Arizona Wildcats 65 – Florida Gators 64; Gators Fall In Last Minute

You can’t win them all, and on Saturday night the Florida Gators proved that to be true. Up by six points with less than one minute to play, the Gators allowed the Arizona Wildcats to score seven straight in the final 56 seconds. The Wildcats concluded the flurry with a basket with seven seconds remaining to down the Gators 65-64. With the loss, the Gators fall to 7-1 with four games remaining until SEC play begins.

The tone of a bad final few minutes was set in the first half when the Gators failed to close out the first frame. Here’s the rundown of the Gators’ possessions over the final 3:06 of the first half.

3:06 – Patric Young made Jumper (This put the Gators up 32-21.)
2:44 – Will Yeguete Steal
2:21 – Erik Murphy missed Three Point Jumper
2:11 – Kenny Boynton Defensive Rebound
1:52 – Patric Young missed Jumper
1:52 – Will Yeguete Offensive Rebound
1:49 – Will Yeguete missed Layup
1:49 – Will Yeguete Offensive Rebound
1:49 – Will Yeguete missed Layup
1:49 – Erik Murphy Offensive Rebound
1:49 – Erik Murphy missed Layup
1:49 – Erik Murphy Offensive Rebound
1:43 – Patric Young Turnover
1:06 – Kenny Boynton missed Jumper
0:36 – Will Yeguete missed Jumper
0:36 – Scottie Wilbekin Offensive Rebound
0:30 – Scottie Wilbekin missed Layup
0:09 – Kenny Boynton Turnover
0:00 – End of the 1st Half (The Gators lead was cut to 32-29 at this point.)

The Wildcats were able to cut an 11-point deficit to a three-point one. It would all happen again at the end of the game when they cut a six-point deficit into a one-point victory.

It’s not horribly disappointing to lose to the nation’s No. 8 team. After all, Arizona possesses a good squad that is playing well. Florida wasn’t necessarily upset here. But, oddly enough, they were at the same time. When you lose in the fashion the Gators did, it is disappointing and at times even maddening. Put the final three minutes of the first half together with the final minute of the game and you get, by far, the worst four minutes the Gators have played this season. Yes, it could happen at much worse times in far more important games, but the way those four minutes unfolded are a sign from the past of a team that falls flat from time to time.

Billy Donovan has done wonders with the Gators over the past two seasons. Back-to-back Elite Eight appearances is an impressive feat for the two-time national champion head coach. However, the one thing his teams still need to improve upon is the dead time. When the Gators run out of power, they turn off almost completely. For those critical four minutes, the Gators were outscored 15-0. Think about that for just a second. This ended up being a one-point game. Even if the Gators had managed just one field goal in those four minutes, they could have won. 15-2, win. 15-3, victory Florida. 15-4, this team is still undefeated.

This Gators’ team is built to go far in the NCAA Tournament. Over the course of the still young season, the Gators have played well on both ends of the court and shown the ability to turn it on and completely dominate their opponents. For 36 minutes on Saturday night, the Gators put together a performance that should have led to a double-digit victory against a top-10 team. For the other four, they looked lost and desperate.

There’s plenty of season left and more than enough time for Donovan and the Gators to figure out why those dead minutes occur. This is still a good team and it could even be a great one, but they can’t beat themselves.