When South Carolina's Zam Fredrick beat the buzzer to top UF 70-69 on Jan. 21, he delivered the Gamecocks' biggest win to date.
But even he couldn't have predicted the jump-start his layup gave to the South Carolina program.
Since their win against the Gators, the Gamecocks (16-4, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) have reeled off four straight victories, including a thrilling 78-77 win against Kentucky on Saturday.
South Carolina has joined UF and Kentucky in a three-way tie for first place in the SEC East.
The Gators (18-4, 5-2 SEC) will get a chance to try to pull away from the Gamecocks tonight when they take the floor at 9 in the O'Connell Center.
"Going to (Kentucky) and winning, beating us at home in a close game, right now they have every right to be a confident team," UF coach Billy Donovan said.
UF comes into the game off a disappointing 79-63 loss to Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday that cut the Gators down just as they had started to build momentum in the conference.
"We responded well after the South Carolina game against Vandy," Donovan said. "I thought we responded well playing against Georgia. The big thing now is can we come back. How we respond tomorrow will be very important."
When point guard Nick Calathes picked up two fouls in the first three minutes against the Volunteers, Donovan chose to sit the sophomore for most of the first half.
"I told him when he got his first (foul) that he needed to be careful," Donovan said. "He has to understand what situations he can and cannot put himself into."
The UF offense sputtered without Calathes, and by the time he re-entered the lineup, Tennessee had already cemented a lead that would prove too much for the Gators to overcome.
"Every team has got a guy like that," Donovan said. "I don't know if they were in shock, but there's no question that taking him off the floor definitely changed our team."
If UF hopes to cement a place in this year's NCAA Tournament, the Gators will have to find a way to run their offense, at times without Calathes.
"That's the first time all season that we've had to play without him - without the ball in his hands," forward Chandler Parsons said.
Parsons is the man who might be able to fill the scoring gap.
Since missing the free throw that led to UF's loss in its last meeting with South Carolina, the sophomore has scored in double figures in four straight games and is averaging 17 points per game.
"I'll never forget about that the rest of my life," Parsons said. "I definitely want to play those guys again."
CALATHES TURNED DOWN PROFESSIONAL OFFERS: The sophomore revealed Monday that he received professional offers when he traveled to Greece this summer to try out for the Greek Olympic team.
Calathes said the offers were from small clubs and added that he didn't take them too seriously.
"I told them it was a situation where coach Donovan knew I would be back here. They all knew," Calathes said. "I love Florida, and I want to play here and for coach Donovan."
While Calathes hopes to one day persue a career in the NBA, he said he welcomes the opportunity to play overseas.
"At the end of my four years, there are always options," Calathes said. "It's great to have options, but right now I'm just thinking about right now."
When asked if he intended to stay at UF for all four years of his eligibility, Calathes backed off his initial statement.
"End of four years, or whenever it ends," Calathes said. "It's not on my mind right now. (I am) just trying to win a championship at Florida, trying to compete for an SEC championship."
