Florida clinches share of SEC title with beatdown of Arkansas
No. 7 Florida clinched a share of the SEC title with a commanding 111-77 victory over No. 20 Arkansas on Saturday night, marking a feat that even last year’s national title team never claimed. The Gators can clinch the league crown Tuesday with a win over Mississippi State or an Alabama loss to Georgia.
This is Florida’s first regular-season SEC title since 2014, when the program was coached by Billy Donovan. The result marked Florida’s largest ever victory against a ranked opponent.
The Razorbacks (21-8, 11-5 SEC) entered with the nation’s No. 4 offense led by star freshman Darius Acuff. But the Gators (23-6, 14-2) made everything difficult for the visitors, who never found the shooting rhythm in a bustling Exactech Arena.
Arkansas didn’t make its second 3-pointer until 10:12 of the second half. It took Acuff 19 shots to reach 17 points as his streak of nine consecutive 20-plus point performances came to an end. Florida has made a habit of eviscerating competition during its time in the SEC, and its dominance over the Razorbacks was particularly impressive in a heated game.
Both coaches received technical fouls at 17:27 of the second half as officials ruled a review monitor call. Florida great Rueben Chinyelu committed a flagrant foul coming out of the review, and Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas committed a flagrant foul himself less than a minute later.
That wasn’t the last criticism of the game, as the lopsided SEC showdown turned into a stop-and-go affair. But the outcome was never in doubt. Florida led 53-34 at halftime, scored first in the second half, then never led by less than 20 the rest of the game.
Seven players reached double figures for Florida, led by Thomas Haugh with 22. In his only scheduled game this season against his former team, Florida guard Boogie Fland finished with 14 points.
Dominant Florida equipment on display
Of Florida’s 14 SEC wins, 12 have been by double digits. The Gators have now scored more than 90 points in six straight games against ranked opponents, which is the third-longest single-season streak in AP poll history and the longest since the 1989-90 season.
The Gators found a dominant gear as their guards began to find a rhythm. Florida made 42.1 percent of its 3-point attempts (8 of 19) against Arkansas as its outside shooting continued to improve. UF has made eight 3-pointers or more in five of its last six games.
Urban Klavzar continues to be the team’s best sniper. The Slovenian junior made 4 of 7 from beyond the arc against Arkansas, marking the third time in the last five games that he made four or more 3-pointers.
Chasing a No. 1 seed
Florida only recently moved up to the second seed in CBS Sports Bracketology. Now, the Gators are already knocking on the door of the No. 1 line.
What makes the race for the final No. 1 seed particularly interesting is Florida’s improving resume. The Gators are already ahead of current No. 4 seed UConn in predictive metrics and have been for some time. Recovery indicators will have more weight in the race for the No. 1 seed, however, and that’s where the Huskies still have the advantage for the moment.
But Florida is gaining ground. If the Gators win their final two regular season games and then win the SEC Tournament, their case for a No. 1 seed will be strong. An early-season head-to-head loss to UConn could be the biggest hurdle in Selection Sunday if both teams win.
