"Toughest game by far" for Gators as they down Ole Miss 78-64

(16) Ole Miss 64 - (4) Florida 78

Top Performers

Ole Miss Rebels (17-4, 6-2 SEC)
Marshall Henderson: 25 points (8/15 fg, 7/11 3pt)
Murphy Holloway: 15 points (5/16 fg, 5/7 ft), 7 rebounds
Reginald Buckner: 8 points (2/4 fg, 4/6 ft), 3 blocks

Florida Gators (18-2, 8-0 SEC)
Erik Murphy: 19 points (7/8 fg, 5/6 3pt), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks
Patric Young: 13 points (6/8 fg, 1/1 ft), 12 rebounds
Mike Rosario: 14 points (6/10 fg, 2/5 3pt), 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Scottie Wilbekin: 13 points (6/15 fg), 7 assists
Kenny Boynton: 9 points, 10 assists

First Half Notes

• This was Florida's second sellout of the season, the other being the Missouri game.
• Prior to the game, I said to myself, "This isn't South Carolina or Mississippi State.  This is a few steps up in competition."  The Gator coaching staff obviously let the players know this before the game.
• The Gators rank 10th in fewest fouls committed.
• The Gators, or any team for that matter, could not afford to give Ole Miss star guard Marshall Henderson any space.  He's comfortable shooting the ball from anywhere inside the halfcourt line.  He made a few "did I just see that?" shots versus the Gators, but junior defensive stopper Scottie Wilbekin played tough, aggressive defense on him.  He really made him work for his 25 points.  They were the toughest 25 points that he's ever gotten, I can assure you of that.
• Wilbekin is making a strong case for SEC Defensive Player of the Year.  It's probably between him, Anthony Hickey at LSU, and Nerlens Noel of Kentucky.
• ESPNU showed a graphic with teams that have started 7-0 in conference play and won each game by 15+ points in the last 25 years.  Florida is one of three teams to hold this distinction.
• Senior forward Erik Murphy had a big offensive rebounds as the shot clock expired early on in the first half.  Murphy played his most complete game of the SEC season, scoring 19 points (missed only one shot) and grabbed six rebounds.  Murphy's making his case for SEC Player of the Year. 
• Freshman guard Michael Frazier hit a 3-pointer to put UF up 30-14 at the 9:15 mark.  This resulted in an Ole Miss timeout and really got the crowd up and out of their seats.  Frazier continues to be UF's top offensive option off the bench.
• Junior forward Patric Young played inspired ball in both halves.  He was actively attacking the rim on both offense and defense, scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.
• I've said it before, but Young needs to bring the same intensity that he brought to this game and carry it over to the remaining games.  He becomes dominant when he plays like an animal.  Few can compete with his strength and motor. 
• Florida went on a 15-1 run from 11:08 until 5:52  (UF led 35-15 after the run).  That's been the story of this season; Florida will go on a lengthy run and its opponents haven't been able to fight their way back.
• Junior guard/forward Casey Prather checked into the game at the 7:13 mark.  He played six minutes, picking up one foul for his only stat of the game.  Coach Billy Donovan said after the game, "Casey needs more practice time."  After being out two and a half weeks with a high ankle sprain, it's no surprise that he's just getting back into the swing of things.  Tuesday's game at Arkansas will be a good judge of how confident Donovan feels putting him out on the court for extended minutes.
• Murphy scored his 10th point late in the first half (he scored 19), giving him his 13th double- figure scoring game.
• Henderson picked up his second foul at the 4:10 mark, a tremendous credit to Wilbekin's "in your face defense."
• Ole Miss went on a 10-0 run at the end of the half that cut the Gator lead to 10 (35-25).
• A Murphy 3-pointer ended the Rebels' run, stalling the momentum for the Rebels.
• UF did not attempt a free throw in the first half.
• Wilbekin hit a jumper to end the half.
• The Rebels' second offensive option, Murphy Holloway, went 1/7 from the field in the first half.
• Donovan: "We gotta grow up and get past that."--talking about UF complaining to the officials about the lack of calls.
• Halftime score: Florida 40 - Ole Miss 27

