COLUMBIA, S.C. - In a back-and-forth game against lowly South Carolina, the Gators showed they can play with anybody, both good and bad.
On the road against the struggling Gamecocks (9-9, 1-3 Southeastern Conference), UF had to rely on a late run to slip past an inspired South Carolina club that gave the Gators (17-3, 4-1 SEC) all it had.
The Gators closed the contest on a 13-8 run, narrowly grabbing a 73-71 victory in a game where they spent most of their time clawing and fighting for survival.
The young Gators showed their surprising maturity in the late stages of the game, answering big runs with outside shots and key defensive stops.
"We lost to a team that plays well above their age," South Carolina coach Dave Odom said.
The Gators played sloppy basketball in the first half and seemed to grow as the game progressed.
UF was lucky to trail by just two heading into intermission after shooting a woeful 3 of 14 from beyond the arc in the opening period. The Gamecocks hit six of their 10 attempts from 3-point range.
Marreese Speights and Nick Calathes kept the Gators alive, combining to score 23 of UF's 36 points in the opening 20 minutes.
The Gators once again ended the first half surging. UF scored 6 straight to climb back into the game, ignited by freshman Jai Lucas. Trailing 38-30, Lucas hit a 3-pointer as he fell into the Gamecocks bench.
UF's full-court press then forced a turnover, and Speights closed out the half with a thunderous and-one dunk over the Gamecocks' Brandis Raley-Ross.
"I just saw him standing there and I knew I could dunk," Speights said. "So I did."
The Gators opened the second half on a 7-3 run to take a 43-41 lead before allowing South Carolina to reel off 11 straight points to open a 52-43 lead.
UF then displayed the heart and competitive nature that has characterized the young group all season.
The Gators scored 8 straight to pull within 1 before South Carolina guard Devan Downey hit a 3-pointer to turn the momentum back the other way.
But UF wouldn't back down and continued to hang around.
With less than five minutes remaining, Lucas pulled up and hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 65.
Soon after, Calathes hit a shot from several feet beyond the arc to give UF the advantage at 68-67.
A missed free throw by Calathes gave South Carolina one final chance, but a half-court shot came up empty, and the Gators squeezed by with the victory.
UF coach Billy Donovan commented afterward on his team's unlikely confidence and its ability to stay focused in the face of adversity.
"The one thing I'd say about our guys is that they have a belief in themselves," Donovan said. "Adversity doesn't seem to affect them. As coaches we've all been in the huddle with young teams on the road and you look in their eyes and nobody's home. I haven't had that problem with these guys."
Speights continued his strong play, hitting 10 of 13 shots en route to scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Calathes added 21 points and four assists.
UF walk-on Shane Payne made his first SEC appearance of the season. Donovan put Payne in with 5.6 seconds left in the first half to guard Downey, South Carolina's leading scorer. Payne returned with 16:30 remaining in the contest and played for a little more than a minute.
