On Saturday night in the O’Connell Center, sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen and senior forward Justin Leon reigned.
The duo combined to score 42 points in the Gators’ 83-70 win over a physical Tennessee team.
Allen dropped 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting and hit four crucial second-half three-pointers, while Leon notched a UF career-high 19 points and kept the Gators afloat when Volunteers guard Jordan Bowden nailed two straight threes to start the final half.
But at least one other player deserves credit for No. 24 Florida’s gritty weekend victory, and he hasn’t made too many appearances so far this season.
His name is Schuyler Rimmer.
Rimmer first checked into the game with about six minutes remaining in the first half. The 6-foot-10 senior scored three points, grabbed three rebounds and, most importantly, provided a productive 16 minutes of action while redshirt junior center John Egbunu and sophomore forward Kevarrius Hayes were glued to the bench with foul trouble.
“Whether he plays three minutes or eight minutes or has four DNPs in a row, he doesn’t care,” UF coach Mike White said of Rimmer. “It’s not about him. It’s about Florida basketball. It’s about winning.”
White added that even though he doesn’t call Rimmer’s name too often, he’s always ready to step out on the hardwood.
“He stays after practice and gets extra work, extra conditioning to keep his wind up,” White said, “just in case his number’s called.”
However, while Rimmer’s recent play is an encouraging sign going forward, there are issues with the team’s frontcourt.
Egbunu, plagued by a nagging hamstring injury, has had a difficult season so far. He hasn’t reached double-digit scoring since he scored 12 points in a 77-72 loss to then-No. 11 Gonzaga on Nov. 25. And in the seven games he’s played since, Egbunu’s averaged just 6.4 points per game and is shooting 42.1 percent from the field.
On Saturday night, the 6-foot-11, 255-pound enforcer registered two points, three turnovers, four fouls and failed to grab a rebound in six minutes of action.
“I thought this was a game where he was gonna end up maybe playing a majority of the minutes,” White said of Egbunu. “Foul trouble just really hurt him.”
In his second season, Hayes has been able to provide productive minutes in place of Egbunu. He’s averaging a career-high 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and leads the team with a .596 field goal percentage. However, he sometimes has trouble staying on the floor, severely limiting his impact.
Against the Volunteers, Hayes picked up four fouls, scored three points and grabbed two rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
However, three games into the SEC schedule, the Gators’ frontcourt issues have yet to bite them. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, though. Outside of Arkansas forward Moses Kingsley, Florida (12-3, 3-0 SEC) has yet to face most of the conference’s premier big men, including the likes of Bam Adebayo, Tyler Davis and Yante Maten.
Only then will the Gators truly be forced to deal with their deficiencies. For now, with Egbunu on the mend and Hayes still figuring out the college game, Florida will continue to lean on consistent production from elsewhere.
“I want all these guys to understand … it was Justin Leon and Canyon Barry and KeVaughn Allen tonight,” White said. “It could be John Egbunu against Alabama … It could be Kevarrius Hayes.
“It’s about taking the right shot that they’re giving us,” White said. “It’s about playing the right way.”
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @rboone1994.
Florida center John Egbunu (15) fouls Tennessee forward Grant Williams (2) on this shot attempt during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Ron Irby)
