The Florida Gators continued their impressive march towards March with a 81-66 victory over the struggling South Carolina Gamecocks.
It was Florida’s second straight win without center John Egbunu, who is out for the year with a torn ACL, and the team’s ninth straight win overall.
KeVaughn Allen led the way for the Gators with 26 points, while Devin Robinson added 14.
After speculation that he might not play due to an ankle injury, Florida reserve Canyon Barry managed to play nine minutes but did not score.
For South Carolina, Sindarius Thornwell kept his SEC Player of the Year hopes going with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Blake’s Analysis:
Florida’s first game without Egbunu came against an inferior opponent in Mississippi State. But this game was a better indication of what the Gators are still capable of even without the big man on the court.
Yes, South Carolina has hit a rough stretch in losing four of five, but this is still an NCAA tournament team. For now.
So, for Florida to play this well without Egbunu and a healthy Barry tells you a lot about what Mike White has done with this team. There were questions about whether he would grow into this difficult role in having to replace Billy Donovan, but he has the Gators exactly where they need to be.
It’s too early to tell whether this team can make a deep run in the tournament (since it’s all about matchups), however, I wouldn’t want to see Florida on my side of the bracket.
With the outstanding guard play and Allen’s ability to take over a game at a moment’s notice, the Gators may have their dancing shoes on for quite a while once we hit March.
And if South Carolina doesn’t get its act together, the Gamecocks may not need dancing shoes at all.