ORLANDO — In the first collegiate game on a new NBA floor, the Gators looked like they didn’t belong.
And, fittingly, they fell to the son of an NBA legend.
No. 18 Florida (5-2) came in to Orlando’s Amway Center with a 9-0 all-time series lead against UCF (6-0), but an anemic offense and the play of sophomore Marcus Jordan combined to hand it a 57-54 loss Wednesday.
Jordan recorded a team-high 18 points and scored or assisted on nine of the Knights’ final 11 points.
“Marcus has the ability to create and make plays for our basketball team, and that was really, really huge down the stretch,” UCF coach Donnie Jones said.
Senior Vernon Macklin did everything he could to keep Florida in the game, scoring 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds despite playing just 20 minutes due to foul trouble.
Macklin appeared to be an unstoppable force in the paint, scoring on 10 of his 11 shot attempts.
“I was just working on getting it up, my hook shot,” Macklin said. “I have been shooting flat, so I have just been working on that. I made good moves, and I’m thankful for my teammates passing the ball.”
But aside from Macklin, the Gators struggled mightily on offense as the rest of the team shot just 28 percent from the floor.
Despite their struggles and Macklin’s hot night, the Gators failed to get the ball to Macklin with frequency in the game’s closing minutes due to what sophomore Kenny Boynton called “selfish” play.
“When they’re playing they should be seeing the fact that Vernon is having a big night,” coach Billy Donovan said. “But we’re too wrapped up in, ‘I didn’t get a shot now.’ Or, ‘I missed my last one.’”
Donovan added: “I think we’re not a cohesive team right now, certainly on the offensive end of the floor. What I think they’re doing right now is they’re not playing together, and they’re not utilizing each other’s individual talents.”
Florida’s leaders in offensive futility were Chandler Parsons and Alex Tyus, who combined to shoot 1 for 14 from the floor.
Parsons’ performance was particularly disappointing, as he scored just two points and went 0 for 6 — including an air ball — from the free throw line in front of a large contingent of fans who came from his nearby hometown of Casselberry.
“I’m extremely disappointed in the way I played and the way our team played,” Parsons said. “I had a tremendous struggle shooting the ball.”
Despite Macklin’s overall offensive success, he struggled from the line, too.
The senior was just 0 for 2, but with his season average sitting at 23 percent Donovan said it is likely he would’ve been fouled had the team attempted to find him down the stretch.
“I have to focus in,” Macklin said. “I have to spend more time in the gym, work on my free throws, block out a lot of things and keep on shooting the same shot.”
The Gators’ offense also struggled from behind the 3-point line, shooting just 2 for 13.
Jones, who served as Donovan’s assistant at UF for 11 years, said this was mostly by design, as UCF was determined to stick with their man-to-man defense to guard the 3 regardless of Macklin’s interior success.
