Things got a bit more dramatic than Florida hoped they would as they nearly blew a 20-point halftime lead but ultimately they were able to come away with the home win 82-80 over LSU. With the victory the Gators improve to 17-7 on the season and 7-4 in SEC play. For the first 25 minutes of action it was looking like this was going to be a runaway Florida win but the Tigers had something to say about that. Using multiple different defensive looks the Tigers were able to slow down Florida’s offensive attack and their tough-nosed guards continued to generate points to claw back into the game. With LSU being pretty low in the metrics this isn’t going to help Florida’s resume by any means but they will avoid a bad loss that could undo some of the work they’ve done as of late.
What Caused The Collapse?
With Florida up by twenty points in the second half the Tigers went to something that has given the Gators problems at multiple points this season–a zone. Not only did LSU go to a zone, but they went to one that was funky with some atypical rotations and the Gators, who have struggled against even regular zones this season, did not have an answer for it. With the Tigers starting in a 1-3-1 look that was really more of a 2-3 with switching principals the Gators couldn’t find anything and when they did score it was usually off an offensive rebound. Given that several teams have had success against the Gators by using zone defenses you could see more opponents going to it, though it’s worth noting that zone defense is not very prevalent in the SEC which is much to Florida’s favor. Defensively the Gators struggled at keeping LSU’s guards out of the paint and they also surrendered a number of open threes when they over helped in the paint allowing the Tigers to slowly but surely get back into the game.
The Final Minutes
With 1:30 remaining the Tigers came all the way back to be tied at 78 but the Gators had the ball. Alex Condon committed a turnover, but Tyrell Ward got too anxious in transition and forced a low percentage layup that never had a chance of falling. Florida called a timeout and on the play found Riley Kugel for a wide open reverse layup on the baseline. Unfortunately Kugel, who has struggled near the rim all season long–smoked the open look. Fortunately Tyrese Samuel was on the scene and he grabbed the rebound and was fouled, going 1-2 from the line. Now with 37 seconds remaining LSU had a huge offensive possession. Jalen Cook, LSU’s most talented scorer, tried to dribble the ball against Zyon Pullin only to have the ball poked away in an incredible defensive play. The ball was pushed to Walter Clayton who easily finished the layup in transition pushing Florida’s lead to three. With the Gators in “no threes” defense the Tigers got a quick layup and with Florida inbounding LSU fouled Alex Condon. Condon went 1-2 to make it 82-80 Florida, and this is where something crazy happened. With 8 seconds left Jordan Wright attacked the basket with a move so nasty Zyon Pullin fell to the ground. Wright passed the ball and immediately got it back, and with Florida’s defense completely scrambled Wright found himself 6 feet from the rim with no defenders around him. He gathered, rose up–and left a floater short. He got his own rebound but the ball was knocked away, and Florida survived despite giving up a wide open shot for the tie.
Leading The Way
While much of the story will rightfully be on Florida’s near disaster in the second half they do deserve some credit for building up the initial lead and much of the reason why was the play of Walter Clayton. Clayton finished with 21 points and 3 assists and he was absolutely dialed in during the first half getting to his spots and hitting whatever shot he took. It was mostly jumpers off the bounce that resulted in most of his points but he also had a highlight reel dunk after a smooth hesitation dribble that you’ll be seeing all over social media for the next day. Clayton has been stringing together multiple elite offensive performances and it seems like he’s able to score against just about anyone and we saw that again against LSU.
Final Thoughts
Florida avoided disaster, but they shouldn’t be particularly happy with this performance. LSU is a team in a tailspin with multiple players missing with injury or playing hurt, and at home the Gators should probably have handled this one easily. They can’t be happy with the lack of poise in the second half, and it has to be a concern that the Gators once again struggled against a zone defense. This was extremely close to a devastating loss but fortune shined in Florida’s favor with a missed wide open floater, and the Gators will now be able to refocus for a game against Georgia.