Florida vs. Arkansas score, takeaways: No. 8 Gators battle for hard-fought win, improve to 15-1

Basketball

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Image Credit: UAA

It was a tougher test than perhaps expected coming in, but the No. 8 Florida Gators earned every bit of their 71-63 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Despite a disappointing offensive performance from its best players, Florida again proved it can emerge victorious in a multitude of ways as it continues to surge in Year 3 under head coach Todd Golden coming off a victory earlier this week over No. 1 Tennessee.

The Gators improved to 15-1 (2-1 SEC) on the season with Golden taking down longtime UF archenemies John Calipari, who is in his first year coaching the Hogs. Florida showed it can compete with against the nation’s best teams, players and coaches — whether home or on the road — as it continues the second-best start to a season in program history.

Let’s take a look at what went down Saturday afternoon with the latest edition of Fastbreak Takeaways.

It was over when … sophomore center Alex Condon hit a clutch 3-pointer following with a finish at the rim for a personal 5-0 run to push the Gators ahead 12 points with less than 90 seconds remaining.

Senior guard Will Richard, who was ice cold most of the game, hit an important triple earlier in the half to push Florida ahead by 11 points with 13:35 to play. Arkansas steadily chipped away, though, taking advantage of miscues and eventually putting together a 7-0 run with an exclamation-point dunk to cut its deficit to 3 points. Senior G Walter Clayton Jr. answered with an immediate triple as part of a 7-0 response run to go back up double digits, a lead it held with 3 minutes remaining preceding Condon’s two crucial late field goals.

First half focus: Florida answered an 11-2 Arkansas opening with an extended 15-2 run to take its first lead of the game at 17-13 despite starting a paltry 1 of 11 from 3-point range. The Gators held an advantage through the end of the period despite never getting any better offensively. They hit just 31.4% of their shots and 18.8% of their triples to lead 28-25 at the break with Clayton and Richard combining to go 2 of 14 from the field and 1 of 10 from downtown. A nine-rebound advantage aiding 12 second-chance points made the difference for UF.

Exceptional efforts: Condon was immense with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double effort that also included four assists. Redshirt senior G Alijah Martin was one of three Gators who fouled out, but he posted a team-high 14 points on 4 of 7 shooting from long range with four boards. Sophomore forward Thomas Haugh played big on both ends posting eight points and seven rebounds.

Troubling trends? Clayton and Richard ultimately contributed 12 points apiece, but they did so combining to shoot 8 of 26 from the floor and 3 of 15 from downtown. You can set your watch to Clayton going through a multi-game offensive drought each season, and he’s certainly in the midst of one having shot 7 of 25 from the field while making just 3 of 15 treys over the last two games. The same goes for Richard, who is actually 3 of 17 from 3-point land over the last four games.]

Unlike last year, when such performances would doom the team, Florida is deep enough across its roster to overcome these cold spurts. Martin’s scoring prowess is a primary reason, but the Gators’ ability to push the ball inside and develop second-chance opportunities off the glass have been crucial to their success.

Odds & ends: Florida improved to 28-15 all-time against Arkansas with an 8-10 mark in Fayetteville capturing its first road win in the series since 2019 … the Gators under Golden improved to 45-9 when leading at halftime, 51-5 when leading with 5 minutes left, 39-8 when outrebounding an opponent, 49-6 when outshooting an opponent, 44-8 when outshooting an opponent from 3-point range and 35-14 when winning the bench scoring battle … UF has now scored 70+ points in 17 straight games dating back to last season, the longest such streak since 1976-77

What it means: This was a game script Florida has lost many times before, yet while Arkansas threatened late, the visitors had the contest well in hand for most of the second half. The Gators led by double digits for 19:26 of the 20-minute period and responded to every Hogs run in the game with one of their own. Despite shooting only 39% from the field, 29% from downtown and 65% from the charity stripe, Florida dominated paint scoring (32-22) and made its hay off second chances (19-6). That’s precisely how great teams operate: being so multiple that they easily win games that even good teams would otherwise lose.

While game commentators spoke about Arkansas’ inefficiency all game, the Hogs were gifted 15 more free throws and made them at a higher rate (69%). This as UF had three players (two starters) foul out. Arkansas was never actually in this contest once it gave away its game-opening advantage.

What’s next? The Gators will spend next week in the friendly confines of the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for one of only two stretches of back-to-back home games in SEC play. Florida first hosts Missouri on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET (ESPNU) before Texas visits next Saturday afternoon. It may be a top-five team depending where voters slot UF on Monday.

And the ladies? UF won 73-57 over Georgia last Sunday before getting whipped 71-55 by No. 16 Kentucky on Thursday, a game in which neither of the Gators’ stars played anywhere near their capability. Florida is now 10-7 (1-2 SEC) on the season and officially a longshot for the NCAA Tournament. It will next play Sunday at 3 p.m. at Missouri.