It didn’t take long for the Florida Gators to strike and take an early 20-point lead against the Oklahoma Sooners and from there all they needed to do was coast and hold on for the healthy win and that’s what they did, capping off a no-stress win in front of a largely empty building in Norman for a 96-79 win. It was actually the Sooners who won the second frame by a score of 55-50 as they caught fire from three, but the 22-point lead the Gators had built before halftime was simply too much for Oklahoma to claw back from. Defense has been an issue this season for the Sooners and the Gators were more than happy to take advantage as they got to the rim with ease and either finished, found an open shooter, or had a miss tipped in for a second chance opportunity. With the win, the Gators improve to 3-1 in SEC play while the Sooners fall to 1-3.
Winning The Interior
This was yet another game where Florida’s frontcourt completely dominated their matchup and there is no stat that embodies this as much as points in the paint. Florida finished with a whopping 60 points in the paint to only 22 for Oklahoma, something that spoke to just how easy it was for the Gators to convert whenever they got a catch in close, and how difficult it was for the Sooners to manufacture anything near the hoop. Thomas Haugh led the way in scoring for Florida with 21 points and 7 rebounds, Rueben Chinyelu put in 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Alex Condon had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists to round out the forward group. Oklahoma’s frontcourt rotation is not deep and does not have a ton of size and they were always going to be in tough, and the Gators showed once again how overwhelming their size can be.
Staying Hot
After an embattled start to the season guard Boogie Fland had his best game of the season (and possibly of his career) against Tennessee and all eyes were on him to see how he was going to perform and to see if he could ride the momentum. While he wasn’t quite as hot as he was against the Volunteers it was still a strong follow-up performance as he finished with 15 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. It was clear Fland was playing with another level of confidence after the game he had against Tennessee and it was just what the doctor ordered for Florida’s offense. Fland was attacking the lane and getting to his mid-range pull up or finding a frontcourt player for a dunk, and it seemed like everything he was doing with the rock was working. Also, silently putting together a stretch of excellent games is Urban Klavzar who brought his patented shooting once again as he scored 13. Also of note, Klavzar played 27 minutes while Xaivian Lee, who struggled, played just 19.
Lockdown Defense
Entering Tuesday’s game Oklahoma has been a pretty solid offensive team that has been particularly known for their ability to shoot the ball, something that they did display in the second half, though by that point the game was all but over. Florida was able to completely neutralize the Sooners’ offensive attack, staying glued to shooters during screening actions and keeping the ball in front of them during pick and roll actions. Guard Nijel Pack has been a lethal scorer for the Sooners but he was slowed down by Boogie Fland and finished with just 5 points on 2-8 shooting, and this is the third time in a row Fland has done an incredible job of locking down a star guard on the opposing team. Georgia’s Jeremiah Wilkinson, Tennessee’s Ja’Kobie Gillespie, and now Oklahoma’s Nijel Pack have all had some of their worst games of the season while being guarded by Boogie Fland and that effort needs to be acknowledged alongside the recent scoring.
Final Thoughts
Oklahoma does not have a talented roster, they don’t have the size to hang with a team like Florida, and they don’t have a particularly intimidating home court, and the Gators were able to take advantage of those elements in every single way. Florida has once again proved that they are built to dominate the bottom half of the SEC, but that was something that wasn’t really in doubt. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this game was the second strong performance from Boogie Fland in a row, something that will be important to the Gators if they’re going to make a deep run in March. Also, don’t look now, but Urban Klavzar is really starting to push Xaivian Lee for a second guard spot, and it’s definitely notable that Klavzar played significantly more while being more productive and efficient. The Gators will now prepare for Vanderbilt, a team unexpectedly playing like one of the best teams in not only the SEC but the country.