made threes. Friday, the sixth-man made just two of seven attempts.
WHAT A PLAY: Florida guard Will Richard has a knack for disrupting opposing team’s offensive flow. With five minutes left in the first half, leading 35-26, Richard poked the ball free, creating a transition opportunity with Clayton steps ahead of the nearest defender.
Richard lobbed a pass from the left elbow and Clayton soared above the rim and slammed it with two hands.
UP NEXT: The No. 4 Florida Gators (27-4, 14-4 SEC) advance to the SEC tournament semifinal round and play the winner between No. 5 Alabama (24-7, 13-5 SEC) and No. 15 Kentucky (22-10, 10-8). Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
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