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Todd Golden and his highly efficient Florida Gators look to handle John Calipari’s iso-heavy Arkansas Razorbacks. The Gators haven’t beaten the Razorbacks in Fayetteville since 2019.
The Gators enter today’s matchup second in the country in rebound rate (58.1%) against a team that struggles on rebounds and second chance opportunities.
Florida is also coming off a dominant 73-43 victory against No.1 Tennessee; a team that Arkansas lost to by a convincing 24 points. Arkansas struggled to get rebounds and second chance opportunities against Tennessee which means that the Florida bigs will have a crucial role today.
The No. 8 Gators get a win on the road in impressive fashion with a gritty 71-63 victory against the Razorbacks in Fayetteville. This is the first Gators win in Fayetteville since 2019.
Inside the Gators’ Instant Analysis takes a quick look at how the game unfolded.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Alex Condon sank a clutch three pointer with 2:02 left in the game. This three pointer from the big man gave Florida a 10 point lead, and the final nail in Arkansas’ coffin.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: Florida’s one-two punch of Will Richard and Alex Condon stole the show in the second half.
With a weak first half performance, going 0-8 on all shots from the field and 1-2 on free throws, Richard redeemed his evening with a better second half performance and clutch buckets.
Richard finished the second half with 11 points and 4 rebounds.
Condon earned himself his second double double in two games. He had his time to dominate late with Rueben Chinyelu and Adou Thiero fouling out. Condon finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
THESE STATS DON’T LIE: Florida made its biggest point differential behind the arc and during second chance opportunities.
Florida scored 24 points from beyond the arc and 19 points off of second chance opportunities. In comparison, Arkansas only scored 9 points from three the entire game and only got 6 points from their second chance plays.
Arkansas went 68.6% from the free throw line leaving 11 points off the board.
The Gators also outrebounded the Razorbacks by 10 total rebounds, which contributed to the second chance plays that the Gators thrived on.
THIS MATCHUP PROVED KEY: jComing in Arkansas forward Adou Thiero led his team in average points per game with 16.9 and rebounds per game with 5.9. Florida forward Alex Condon was coming off a double-double performance against Tennessee where he had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Condon averages 10.9 points per game and leads Florida in rebounds per game at 8.
Thiero finished with 17 points and 3 rebounds. Condon finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Although Thiero finished with more points, Condon won the matchup with a double double and most importantly, a victory for his team.
WHAT A PLAY: Alex Condon slams it down after a beautiful pass from Walter Clayton Jr.
The Gators needed a spark of momentum to silence the belief of Fayetteville. After a hard fought rebound, the Gators got exactly that.
UP NEXT: The No. 8 Florida Gators (15-1) return home to Gainesville to take on Missouri (13-3) on Tuesday, Jan 14. Tipoff is set for 9 P.M. at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
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