ATHENS, Ga. - For the first time in a month, the Florida Gators actually looked like the Florida Gators.
From the 3-point line, inside the paint offensively, and most importantly, on defense.
You might say beating Georgia is no eye-popper, but this game meant much more than SUN Sports, who only aired it on tape delay, would want you to believe.
Florida snapped out of a skid at just the right time, at the end of February and at the beginning of the toughest stretch of the season.
They also played unfazed basketball on the road, picking up just their SEC third road win of the season.
UF coach Billy Donovan recalled a statistic that caused him to look twice while evaluating Georgia game film leading up to Wednesday's game.
He saw a display of the SEC's woeful road record.
Only two teams have a winning conference record on the road, Tennessee and Mississippi State (coincidentally Florida's next two opponents at the O'Connell Center).
Three teams, Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama, have yet to win in the SEC away from home.
"It's mind-boggling how few road wins there have been in our league this season," Donovan said. "Generally, there's been quite a few. If you ever get four wins in the league on the road, you guys have done a remarkable job. We've got three right now, and we've got one more road game left. They're hard to come by."
That last road destination is Rupp Arena in two weeks.
It remains to be seen if the Gators can keep up this momentum going forward.
Remember, they trounced Vanderbilt at home on Jan. 27, then got drilled by Arkansas on the road the next game.
That explains why Donovan was very careful in choosing his words in his postgame interview.
He didn't laud his team with compliments but said he saw things that the team could do better.
He said he will remain "cautious."
And what did Georgia gain from this game?
More of the same.
The Bulldogs have lost 10 straight to the Gators in a series that is becoming nearly as one-sided as the recent football record.
Well, excluding last season's game.
That brings me to my next point.
In the most absurd chant of the night, the dozens of Georgia fans who didn't walk out early yelled "Let's play football" in the waning moments.
Football season is just about the only thing Bulldog fans have to look forward to at this point.
Oh wait, there is one other thing.
By scoring more than 60 points, Georgia won its supporters free chicken fingers from a local restaurant.
Enjoy your parting gift.
