Florida Wins 106-101 Overtime Thriller Over Michigan

Florida and Michigan’s game was so intense that 40 minutes wasn’t enough and after two gruelling overtime frames the Gators were able to outlast the Wolverines to come away with a thrilling 106-101 win. Throughout the entire contest there were countless lead changes and ties and it seemed like things were always destined for overtime and when one period wasn’t enough, a second was required to find out who would be victorious. Tyrese Samuel (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Zyon Pullin (22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) were particularly impactful in the overtime periods, helping the Gators to get a win that will register as a quality one on the resume–but will be arguably more important to the morale of the team.

What Happened

First, let’s start at the end of regulation. This game was within a few possessions for its entirety, and Florida was up 81-79 with 30 seconds remaining after a Walter Clayton turnover. Point guard Dug McDaniel (who was outstanding with 33 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) knifed to the rim and took a sweeping layup attempt as he tried to loft it over Florida’s shot blockers. He missed, but forward Olivier Nkamhoua was there for the putback dunk, tying the game with 12 seconds remaining. Zyon Pullin then used a ball screen to get to the rim but he was blocked with the ball going out of bounds, giving the Gators a chance to inbound with 2 seconds remaining. Their first action was completely blown up by Michigan and the Gators were forced to use a timeout. Their second action was well defended, and an Alex Condon jumper couldn’t find the net, and the game headed for overtime. 

Just like regulation, overtime was close with no team able to really pull away–but Michigan was holding on to a steady lead. McDaniel was dominant once again, and a pair of free throws put the Wolverines up by three with 21 seconds remaining. Florida was able to get a look for Walter Clayton from three, but it clattered off the rim. Fortunately, Tyrese Samuel had battled for position and he got the offensive rebound, kicking it to an open Zyon Pullin. He rose up–and BANG. The three was pure, tying the game with 8 seconds remaining. Michigan scrambled and couldn’t get a good look, sending the game to a second overtime. 

This is where the Gators completely took over as the Wolverines ran out of steam. Zyon Pullin got to wherever he wanted on the floor, Will Richard had a powerful drive to the rim, and everyone on the floor for Florida clamped down defensively. For the first time in the game a team had a solid lead in the final moments, and the Gators came away with a huge victory.

Winning With Depth

You can chalk up Florida’s win to a massive advantage when it came to pieces off the bench. With the game going 50 minutes due to two overtimes, that means there were 250 available player minutes. Michigan, a team who uses their bench less than anyone in the country, only used two bench players for a total of 12 minutes–7 for Will Tschetter, and 5 for Jaelin Llewellyn. They combined for 3 total points. Florida, on the other hand, used four players for 80 minutes, and the advantage was massive. You could tell as the game wore on that Michigan’s starters were exhausted, and in the final overtime period they couldn’t get anything going offensively as they had no juice left in their legs and they couldn’t muster much on the glass or rebounding. Not only did Florida have able bodies off their bench but they had studs with Zyon Pullin taking over in overtime and Alex Condon putting together a sneaky 14 point, 6 rebound, and 3 block game.

Hustle Plays

When you look at some of the offensive stats–things weren’t pretty for the Gators. They shot 28% from three, 62% from the free throw line, and they turned the ball over 16 times. However, as has been the case in most of Florida’s games this season–they were dominant when it came to hustle plays. Once again dominant on the glass the Gators had 21 offensive rebounds, but what was even more impressive was their 10 steals and 10 blocks. Florida was extremely active in all areas of the game and even when their offense slowed down they were able to be impactful in just about every other area. Hustle, grit, and a never-die attitude seem to be the personality of this team and it’s something that they can ride into conference play.

Final Thoughts

While this game stands as a quad-2 win and might not be a marquee resume piece, this was a gigantic win for the morale of the Florida basketball team. The Gators had not shown the ability to close out a close game and winning a double overtime thriller should give the team loads of confidence, and given how many close games they will play in conference play–that confidence is huge. A win like this also shows the Gators a roadmap for what their personality can be and how they can win, and that’s with depth, hustle plays, and determination.