South Carolina at their best still can't beat Florida Basketball at their worst

For 39 minutes and 55 seconds, things in Columbia looked bleak for Florida Basketball. The Gators were sluggish out of the gate and fell behind by as many as 14-points as it looked like it was going to be another one of those night.

Florida has its warts, but it also shows a level of grittiness that can be a reminder that even at its worst, the Gators can pull out victories when needed.

Florida Basketball: Survive And Advance

Despite a sluggish start and struggles with missed opportunities, Todd Golden's shift to the press ignited the Gators' comeback, forcing turnovers and disrupting South Carolina's rhythm.

While their halfcourt offense looked inept at times, the Gators' defense wreaked havoc after switching to a 2-2-1. Florida made it impossible for the Gamecocks to get past halfcourt.

Florida's only lead came at the final buzzer, and they had to pull out of a 14-point hole after shooting just 42% on the night with nine turnovers. Even Florida's normal dominance on the glass was neutered as Florida had 15 offensive rebounds to the 13 South Carolina grabbed.

But as Florida started forcing turnovers, they began to claw their way back and finished the night with 22 points off turnovers. On the final play, Richard took the ball from the top of the arc, took a step right, and then drove left to the rim. Alex Condon, who didn't have a great night, sealed off the lane, and Richard was able to finish.

Florida moves to 17-2 on the season and 4-2 in SEC play while dropping South Carolina to 0-6 in conference play.

Next up for Florida is a date on Saturday with Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs, who lost to Arkansas last night to give the Razorbacks their first conference win of the season.