Arkansas was going to make Scottie Wilbekin win the game for No. 10 Florida, and he did.
The senior point guard was listed as questionable for the Gators (13-2, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) heading into their matchup with the Razorbacks (11-4, 0-2 SEC) on Saturday, but a sprained right ankle did not stop Wilbekin from sending the game into overtime and icing the contest with late free throws as Florida won 84-82 on Saturday in Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark., without its leading scorer, Casey Prather (knee). The Gators’ victory snapped the Razorbacks’ 25-game winning streak at home.
In a back-and-forth game that included 13 ties and seven lead changes, Florida’s last chance in the second half came with only 18 seconds left and UF down 66-64. Michael Frazier II grabbed a rebound off of an Arkansas missed free throw and quickly dished the ball to Wilbekin.
Although coach Billy Donovan had one remaining timeout, he chose to let Wilbekin run the isolation offense and take the final shot. With fewer than five seconds remaining, the 6-foot-2 point guard drove, pulled up and banked in a 16-foot shot to tie the game at 66 with two seconds left.
Wilbekin said his right ankle was at about 80-90 percent, which limited his motion and agility. However, there was no doubt the senior was going to take the last shot in the second half as he ran the isolation offense.
“I give our guys a lot of credit (with) just the resiliency to come back,” Donovan said. “And then Scottie, making a tough shot at the end of regulation to give us a chance in overtime.”
Dorian Finney-Smith, who led the team with 22 points and 15 rebounds, said he knew Wilbekin had the strength to make that last shot despite not being 100 percent.
“I’m happy for him,” Finney-Smith said about Wilbekin. “That was a tough shot. Coach D drew the play up and told him to get a good shot off and that’s what (Wilbekin) did. He shot it with confidence.”
The Razorbacks were forced to toss up a prayer at half court as time expired, but the shot missed and both teams saw overtime for the first time this year.
The Gators, who were down by seven with just more than four minutes left in regulation, now had momentum in extra time.
Florida opened overtime with a 5-0 run, forcing the Razorbacks to foul and make Florida win the game at the free-throw line.
Wilbekin, who was 2 of 2 at the line during regulation, was first sent to the charity stripe with 35 seconds left and his team up 78-75. In total, Wilbekin went 6 of 8 on free throws in the final 35 seconds.
Despite the injured ankle, the point guard finished the game with 18 points, which ties a career high, and only one turnover.
Donovan said that although Wilbekin iced the game late in the second half and in overtime for the Gators, he added that they wouldn’t have been put in that position if it weren’t for Young.
The senior center, who was limited to 16 minutes because of a pair of sore knees, fell three rebounds shy of a double-double as he finished with 10 points and seven boards.
“I thought Patric was a monster in the second half, although he didn’t play a lot of minutes,” Donovan said.
“He rebounded the ball, he defended, he chased balls on the glass, he made a couple free throws. I thought he played very, very well tonight considering he had limited minutes.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Follow Jonathan Czupryn on Twitter @jczupryn
Scottie Wilbekin drives down the lane during Florida’s win against South Carolina in the O’Connell Center on Wednesday. Wilbekin finished second on the team with 18 points in Florida’s 84-82 overtime win against Arkansas on Saturday.