Second Half Notes

• Wilbekin hit a three-pointer to begin the half, giving the Gators a 43-27 lead.
• Frazier had a great ball fake and took the jumper, but missed the shot.  It was an excellent move that shows he's trying to expand his game.
• Henderson is one of the best movers without the ball in the country.  He uses screens very well and he has a catch-and-fire release (similar to ex-Vanderbilt sniper John Jenkins).
• Senior guard Kenny Boynton, although he finished with 10 assists, did not shoot the ball well at all.  He went 3/13 from the field, including 1/7 from 3-point range.  I'm confident that this was just an anomaly.  He made up for his shooting woes by racking up a career-high number of assists.  As long as he makes other differences in the game, it's fine by me. 
• Boynton and Wilbekin shot 2/14 from behind the arc.
• Three's by Murphy and Frazier put UF up 19 (56-37).
• The Gators really used the scouting report to their advantage when forcing Holloway to his right (he's left-handed).
• Erik Murphy has to be stronger on the boards.  He gets too many knocked out of his hands.
• Wilbekin made the heads-up play of the game when he threw the ball off the defender during an in-bounds play and got rewarded with two points.  He's done that a few times this season.  It's a tribute to his high basketball I.Q.
• Donovan cleared the bench with 17 seconds left in the game.
• UF scored on 33 out of its 66 possessions.
• Final score: Florida 78 - Ole Miss 64

Quick Stats (courtesy of Gatorzone.com)

• Florida has won 10 straight games
• It's the ninth 10+ game winning streak in program history and the eighth under Billy Donovan
• UF is now 3-1 against ranked opponents this season (defeated Wisconsin, Missouri, and Ole Miss and lost to Arizona).  Florida also lost to Kansas State, who was unranked when the teams played.  KSU is now ranked #13.
• The Gators are now 61-42 all-time against Ole Miss, including 36-11 at home.
• UF has now won five straight against Ole Miss, and 11 out of the last 12.
• The Gators held Ole Miss to only 64 points, well below its season average of 80.3 ppg (fifth in the nation)
• The first free-throw attempt (and make) for the Gators came at the 15:52 mark in the second half, with Young doing the honors.
• Florida shot 54.8% (17/31) from the field in the first half, its best shooting half since going 58% in the first half versus Missouri.
• UF attempted 29 three-pointers against the Rebels.  It's the second time in the last three games that the Gators have attempted 25 or more three's.
• Four Gator players scored in double-figures (Murphy 19, Rosario 14, Young 13, Wilbekin 13) making the Gators 8-0 this season when four or more players score at least 10 points.
• Boynton's 10 assists were a career-high (10th in the SEC in that category).
• Murphy set a season-high for 3-pointers (5)
• Boynton continued his streak 14-consecutive games with a three-pointer
• It was the third-straight game with Murphy, Boynton, Rosario, Wilbekin, and Frazier each hitting a 3-pointer.
• Young's 12 rebounds tied a season-high set versus Alabama State on November 11th.

Selected stats (all Florida stats unless noted)
Field goals made/attempted= 32/62 (51.6%)
Three-pointers made/attempted= 11/29 (37.9%)
Free throws made/attempted= 3/3 (100.0%)
Rebounds/offensive= 34 rebounds/9 offensive
Fouls= 19
Assists= 23
Turnovers= 12
Steals= 3
Ole Miss turnovers= 13
Blocks= 5
Points off turnovers= 16
Points in the paint= 34
Second-chance points= 6
Fastbreak points= 2
Bench points= 10
Guard rebounds= 8
Ole Miss offensive rebounds= 12
Second half points= Florida (38), South Carolina (37)

Officials= Tony Greene, Ron Groover, and Willi CJ Washington
Attendance= 12,522
Coach's Quotes

Billy Donovan

Talking about Young's shoulder injury...
"I thought he dislocated it...he's fine though."

Talking about Wilbekin's defense on Henderson...
"[We] gave Scottie carte blanche (he could do anything that he needed to do in order to defend Henderson."

Player Quotes

Erik Murphy

Talking about his shooting prowess...
"It's going in." (Short and simple, always courtesy of Murphy)

Scottie Wilbekin

Talking about the Gators' defense...
"[We were] more focused on defense than ever before."

Talking about the Rebels' talent...
"[It was our] the toughest game by far."

What's Up Next

The Gators travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for a tough road matchup with the Arkansas Razorbacks.  The Razorbacks come in with a record of 13-8 and are 4-4 in the SEC, fresh off a win over Tennessee on Saturday at home.  The Razorbacks are 13-1 at Bud Walton Arena.  The tip is set for 7:00.  The game will be televised on ESPN and broadcast on the radio on WRUF/Gator IMG Sports Network.  The pregame radio show begins at 6:25.