TAMPA - The Gators moved one step closer to the safe side of the NCAA Tournament bubble Thursday.
Dan Werner scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as he led UF (23-9, 9-7 Southeastern Conference) to a 73-58 win against Arkansas (14-16, 2-14 SEC) in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
"As they say, 'Survive and move on,'" UF coach Billy Donovan said.
Werner has rarely been relied on to score this season, often working more as a distributor than offensive threat.
But with the Gators NCAA Tournament hopes hanging by a thread, the junior opted to put the ball in his own hand.
"My confidence is up," Werner said. "I feel like every time I shoot it it's going in. Even the ones I missed I felt like they were right there."
It was the first double-digit rebound game of the season for Werner, and his first double-double.
Senior Walter Hodge scored a team-high 16 points and for the third straight game proved he could take the ball to the rim.
The two teams traded baskets for most of the first half and the Gators struggled to pull away.
Kenny Kadji fouled Arkansas point guard Courtney Forston with 7.4 seconds left in the first.
Fortson made both shots and cut the UF lead to 29-26 heading into the break.
The Gators were holding on to a slim 39-38 lead early in the second half before an Alex Tyus dunk sparked a 10-0 run that put UF up 49-38 with 12 minutes to play.
"You know, it took like a halftime for them to get out of it and do what they needed to do," Donovan said.
The Razorback struggled to get the ball inside to star forward Michael Washington (18 rebounds) and coughed up the ball 16 times on the night.
"I told those guys we have to come with crazy energy in the second half and make them turn the ball over," Hodge said.
UF led by as many as 15 points in the second half.
For the third straight game do-it-all point guard Nick Calathes struggled protecting the ball.
Coming off a career high in turnovers (seven) in UF's regular-season finale against Kentucky, the sophomore gave the ball up five times against Arkansas.
With the win, the Gators have now put themselves in a position to salvage a spot in the NCAA Tournament - something they failed to do a year ago.
"I haven't thought about last year at all," Werner said. "I'm just worried about this year and what we need to do."
A victory against Auburn Friday at 9:45 p.m. will likely land the UF in this year's dance.
The Gators beat the Tigers 68-65 earlier this year in Auburn, Ala.
"It's definitely going to be a big test for us," Werner said.
