Late in UF's 81-75 loss to LSU on Tuesday, ESPN cameras caught guards Nick Calathes and Erving Walker in a verbal altercation.
The players said Thursday the incident was nothing more than a misunderstanding.
"Me and Erv are cool as can be," Calathes said. "It was in the heat of the moment."
The confrontation occurred after Walker brought the ball up the court on a failed UF possession.
"I wouldn't say there was an argument," Calathes said. "We were both mixed up. I went in the wrong place, and he was obviously in my position. It's not a big deal."
UF coach Billy Donovan said he wasn't concerned about it.
"That's just two guys wanting to win," Donovan said. "I think that any time you have a team, family environment where two guys are trying to get on the same page, that's going to happen. If anything, it was a sign that both of those guys care."
ESPN's Jimmy Dykes made the point during the telecast that, in a late-game situation, Calathes should be the one with the ball in his hand and that Walker should have known to defer to the older player.
But if UF (21-7, 8-5 Southeastern Conference) finds itself in a close game late against Tennessee (17-10, 8-5 SEC) Sunday at 2 p.m. in the O'Connell Center, statistically the Gators are in better hands with Walker on the ball.
Calathes is shooting 71 percent from the free throw line this season and missed critical shots down the stretch against South Carolina and Kentucky.
Conversely, Walker is shooting 86 percent from the stripe this season and is the team's best free throw shooter.
Calathes has more than proven himself to be the team's best player this season, but his lack of consistency from the line has proven to be somewhat of a liability.
Donovan said he thinks it's important to have both Calathes and Walker on the floor during crunch time and that he won't rely on just one player to take over in those situations.
"It's shared responsibilities," Donovan said. "I think they both can play back there together, and I think they both understand that. It's not necessarily one guy."
Calathes took over late against North Carolina State on Jan. 3, scoring 24 points in the second half, including the game-winner with 11 seconds left.
Walker made two key 3-point shots in UF's win against Auburn and rallied the Gators back late against Georgia with his outside shooting despite the loss.
"They can complement each other pretty well," Donovan said. "It gives us two shooters, two scorers, two playmakers."
Calathes went through a similar situation last season with former UF point guard Jai Lucas.
Lucas decided to transfer to Texas earlier this season because he no longer felt UF was "the best fit" for him.
Calathes agreed that there is no reason both he and Walker can't play well together in critical situations.
"I think we both can," Calathes said. "Sometimes I'll play (shooting guard), and sometimes Erv will play (point guard)."
