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The No. 13 Florida men’s basketball team is 9-0 to open the season for the first time since 2005 after an 89-67 win Wednesday against the Virginia Cavaliers at the O’Connell Center in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
First Half
The Cavaliers (5-3) got off to a hot start with an 8-2 run thanks to impressive shooting from Issac McKneely.
Florida struggled to shoot the ball early, but made its presence known in the paint and shifted momentum with on-the-ball pressure.
Denzel Aberdeen provided an offensive spark off the bench for the Gators. His 3-point shooting gave the Gators their first lead at 21-20 with nine minutes remaining in the first half.
Will Richard and Alex Condon scored buckets to contribute to a 15-0 Florida run.
The Gators kept the Cavaliers stagnant with defensive rebounds. Florida forced eight turnovers and scored 10 points off the mistakes.
Despite an early shooting slump, Walter Clayton Jr. hit back-to-back triples with less than five minutes to go to energize the O’Dome.
Florida slowed down approaching the half and didn’t score a field goal in the final three minutes.
Despite the lull, the Gators led at halftime, 39-35.
Clayton Jr., Condon Shine
Clayton Jr. picked up right where he left off in orchestrating an offensive clinic in the second half. The Gators point guard took control of the game with 27 points, shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 3-for-5 from deep in the final 20 minutes.
This is the 32nd straight game Clayton Jr. has hit a 3-pointer.
His partner in crime was Condon. He took over the paint and Virginia had no answers for the big man.
Condon scored 15 in the second half while grabbing eight boards.
Florida threatened to score from everywhere on the court, causing the Cavaliers to commit fouls.
Turnovers continued to plague Virginia in the second half, keeping it from gaining momentum.
Alijah Martin and Aberdeen also tallied double-digit performances, scoring 16 and 12, respectively.
Florida’s dominance was too much for the Cavaliers to handle, and the Gators secured their 13th consecutive home win. UF’s nine wins have come by double digits and its average margin of victory is 21.5 per game.
Up Next
Florida is back in action Dec. 14 against Arizona State (8-1) as part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network, ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF).
Tuesday’s Challenge Results
- Georgia 69, Notre Dame 48
- South Carolina 73, Boston College 51
- Missouri 98, Cal 93
- Arkansas 76, Miami 73
- No. 3 Tennessee 96, Syracuse 70
- No. 22 Texas A&M 57, Wake Forest 44
- No. 21 Oklahoma 76, Georgia Tech 61
- No. 23 Ole Miss 86, Louisville 63
- LSU 85, Florida State 75
- Clemson 70, No. 4 Kentucky 66
Wednesday’s Challenge Results
- No. 13 Florida 87, Virginia 69
- No. 10 Alabama 94, No. 20 North Carolina 79
- No. 9 Duke 84, No. 2 Auburn 78
- Texas 63, NC State 59
- Vanderbilt 80, Virginia Tech 64
- Mississippi State 90, No. 18 Pitt 57
SEC 14, ACC 2
