By Ken Cross
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Taking advantage of present situation is another tough element in this SEC basketball season.
The No. 5 Florida Gators have not been a team to foster a two-game losing streak during this season their 89-70 win over Texas A&M presented how the Gators use a myriad of attacks to be virtually unstoppable.
“They’re in the midst of a losing streak right now,” explained Florida coach Todd Golden. “Just going toe to toe with those guys for 40 minutes and seeing how physical they are they have, how competitive they are. I’m just incredibly proud of the way we play and our ability to kind of get away from them at the end.”
Will Richard led five Gators in double figures with 25 points while Florida met Texas A&M’s physicality and exceeded it. Defensively, the Gators held the Aggies to 39 percent from the floor and allowed only three assists in Texas A&M’s 23 made shots.
Richards was a huge matchup problem as he made 9-of-13 shots from the floor with six threes. He went on a three-point attack immediately after halftime as he made two and the Gators took a 51-34 advantage with 18:14 remaining.
This was a different card than Florida had to play in their loss to Georgia on Tuesday night. The Gators trailed 39-13 midway through the first half and fought back impeccably well to capture a late two-point lead before dropping the 88-83 decision.
Florida is known for taking a game over in the first half and to not allowing opponents to hit them with a run that would allow them to take the game over. The Gators trailed, 13-9, with 13:03 remaining in the first half and used a 12-2 run over the next 12:02 to gain control. Alijah Martin and
Thomas Haugh knocked down a pair threes to start the run.
The Gators On-Guard: Walter Clayton recorded 10 points in 34 minutes after a high ankle sprain sidelined him for one game. He directed the floor well on both ends in sitting up his teammates for opportunities to score.
Clayton averages 16.9 points and 4.0 assists per game, but his defensive skills may be underrated as he forces turnovers and plays up into his guard assignment and dictate shot selection or lanes of dribble.
“I feel like he’s doing a good job aggressively, you know, taking it to the rim and not necessarily getting calls a lot,” said Golden. “But he’s not allowing that to affect his defense.”
Clayton’s basketball persona should allow him on the short-list for an All-America position. As his condition has improved, Clayton has picked up over 30 minutes per game in four of his last five outings.
Paint Production: The Gators’ versatility was a problem for the Aggies as Haugh scored 17 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Alex Condon, who is returning from injury, as well, was 5-of-6 from the field in 21 minutes.
The Gators had a 36-30 advantage in the lane and on the boxes.
I thought our guys played really hard,” said Aggies head coach Buzz Williams. “I think Florida’s talent is elite among the best in the country per position, including the guys off the bench.”