Florida was one of the last teams in the NCAA Tournament, and one of the first teams out of it Thursday.
The stay was short, but after a gut-wrenching 99-92 loss to BYU in double overtime, give the Gators this: They left everything on the court in Oklahoma City in their first tournament appearance since winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.
Chandler Parsons went for 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, Vernon Macklin scored 16 and grabbed seven boards, and freshman guard Kenny Boynton turned in one of the gutsiest performances I have ever seen by a Florida basketball player.
Boynton dumped in 27 on 5-of-10 three-point shooting and led the Gators back from a 13-point deficit with 9:16 remaining in the game.
The streaky shooter scored 14 points in a row for UF, including three three-pointers in a row, to cut the lead to 66-63 with just less than five minutes left.
Toward the end of his incredible run, Boynton could be seen on the right wing, hunched over and grabbing his shorts while the ball was in play.
Scoring 14 points in a row is tiring.
Scoring 14 points in a row while guarding BYU leading scorer Jimmer Fredette, who carried the Cougars with 37 points, is exhausting.
Yet there Boynton was on every defensive possession, butt down, arms up and working as hard to prevent Fredette from scoring as he was putting the ball through the net.
Up until Boynton fouled out with four minutes remaining in double overtime, he could only muster four more points after his 14-point run.
He was spent.
The whole time he was lighting up the Ford Center over that five minute stretch, all I could think was, “Take him off of Fredette! He’s killing himself out there!”
As admirable of a job as he did guarding BYU’s primary ball handler, he didn’t exactly shut him down. No one is capable of that.
The way Boynton was stroking the ball, it would have been wise to save his energy and fouls for the offensive end of the court, where he may have carried UF for as long as necessary.
Billy Donovan will take some heat for failing to draw up a functional last-shot play at the end of regulation and the first overtime — and rightfully so — but I think his biggest mistake was not putting Ray Shipman, one of their best on-the-ball defenders, on Fredette, who wore Boynton out by always keeping his dribble and eventually drew the call that fouled the freshman out of the game.
Donovan even had to sit Boynton down for a few seconds to catch his breath immediately following his last three-pointer in that incredible run. There’s no way he was best served on the bench in that situation; he could’ve been resting on defense.
With the possessed look Boynton had in his eye the whole game, I’m sure he would’ve rather guarded two people than be taken off Fredette, but it clearly took a toll on him.
The players tried everything they could to get a win. I’m just not totally sold that Donovan did.
