The Florida Gators lost by 10 at the start and by several possessions at various times in the second half, only to recover and lead the humble South Carolina Gamecocks on Wednesday.
But Frank Martin’s team had one more chance than the Gators – and used it late to consign Florida to a frustrating 72-66 defeat.
AJ Lawson’s 22 points topped all scorers, but South Carolina’s punishment for Florida’s worst boxouts – most done without Lawson counting – helped the Gamecocks close the 13-1 run that eliminated a six lead Florida points in the final moments and gave them only their third SEC win of the season.
Florida’s bad shot was also an accomplice to bad boxing: the Gators fired only 41% of the field and 29% of three, and hit only nine of the 15 free throws. Noah Locke and Tre Mann combined for 32 points, but Mann’s 17 had 16 attempts; a rare cold night by Colin Castleton, in which he made only four of the 12 attempts, helped to weaken his effectiveness as a defender (seven blocks) and waste a beautiful night by Omar Payne, who had 10 points by virtue of making all five shots .
The Florida bench barely contributing on the floor also contributed to the loss. The Gators won seven points – six from Anthony Duruji, one from Scottie Lewis – from their reserves, while South Carolina got 21.
And the result of the upset is that Florida’s NCAA tournament ranking is significantly hampered by one of its worst defeats, and its chances of making a real race on the Alabama perch at the top of the SEC are almost nil.
This was a bad loss, and a bore of one. The good news is that the Gators have no one to blame but themselves – but the bad news is that more kicking and more boxing effort were things they could have done in this game.