GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators followed their biggest win of the season with a crushing near-miss against the SEC’s hottest team.
A late surge by Arkansas carried the relentless Razorbacks past the Gators, 82-74, Tuesday during an electrifying contest in the O’Connell Center.
Arkansas’ 12th win in 13 games, following an 0-3 start to league play, negated Florida big man Colin Castleton’s career-high 29 points, including 18 in the second half.
Led by star shooting guard JD Notae and 6-foot-10 sophomore Jaylin Williams, the Razorbacks (22-6, 11-4 SEC) ultimately pulled away behind clutch shooting and second effort, highlighted by 16 second-chance points.
“At certain times they just bullied us,” Castleton said. “They just kept getting second-chance opportunities, third chance, loose balls — just things that show more fight.”
Still not 100% healthy due to a shoulder injury that sidelined him six games, Castleton battled the Razorbacks almost single-handedly down the stretch. The Gators’ 6-foot-11 senior positioned Florida (17-11, 7-8) for the upset three days after it defeated No. 2 Auburn at home.
“He’s leaving it all out there,” Florida coach Mike White said.
But Arkansas closed the game on a 10-3 run and Florida missed eight of its final 10 shots to give the Razorbacks their first win in Gainesville since 1995 to end a streak of 14 defeats. Then, the Razorbacks “40 Minutes of Hell” playing style carried Nolan Richardson’s squad to the national title game for the second straight season.
Under third-year coach Eric Musselman, the Razorbacks are enjoying a renaissance.
Meanwhile, Florida made a huge step toward its fifth straight NCAA Tournament bid under Mike White with the Auburn win. Beating Arkansas surely would have punched the Gators' ticket to the Big Dance and marked consecutive wins against ranked SEC opponents for the first time in 12 years.
Florida now has three games, beginning Saturday at Georgia, and the SEC Tournament to state its NCAA Tournament case.
“We have to be desperate we have to be urgent now,” point guard Tyree Appleby said. “We have to just respond.”
The Gators took a 62-56 lead Tuesday night on a Castleton layup with 7:25 remaining, but Arkansas answered with a 7-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by Williams to give his team a 63-62 lead.
The Razorbacks would build their lead to 5 points on a layup by Williams, making it 72-67. A layup by Castleton with 1:26 to go cut the lead to 72-71.
Notae, who had a team-high 22 points, answered with a 3-pointer 20 seconds later. Appleby, who had 19 points and 4 assists, responded with a missed 3 and a turnover on the next possession as the Razorbacks pulled away.
Battling foul trouble trying to contain Castleton, Williams ended with night with 15 points and 10 rebounds, his fifth straight double-double.
