UF BASKETBALL
FLORIDA STANDOUT FORWARD KEYONTAE JOHNSON COLLAPSED COMING OUT OF A TIMEOUT AGAINST RIVAL FLORIDA STATE AND NEEDED EMERGENCY MEDICAL ATTENTION,
Highly touted freshman Scottie Barnes scored 17 points and No. 20 Florida State extended its dominance against rival Florida with an 83-71 home victory Saturday that came after the Gators’ best player collapsed on the court and was taken to a hospital.
Florida standout forward Keyontae Johnson, the Southeastern Conference’s preseason player of the year, collapsed coming out of a timeout and needed emergency medical attention. Johnson was taken off the floor on a stretcher and taken to Tallahassee Memorial for evaluation.
The Gators said he was in critical but stable condition at the hospital and would remain there overnight.
Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton told assistants and administrators that Florida could decide whether to continue.
Coach Mike White let his players make the call.
“Whatever they thought was in the best interest of their team, then I would accept it,” Hamilton said. “My administration asked me and I told them we would be OK with whatever they decided. It was my understanding that they wanted to play.”
Johnson had just dunked in transition before he fell to the floor as the team broke its huddle. Several Gators were in tears and a few buried their faces in towels as White gathered his team to say a prayer.
The game continued a few minutes later, but the Gators were clearly affected by the scary scene of seeing one of their teammates in the midst of a medical emergency.
Florida (3-1) was ahead 11-3 after Johnson’s dunk. The Seminoles (3-0) scored the next seven points. Florida State pulled away from there and led 45-35 at halftime, outscoring the Gators 42-24 after Johnson’s collapse.
Johnson, a 6-foot-5 junior from Norfolk, Virginia, averaged a team-high 14 points last season to go along with 7.1 rebounds. He also led the Gators with 38 steals.
Like most of his teammates, Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 during the summer. Although the cause of Johnson’s ailment was not immediately known, the coronavirus can lead to myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart muscle. At its most severe, myocarditis can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and has been a documented cause of death for young, otherwise healthy athletes.
The Southeastern Conference mandates strict protocols, including rigorous heart testing, before players can be cleared to return to play following positive COVID-19 tests.
TOP 25
No. 12 Tennessee
65, Cincinnati 56: John Fulkerson had 15 points and 12 rebounds, helping the host Volunteers pull away late in the second half.
A three-pointer by David DeJulius put Cincinnati ahead 53-51 with 6:14 left. The 6-foot-9 Fulkerson came back with four foul shots, giving the Vols (2-0) the lead for good.
Jaden Springer added 11 for Tennessee, making five foul shots. The Vols went 25 for 30 from the line while Cincinnati went 4 for 7.
Jeremiah Davenport came off the bench to lead the Bearcats (2-2) with 14 points. DeJulius scored 11 and Tari Eason had 10.
No. 16 North Carolina 73, North Carolina Central 67: Armando Bacot had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and North Carolina stopped a two-game slide by holding off North Carolina Central in Chapel Hill.
Caleb Love and Day’Ron Sharpe scored 12 points apiece for the Tar Heels (4-2), and Andrew Platek finished with 11.
N.C. Central (1-3) scored the final nine points of the game. C.J. Keyser had 19 points for the Eagles, and Justin Whatley finished with 13.
Nicolas Fennell had 11 points for N.C. Central, and foul-plagued Jamir Moultrie finished with 10 points.
No. 17 Texas
Tech 77, Texas A&MCorpus Christi 57: Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 15 points in his return from an ankle injury and host Texas Tech got coach Chris Beard his 100th victory with the Red Raiders.
Freshman Micah Peavy and graduate transfer Marcus Santos-Silva scored 12 points apiece for the Red Raiders (6-1). Nolan Bertain scored 12 points and Simeon Fryer added 10 for the Islanders (1-5), who lost their fifth straight since winning their opener against Texas A&M International.