Florida achieves rare offensive feat in win over Arkansas
By David Wasson
Published:
The No. 7 Florida Gators steamrolled No. 20 Arkansas 111-77 on Saturday night in Gainesville, a victory that equaled the worst loss in Razorbacks coach John Calipari’s sideline history and also clinched UF a share of the conference title.
But that wasn’t the only notable feat the Gators notched at the O’Connell Center at the hands of the Hogs. The 111 points was Florida’s biggest scoring outing since 2017 (also 111 vs. Gonzaga on Nov. 24, 2017) and was the Gators’ largest win ever against a ranked opponent.
Florida led by as many as 24 points in the first half and as many as 37 points in the second half to keep up the 22-point victory margin set during its current nine-game winning streak.
The Gators also witnessed seven double-digit scorers against Arkansas, only the second time an SEC team had achieved that against an AP-ranked opponent over the last 30 seasons according to ESPN Insights.
Thomas Haugh led the way with 22 points and Alex Condon added 17 points. Boogie Fland and Urban Klavzar each notched 14 points, Xaivian Lee had 13 points, Reuben Chinyelu had 12 points and Isaiah Brown chipped in 11 points. Chinyelu also grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the season.
Having already won a share of the SEC title for the first time since 2014, the Gators (23-6 overall, 14-2 SEC) can now grab the entire thing by either defeating Mississippi State at home Tuesday (8 pm ET, SEC Network) or upending Kentucky on Saturday in Lexington (4 pm ET, ESPN).
When Florida plays like it did Saturday night, the Gators are hard to beat. Do they have what it takes to win the NCAA Tournament again? Fans can put money on a prediction at Kalshi.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
