COLUMBIA, S.C. – Think that home loss to Auburn left the Florida Gators in a sour mood?
South Carolina would certainly say so.
The Gamecocks had the misfortune of being next up on the UF schedule, and the 19th-ranked Gators wasted little time taking out four days of frustration in a 95-47 beheading Wednesday night at Colonial Life Arena that equaled the most lopsided Southeastern Conference victory margin in program history, as well as the fattest winning road spread in their 93 years in the league.
The box score showed junior forward Thomas Haugh as high scorer with 18 points, but this was an across-the-board massacre of epic proportion. Florida (15-6, 6-2) shot 57% in the first half and 69% in the second, with a 54-20 advantage in paint points. The Gators rained down a season-best 43% from the 3-point line, hammered the Gamecocks (11-10, 2-6) on the boards, 45-24, and out-raced the home team 32-3 in fast-break points.
UF led by 28 at halftime and padded it in the second half on the way to a 47-point victory margin that matched the previous high – a 94-47 defeat of Ole Miss on Feb. 17, 1993 – and easily eclipsed the all-time best 35-point road spread accomplished three times (most recently, in a 106-71 win at LSU on Jan. 25, 2017).
“Our total game was really good,” junior forward Alex Condon said.
Thomas Haugh (10) and the rest of the Florida starters were on the bench and cheering their teammates on early.
And a far cry from what they rolled out Saturday in losing 76-67 against Auburn back in Gainesville. How much did that outcome play into this one?
“A lot,” Haugh said.
The Gators spent the last four days mostly stewing on that stinker – a “punking,” UF coach Todd Golden had no problem admitting – and gearing up for their next chance to take the floor. The Gamecocks were the nameless, faceless foe in the way.
“We had a tough loss Saturday, just kind of got our butts kicked at home, and this was an opportunity for our guys to prove that we can respond the right way,” Golden said. “Auburn’s very talented. It can happen. They did a great job against us, and we had some guys not play their best, but I thought the way they responded … Our guys were clearly ready to play.”
Haugh made seven of his 12 shots and three of five from the 3-point line. Junior center Rueben Chinyelu ran his SEC-best tally of double-doubles to 12 with 14 points on a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor and 10 rebounds. Three other players finished in double-figure scoring, but most impressive were the three Gators – guard Xaivian Lee (9), Condon (8) and point guard Boogie Fland (6) – who combined for 23 of the team’s season-best 28 assists.
“Twenty-eight assists is crazy,” Haugh said. “That just shows how unselfish this team is.”
The Gators used a 15-0 run in the first half to turn a 10-point lead into a 25-point advantage. At halftime, with half the Carolina crowd headed for the exits, the Gators led 48-20 and had scored as many points in 20 minutes as the Gamecocks would muster over the full 40.
The second half was more of the same – a complete beat down – and continued well after Florida started emptying the bench, with freshmen CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd each hitting 3-pointers in mop-up time.
When it was over, South Carolina had shot just 26% for the game, gone 3-for-20 from deep (15%) and finished with zero second-chance points.
“It’s a testament to how we didn’t let up, especially the last group that got out there,” said Lee, whose nine assists marked a UF-high for the senior Princeton transfer and were countered by just two turnovers. “Just shows that everybody was on the same page and not content after the first half.”
Backup center Micah Handlogten (3) had eight points, five rebounds and two blocks off the bench.
But it was all about the initial response, which traced directly to the disappointment from the Auburn game that snapped a five-game overall winning streak and 16-game home streak.
“It definitely was a priority for me to come out and have a good game today,” said Condon, who had one point and four turnovers in the loss, but flirted with a triple-double against USC with 10 points, nine rebounds and those eight assists. “[Just] to come out with a different level of energy and lead the boys a little bit.”
Losses have a way of getting the attention of a team. Especially one with NCAA title pedigree.
“It was a speed bump, but every speed bump in the SEC is about learning,” Haugh said. “We lost to Georgia last year and learned from that one and won a national championship. We’re going to keep learning from that Auburn game and keep pushing forward.”
That’ll be the key. The Gators didn’t let one bad game turn into two.
Now, it’ll be about not being content with one overwhelming performance against an overwhelmed opponent. Especially with Alabama – and Charles Bediako, maybe you’ve heard of him – rolling into town this weekend.
“We wanted to show what we’re capable of,” Haugh said.
The Gamecocks, no doubt, took note. Here’s betting others did, also.
Email senior writer Chris Harry at [email protected]. Find his story archives here.
