The No. 24 Florida Gators men’s basketball team had a pivotal opportunity on its hands as they hit the road to take on No. 18 South Carolina on Saturday.
A win for Florida would’ve knotted its SEC record with South Carolina at 11-5.
But when junior guard Meechie Johnson buried a go-ahead 3-pointer from the left wing with 46 seconds left, it proved to be the deciding bucket in a game that was wire-to-wire down the stretch.
South Carolina (24-5, 12-4 SEC) defeated Florida (20-9, 10-6 SEC) 82-76 after a second-half surge powered by a 1-3-1 zone defense propelled the Gamecocks over the Gators.
South Carolina improved its home record to 14-2 and protected its top-four seeding in the conference.
It can be difficult to be ready to go with an early tip-off at noon. Especially for a Gators team that seemed to be asleep at the wheel in the game’s opening minutes. Four sloppy turnovers over the first four minutes of play erupted the Gamecocks’ home crowd.
The Gators found themselves in a 12-4 hole and had no answer for junior guard Jacobi Wright who scorched the UF defense early on for eight quick points.
Florida head coach Todd Golden has used the versatility of his bench to his advantage consistently throughout the season.
Saturday was no different as sophomore guard Riley Kugel and freshman forward Thomas Haugh each entered the game and provided a much-needed spark for the orange and blue.
It has been an up-and-down season for Kugel this year. After settling into a role as a sixth-man, the sophomore has provided inconsistent contributions off the bench. However, he scored two early buckets for the Gators to help keep his team afloat throughout a competitive first half.
Haugh is no stranger to having a strong performance on the road with a limited role. The freshman scored a career-high 17 points against Georgia on Feb. 17 and his performance in the first 20 minutes against South Carolina had a similar feel to it.
After knocking down all four of his shot attempts, Haugh finished the first half with nine points and four rebounds in only nine minutes of play.
Despite Haugh’s solid production, starting sophomore center Micah Handlogten went scoreless while posting three rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Though, 16 points from the Florida bench helped pick up the Marshall transfers’ tough opening half.
It was Kugel and Haugh that ignited a 14-0 Florida run over a four-minute stretch midway through the first half, allowing the Gators to take a commanding 20-14 lead at the 8:42 mark.
As Florida was settling into a groove, USC missed seven straight shots and their deficit grew to eight. The Gamecocks struggled from the field in the first half, shooting 37% as they trailed 37-31 heading into the break.
The Gators have had glaring second-half struggles all season long. Florida has notoriously gone on extended scoring droughts that have allowed teams to creep back into the game as the matchup comes down to crunch time.
Saturday featured much of the same theme. UF went three minutes without a field goal as the second half opened. Another offensive aspect that Florida has struggled with this year has been matching up against zone defenses.
South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris switched his squad to a 1-3-1 zone defense midway through the second half, giving the Gators all sorts of fits.
Sophomore guard Zachary Davis took command at the top of the zone and made life miserable for Florida’s guards trying to get the ball in the heart of the USC defense. Back-to-back turnovers and a two-minute stretch without a bucket gave Gator fans a familiar feeling of letting a late lead slip away.
As the Gamecocks clamped down defensively, they paired it with keeping the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the SEC in check on the boards. Florida went the first 12 minutes after halftime without an offensive rebound and was held to just nine for the game.
The Gators were led by junior guard Walter Clayton Jr. with a team-high 20 points and six 3-pointers. One of which tied the game at 74 apiece with 1:15 left in the game and kept Florida’s hopes of victory alive.
However, Johnson was sensational in the second half. He scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the final 20 minutes and sank a clutch 3-pointer that would end up being the dagger. Freshman forward Collin Murray-Boyles was the only other Gamecock to finish with a double-digit scoring mark. He scored 11 points.
South Carolina now has a clear path to a top-four seed and a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. The Gators will need to regroup. The loss drops them to sixth place in the SEC standings, but another chance at a Quadrant 1 victory lies ahead.
Florida will host No. 14 Alabama on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
Contact Max at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @MaxTuckerUF25.
Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time. Max will be covering the Gators Golf teams this Fall for The Alligator.
