Florida had won five of its last six games entering the SEC/Big 12 Challenge and it was another chance to get an important win.
Instead, the Gators found out again what a really good team with eyes on a possible Final Four looks like.
Kansas State humbled the high-rising Gators (now 12-9), 64-50, and led by double figures for most of the game.
This wasn’t about Keyontae Johnson once the game started. It was more about a Kansas State team (18-3) that is a complete team compared to a Florida team that inflated its record against some mediocre SEC teams.
Is that too harsh? Well, then, you didn’t watch the game.
What happened
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It really wasn’t much of a battle as the fifth-ranked Wildcats rolled from the start. Johnson finished the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds, but it was about a team that dominated in every way except in blocked shots (6-0).
Florida has another miserable start to the game after we thought that was out of the Gators’ system. The first half was a disaster with the Gators making only 6-for-29 shooting while being outrebounded by 13 and trailing 37-16 at the halftime horn.
And that was with Johnson, the former Gator who leads the Wildcats in scoring, only scoring four points in the half. The Gators went the final 5:30 of the first half without scoring a single point.
The Gators, as is their habit, came out and played much better at the start of the second half going on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 37-26.
But a handful of bad possessions allowed the Wildcats, who scored only 11 points in the first 11 minutes of the second half, to pull away.
Florida made 4-for-27 from three-point range and made only one three in the second half. Guard Kyle Lofton was 1-for-7 shooting and is now 7 for his last 41 from three-point range.
It was ugly from the start and really didn’t get much better. Kansas State was able to take advantage of the flaws of this Florida team to never feel threatened.
What it means
Story continues
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/instant-reactions-florida-blowout-loss-020919554.html?src=rss
Author : Gators Wire
Publish date : 2023-01-29 02:09:19
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