Just when you think the Gators have grown up, a game like this reminds you: Age is not just a number, it's a state of mind.
In front of 19,881 fans in a packed and noisy Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark., the Gators were on the wrong end of an "overrated" chant that sent them limping toward the exits and likely out of the national spotlight.
Arkansas (16-5, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) routed the No. 20 Gators (18-4, 5-2 SEC) 80-61 Saturday afternoon, in a game where UF finally showed the telltale signs of so many young teams.
"There's no question they had the eye of the tiger and we did not," UF assistant coach Larry Shyatt said. "The stats don't really treat the game properly. We were physically manhandled."
The Gators' dismal performance was highlighted by one of their worst shooting nights of the season. UF hit just 16 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on just 4 of its 25 attempts. The Gators went 0 for 10 in the opening period, failing to hit a 3-pointer in the first half for only the second time this season. The other time was their 52-49 win against Georgia Southern on Dec. 15.
The Gators missed their first 13 attempts from behind the arc, and guard Walter Hodge connected for the team's first 3-pointer with only 11:23 remaining in the game.
Outside shooting has been an indicator of UF's success this season. In their wins, the Gators are connecting on 42.1 percent of their 3-pointers, whereas in their losses, the Gators are hitting just a woeful 20.4 percent.
UF trailed by as many as 30 and never came closer than 19 points to the Razorbacks in the second half.
The Gators began the contest slowly, trailing 8-2 in the early stages. UF responded with 6 straight, tying the score and swinging the momentum back in its favor.
Arkansas senior Sonny Weems then scored 7 straight points as Arkansas poured on 11 in a row. UF never recovered, and the deficit continued to widen as the game began to spiral out of control for the Gators. After the tie score, Arkansas abused UF to the tune of a 38-13 run and led by 25 heading into intermission.
UF seemed re-energized in the second half and continued to battle, but the shots just wouldn't fall and the Gators finally dug a hole even they couldn't climb out of.
Guard Nick Calathes had one of his roughest games to date. Coming in, the freshman was averaging 18.8 points in SEC play, but he ended up with more fouls (4) than field goals (3) in the game.
Calathes showed a lack of maturity for the first time in conference play. The young guard missed several easy layups and looked intimated and overwhelmed at times.
Fellow guard and freshman Jai Lucas failed to score and attempted just two shots.
Dan Werner, coming off a strong performance in the win against Vanderbilt, was just 1 of 8 from the field.
Center Marreese Speights provided some solace in a game where positives were hard to come by.
Speights scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds in 29 minutes of inspired play. Speights represented the Gators' lone inside presence in a game where they were outscored 44-28 in the paint.
UF will have to regroup quickly as the Gators gear up for No. 7 Tennessee. UF heads to Knoxville on Tuesday to take on the Volunteers, who promise to be its toughest task yet.
"We have to use this as a positive. We have to hate the taste of losing. We have to turn this around fast," Shyatt said. "If you're a competitor, you want the next arena. You want that next experience, and hopefully our guys will be ready for that next test."
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
