Freshman forward Keyontae Johnson did his best Superman impression on superhero night at the O’Connell Center. He took flight and snagged a lob thrown from under the basket by fellow freshman Andrew Nembhard and emphatically slammed it down.
It was one of many dazzling plays made by Johnson and his first-year cohort in the Gators’ thrilling 90-86 overtime win over the Ole Miss Rebels. It became more and more clear recently, and Wednesday night’s win all but confirmed it: the freshmen are Florida’s most trustworthy options.
Here’s a rundown of how each rookie performed.
Keyontae Johnson
The forward from Norfolk, Virginia, has seen his role on the team increase over the past few weeks. He started his first career game against Georgia on Jan. 19 and has cracked the Gators’ starting five in every game since.
Johnson’s most impressive game at UF was against the Rebels. He demonstrated his offensive prowess, scoring 15 points before eventually fouling out during the overtime period. He hit seven of his 11 shots and also drilled a three, just his 10th make from downtown this season. He said that he felt like he still needs to improve on defense, however.
“I don’t think I was that good today (on defense),” Johnson said. “I could get better on defense and have a better overall game.”
Johnson grabbed six rebounds, second on the team to only Kevarrius Hayes.
“He’s come a long way,” coach Mike White said. “He was ready when his name was called.”
Johnson’s physicality under the basket gives Florida’s offense a dimension it hasn’t had since Devin Robinson led the team to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament two years ago. The team is categorically better when Johnson is on the floor. His +/- against Mississippi was 18.
He may not be the team leader Robinson was right now, but Johnson is quickly turning into a stud for the Gators.
Noah Locke
Florida’s leading scorer on the night was another rookie. Locke, who hit a crucial three to open overtime, is carving out a role as UF’s go-to sharpshooter. He scored 22 against the Rebels, hitting six threes.
“I was just playing,” Locke said. “Once me and KeVaughn (Allen) and the rest of the team started making shots, it was really hard for the other team to guard us.”
He shot 7-of-13 Wednesday night, his sixth game of the year shooting 50 percent or better.
Locke played 42 minutes against the Rebels, and managed his second-highest scoring output of the season after he scored 27 against Texas A&M on Jan. 22.
With Jalen Hudson struggling to rekindle his shooting confidence from a season ago, Florida desperately needed to find someone to pick up the slack. Locke is giving the Gators every reason to think he’s that guy.
Andrew Nembhard
It might not have been the flashiest of performances for the freshman point guard, but White said it was possibly his best game of the year.
“Just from a playing the game standpoint,” he said. “He made great decisions, hit a timely three.”
Nembhard scored 12 points while shooting 4-of-5 and had six assists. The Gators’ facilitator hit two threes, but his impact was really felt on the defensive end. His four steals contributed to the Rebels’ 17 total turnovers.
He also hit key free throws late in overtime to secure the win for UF.
It’s not the first time Florida’s freshmen have shown glimpses of brilliance, but the play of the young guys had a direct impact on Florida’s hard-fought victory in a must-win game.
“Collectively, to me, it was the best game that our freshmen have played,” White said.
Follow Tyler Nettuno on Twitter @TylerNettuno and contact him at tnettuno@alligator.org.
Freshman forward Keyontae Johnson made his fourth career start against Ole Miss on Wednesday. He finished with 15 points and six rebounds in the Gators' 90-86 overtime win over the Rebels.
