No. 7 Florida clinched a share of the SEC title on Saturday night with an authoritative 111-77 victory over No. 20 Arkansas, a feat that even last year’s national title team never claimed. The Gators can take the outright crown on Tuesday with a win over Mississippi State or an Alabama loss to Georgia.
It is Florida’s first SEC regular-season title since 2014, when the program was coached by Billy Donovan. The outcome was Florida’s biggest win ever against a ranked opponent.
The Razorbacks (21-8, 11-5 SEC) came in with the nation’s No. 4 scoring offense led by freshman Darius Acuff. But the Gators (23-6, 14-2) made things difficult for the visitors, who never found a shooting rhythm in a rocking Exactech Arena.
Arkansas didn’t hit its second 3-pointer until the 10:12 mark of the second half. It took Acuff 19 shots to reach 17 points as his streak of nine straight performances of more than 20 points came to an end. Florida has made a habit of obliterating the competition during its run through the SEC, and its dominance of the Razorbacks was especially impressive in a chippy game.
Both coaches were assessed technical fouls at the 5:27 mark of the second half as the officials reviewed a call on the review monitor. Florida big Rueben Chinyelu was called for a flagrant foul during the review, and Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas was called for a flagrant foul of his own less than a minute later.
It wasn’t the last review 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 and never led by less than 20 the rest of the way.
Seven players reached double figures for Florida, led by Thomas Haugh with 22. In his only scheduled meeting this season against his former team, Florida guard Boogie Fland finished with 14 points.
Florida’s dominant gear on display
Of Florida’s 14 SEC wins, 12 have come 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 of all since the 1989-90 season.
The Gators have found a dominant tackle as their guards start to find a rhythm. Florida made 42.1% of its three-point attempts (8 of 19) against Arkansas as its outside shooting continued to improve. UF has hit eight or more 3-pointers in five of its last six games.
Urban Klavzar remains the team’s best perimeter shooter. The Slovenian junior went 4-for-7 from beyond the arc against Arkansas, marking the third time in the past five games that he hit four or more 3-pointers.
Chasing a No. 1 seed
Florida only recently broke into the No. 2 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology. Now the Gators are already knocking on the door of the No. 1 seed.
What makes the race for the final No. 1 spot particularly interesting is the improvement in Florida’s resume. The Gators have been ahead of the current fourth No. 1 seed, UConn, in predictive metrics for some time now. However, resume stats will carry more weight in the race for a No. 1 seed, and that’s where the Huskies still have the edge for now.
But Florida is gaining ground. If the Gators win their final two regular season games and then advance to 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 main hurdle before Selection Sunday if both teams win.
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