Two minutes into their quarterfinal matchup in the SEC Tournament, it looked like Florida Basketball was going to waltz its way into the semifinals. The Gators shot out to a 10-0 lead and looked like they could make early plans for dinner.
But the Tigers never fully went away and every chance the Gators had to put Missouri away for good, they could just never find the finishing blow. In the end, the initial 10-0 surge allowed Florida to keep Missouri at arm's length as Florida never trailed and will be moving on to the SEC semifinals.
Florida Basketball: Keep On Dancing
After the initial surge, turnovers became a theme for Florida. At every turn, the Gators had a chance to push the lead to 20; careless giveaways prevented that surge from happening.
Even with that, Florida still went into halftime with a 50-37 lead because when they didn't turn it over 60% from the field.
But Todd Golden was frustrated in the second half because, in a flash, the lead got as low as five points. Then, to add to matters, Walter Clayton had to leave temporarily with cramps.
What ultimately allowed the Gators to put the Tigers away for good was when Missouri center Josh Gray fouled out with seven minutes to play. Combined with resting their other big man, Missouri ran out of big men, and Golden responded in kind by making sure that Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh were out on the court together to punish Missouri.
The end result was one last surge that the Tigers had zero answer for, and with four minutes to go, the game wasn't in doubt.
Alijah Martin, Will Richard, Haugh, and Clayton all had at least 16 points. Condon had nine points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.
Florida will move on to the SEC Semifinals, where they will play the winner of Alabama and Kentucky.