The numbers don’t tell the whole story, but it’s hard to deny that there are certain box score benchmarks that are typically associated with a victory for the Gators men’s basketball team.
Sixth-seeded Florida’s season came to a frustrating end against third-seeded Texas Tech in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday after guards Egor Koulechov and KeVaughn Allen each missed potential game-tying three-pointers in the final six seconds. The 69-66 loss ended the Gators’ streak of seven straight Round of 32 victories, but also featured some statlines that usually signal a “W” for UF.
Here are four winning trends that Florida bucked in Saturday’s loss.
Record when Jalen Hudson scores in double figures coming into Saturday: 20-7
Hudson’s 23 points against Texas Tech were the tied for the second most the junior had scored in a loss this season. He was an efficient 8-of-16 from the field and did not miss more than two shots in a row against the Red Raiders, but was outdueled late in the game by All-Big 12 guard Keenan Evans.
Record when recording five or more blocks coming into Saturday: 12-2
The Gators’ nine blocks against the Red Raiders were more than they had in 31 out of 34 games this year. Junior center Kevarrius Hayes had three on the night, two of which came on back-to-back Texas Tech possessions in the second half.
Junior guard KeVaughn Allen and sophomore forward Keith Stone each had particularly emphatic stuffs. Allen had a come-from-behind swat on a dunk attempt in the first half, while Stone palmed a second-half midrange shot by Evans out of bounds.
Record when allowing fewer than 70 points coming into Saturday: 15-3
Florida allowed more than 70 points just once in its last 10 wins of the season. Opposing teams failed to score 70 points in 15 of UF’s 21 wins.
Conversely, Texas Tech was 1-5 when scoring fewer than 70 points heading into its matchup with Florida. The Red Raiders’ only other such victory came against Kansas State when they beat the Wildcats 66-47 on Feb. 10.
Record when making more free throws than opponent coming into Saturday: 14-2
Coming into the second round of the tournament, the Gators were one of the SEC’s least efficient teams from the line. They ranked seventh in the league in free-throw percentage (.719) and 11th in both free throws made (460) and free throws attempted (640).
Florida won nearly 90 percent of the games it outscored its opponents from the foul line before making 10 free throws to Texas Tech’s seven on Saturday.
Follow Andrew Huang on Twitter @AndrewJHuang and contact him at ahuang@alligator.org.
Guard Jalen Hudson elected to return to school for his final year of eligibility.
