Gators take big step backward
Impressive winning streak snapped in SEC tournament.
ST. LOUIS — Just when it looked like this Florida team was rolling again, the No. 3-seeded Gators took the kind of setback that will no doubt revive the concerns that have followed them through an up-and-down season.
The Gators led by as many as eight points in the first half of their SEC Tournament quarterfinal Friday night, but late struggles again proved to be their undoing. No. 6 Arkansas grabbed control midway through the second half on the way to an 80-72 win at the Scottrade Center.
The Razorbacks (23-10) had to beat South Carolina on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals. The Gators (20-12), meanwhile, had a double-bye into the quarterfinals. They have yet to reach the conference semifinals in coach Mike White’s three seasons.
“It wasn’t our best effort,” White said Friday. “We’re coming off the best stretch of performances that we’ve put together all year. Tonight, we took a step backward, unfortunately.”
A loss like this would have been more cause for panic two weeks ago, but Florida’s three-game winning streak to close the regular season, including victories over ranked Auburn and Kentucky teams, solidified the Gators’ spot in the NCAA Tournament field and inspired renewed confidence that this team could make a postseason run. They still can, but as the Gators reminded Friday night, they’re always just as capable of being upended.
This was the same Arkansas team they beat 88-73 in January, in their only prior meeting this season. This time, Florida held a 29-22 lead with 4:54 remaining before halftime but didn’t score again the rest of the half, missing its final five shots as Arkansas closed on an 8-0 run to lead 30-29.
The teams played a tight back-and-forth duel to start the second half, but after they were tied at 46 with 12:02 to play, the Gators went cold again, getting just one field goal over the next 7:34.
“We had a couple breakdowns, but still we should have fought like we did in past games,” said Keith Stone, who led UF with 22 points.
Chris Chiozza added 16 points for the Gators, but Jalen Hudson scored just 6 points on 2-of-9 shooting.
“It’s a new season on Sunday when they tell us who we’re playing, where we’re going,” Chiozza said. “We’re just going to try to refocus and try to get the edge back we had the last six games of the regular season.”