Florida had no choice but to fight tooth and nail until the final buzzer after trailing by 19 points and cutting opposing Missouri’s lead to just three late in the second half.
The comeback in itself may not have been expected. But what may have been even more surprising was the sixth 3-pointer (and overall performance) that UM senior guard Caleb Grill knocked down off the bench.
With 2:23 remaining in regulation, Grill made a deep ball from the right wing that pushed Missouri’s lead to seven points and silenced the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
For the first time in 16 games, the No. 5 Florida men’s basketball team (15-2, 2-2 SEC) suffered a loss on its home floor to Missouri (14-3, 3-1 SEC) 83-82 Tuesday night.
“Obviously disappointed,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “Got to give a lot of credit to Missouri. They played harder than us. They were more ready to play than we were, and obviously jumped on us in the first half.”
UF senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. did just about all he could, posting a game-high 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field, three 3-pointers and five rebounds. Fellow senior guards Alijah Martin and Will Richard rounded out Florida’s scoring threats. Martin added 14 points and four rebounds, while Richard chipped in 12 points (11 in second half) on 3-of-5 shooting from deep.
Clayton Jr. had been relatively quiet as of late, combining for 19 points in his last two outings (17.2 points per game this season). But he was anything but silent in this one. Clayton Jr. scored the first five points for the Gators, knocking down a midrange floater and a 3-pointer that gave Florida a 5-3 lead just one minute into regulation.
“They definitely threw a couple different looks that took us out of some things, but we kept on adjusting,” Clayton Jr. said.
However, Missouri ended up taking a 9-7 lead into the first media timeout, largely thanks to five points from senior guard Tamar Bates in the first four minutes.
UF struggled with foul trouble issues in the first half, specifically for sophomore forward Thomas Haugh. The second-year big checked in following the under-16 timeout, but committed two fouls in 55 seconds before quickly being subbed right back out. Haugh was called for two more fouls before halftime, thus limiting the Gators’ backcourt depth against the Tigers.
Florida’s defense has been hit or miss this season. This has become increasingly evident after the Gators allowed 108 points to then-No. 10 Kentucky and followed it up by stoutly holding then-No. 1 Tennessee to 43 points three days later. In the first half against UM, it was spotty again.
The Tigers led 24-14 following one of four 3-pointers in the first half that Grill made off the bench in just 13 minutes. But it wasn’t just Grill who had the hot hand for Missouri. Roughly midway through the opening half, UM was shooting 8-of-14 from the field (57%) and 3-of-7 (43%) from distance.
“We relaxed a little bit and let them get comfortable too early,” Richard said. “It happened the whole first half, so it’s just something we can’t let happen again.”
As much as Florida was struggling defensively, its offense wasn’t helping its case. With just over 10 minutes left in the first half, the Gators trailed 33-18. Clayton Jr. had 13 points, but the entire rest of UF’s roster combined to make just one field goal. That was until sophomore forward Denzel Aberdeen made a driving layup to cut Missouri’s lead to 33-20.
UM’s lead grew as large as 19 points with 7:22 remaining in the first half. To make matters worse, the Gators later went on a nearly four-minute scoring drought while turning the ball over three times, as the Tigers led 50-34 at halftime.
In the second half, Golden described Florida’s performance as “too little, too late”. The Gators cut Missouri’s lead to 58-53 with 12:18 left following a putback layup by sophomore center Reuben Chinyelu. However, Florida quickly saw its deficit grow back to 11 points before Clayton Jr. made a clutch 3-pointer to make it a one possession game with 3:38 to go in the second half.
Perhaps Florida’s final hope of forcing overtime came when Martin made a driving floater inside the paint with 38 seconds left, cutting Missouri’s lead to 77-75. From there, Grill and UM junior forward Mark Mitchell combined to make four straight free throws to keep the Gators at bay.
UF picked up the pace in the second half both offensively and defensively after a shaky first. The Gators went 10-of-15 (40%) from the field in the first half, but shot the ball at a 55% clip from the floor in the second. Moreover, after allowing 50 points in the opening 20 minutes, Florida held Missouri to 33 in the second. But it wasn’t enough.
“Definitely not a good feeling,” Richard said. “But it’s definitely something you can learn from. You can’t take nights off in this league and have a first half like we had.”
Florida will have a much-needed three days off before it takes on its next opponent. Next, the Gators will play host to the Texas Longhorns at the O’Dome on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a senior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose to further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
