Despite leading by as many as 12 points Saturday, No. 12 Florida (24-7, 14-4 SEC) saw its lead slip away and eventually fell to Vanderbilt (17-14, 10-8 SEC) on the road 73-71 in Nashville, Tennessee, at Memorial Gym.
The loss marks Florida being swept by Vanderbilt now in two consecutive seasons. Mike White is 0-4 against Vanderbilt as Gators head coach, but 23-9 against other SEC teams in the regular season.
Instant Analysis now takes a closer look at Florida’s road loss.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: After taking a 40-31 lead at halftime, the Gators kept a multiple-possession lead on the Commodores for much of the second half – but Vandy would manage to hang around.
The Commodores took their first lead of the second half, 65-63, with 3:25 left to go thanks to a 9-0 run. However, Florida quickly responded with two free throws by Chris Chiozza and then a drive by Kasey Hill to the rim to re-take the lead.
The Commodores responded at every turn late, while Florida came up empty on a number of offensive possessions, including on a corner three attempt from KeVaughn Allen. Following a tip-in by Luke Kornet and a layup from Riley LaChance, suddenly Vandy had the lead once again. Kornet would end up at the line, going 1-of-2 to give the ‘Dores a 70-67 lead with 31 seconds left.
Chiozza and Kornet traded a pair of made free throws, and then Kornet would go 1-of-2 from the line again. The Gators found themselves down 73-71 with 12.1 seconds left, but Kasey Hill couldn’t score on an errant layup attempt as he tried to draw a foul in the process.
Vanderbilt would come up with the ball and get fouled, miss two free throws with 1.5 seconds left, and Chiozza’s heave would be no good.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: Canyon Barry led the way with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting off the bench, while Allen added 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting – with all of his points coming in the first half.
Meanwhile, Kornet finished with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-17 shooting and six rebounds for the Commodores.
THESE STATS DON'T LIE: Florida shot just 12-of-18 (66.7%) on free throws, while Vanderbilt went 20-of-27 (74.1%) from the charity stripe. Although the Gators’ bench outscored Vandy’s 32-4, turnovers were a problem for White’s group in the second half. During the final 20 minutes, Florida logged just five assists against eight turnovers.
WHAT A PLAY: Junior forward Devin Robinson made some noise early on in the second half, driving past a defender and taking it to the hole for an aggressive slam. The emphatic dunk gave Florida a 42-35 lead.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Although Kentucky sealed the SEC regular-season crown outright with a win at Texas A&M, Florida already had the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament locked up. However, Saturday’s win doesn’t help Florida’s resume – and being swept by Vanderbilt this year doesn’t look great, either. After the loss, many may consider Florida as a potential No. 4 seed in the Big Dance. With a strong weekend in the SEC Tournament, Florida could climb to possible three-seed consideration. Florida would need to win the SEC tourney and get some help to be considered as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A No. 3 seed would seem likely with an SEC Tournament crown - and another win against Kentucky.
NEXT UP: Florida, seeded No. 2 in the SEC Tournament, will play its next game on Friday at 7 p.m. ET at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, against either the No. 7 or No. 10 seed. If the Gators win that matchup, they’ll play in the semifinals at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
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