OXFORD, Miss. - The Gators' inability to crack the polls has been a mystery to many. Wednesday's game at No. 18 Mississippi proved UF is right where it belongs.
The Gators (15-3, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) showed the heart and resilience typical of this year's squad, but came up short in an 89-87 loss to Mississippi (15-1, 2-1 SEC).
UF staged two separate furious comebacks, but failed to finish the deal and fell for the first time in SEC play this season. Coach Billy Donovan expressed pride in his team's effort in such a hostile environment.
"I thought our guys battled and fought the best they could," Donovan said. "What has been difficult for our team is the inconsistency, but what has not been inconsistent is how hard they're trying."
Forward Chandler Parsons scored 8 points in an 11-0 run that brought the Gators back to life after struggling throughout. Parsons then hit a late 3-pointer to bring UF within two at 84-82, but the Gators couldn't get over the hump and lost in a nailbiter.
A glum Dan Werner addressed reporters after the game and talked about how difficult the loss is for the young Gators.
"We showed a lot of heart, but you need a lot more than heart to win games," he said. "I don't know how you can take a loss good, but this one hurts."
The Gators were plagued by inconsistency throughout. UF opened the game with a 9-2 lead that quickly diminished. The score was tied at 11 and the fast start was just an afterthought.
The Gators offense stalled and sputtered as the Rebels scored 12 straight points en route to 23-12 lead.
Mississippi continued to pour it on and left the Gators reeling early and often.
UF fell in love with the outside shot early and failed to mount any consistent inside attack. The Gators hit just 4-of-16 from beyond the arc in the opening period and 9-of-32 overall.
"The 3-point line was fool's gold for us after the fast start," Donovan said.
The Rebels' lead likely would have swelled even further if not for Werner. He scored 13 points in the opening period, hitting big shots to break up runs that threatened to put UF away for good.
He helped pave the way for the Gators to make a run at the end of the first half, reminiscent of last week's game against Alabama, when Jai Lucas hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to bring UF to within 7.
The Gators scored 6 consecutive points to close out the half, narrowing the gap to within 9 at 43-34.
UF continued to hang around, but this time it wasn't enough.
With 50 seconds left, Walter Hodge hit a 3-pointer to bring the Gators close at 83-79, and then Parsons hit another to narrow the gap to 84-82. Mississippi hit some key free throws, and in the end UF just couldn't catch the Rebels.
Marreese Speights continued his struggles in conference play. After scoring just 6 points against Alabama, Speights turned the ball over three times and scored just 4 points in the game, while the Rebels frontcourt tandem of Kenny Williams and Dwayne Curtis combined for 28 points.
Speights sat for the final 16:16 of the game. Donovan said he was trying to use a smaller lineup and dismissed the benching as a response to Speights' ineffective play.
Former UF guard David Huertas scored 7 points, including a 3-pointer in front of the Gators bench, which led to some trash talk from the national champions.
"We're definitely disappointed," said Parsons, who scored 15 point off the bench. "I mean, this is our first SEC loss, but we're not going to hang our heads. We played hard. We know we competed."
