The Florida Gators (14-7, 5-3 SEC) had lost 12 straight games to top-10 teams, but that was in the past. The Gators put together their most complete game of the season in an absolute beatdown of the West Virginia Mountaineers (17-4, 6-2 Big 12), the No. 9 team in the country. 

Scuffle And Fouls

A pregame scuffle seemed to set the tone. The two teams had to be divided by the officials just before the singing of the national anthem, after Florida players didn't like the face that the West Virginia players were circling up on their side of the court. Referees reviewed the incident, but did not hand out any technical fouls. The teams did, however, combine for 48 fouls over the course of the game. 

Gators Roar

Led by 5th-year senior Dorian Finney-Smith, the Gators shot lights out, converting on 53% of their shots. Finney-Smith led all players with 24 points and also added in 5 rebounds and 3 assists. He also finished 5-7 on his three point attempts. 

KeVaughn Allen added 19 points for the Gators, and Chris Chiozza finished with 10.

The Gators only outscored West Virginia by 2 points in the second half as most of their damage was done in the first half. The Gators outscored the Mountaineers 45-30 in the first half. Florida closed the half with a 14-3 run that turned a 31-27 game into a double-digit lead, and when Finney-Smith hit his third 3 just seconds after halftime, it was clear the Gators were going to finish off this unlikely upset.

Florida opened up a 20-point lead midway through the second half and never let West Virginia back in it. The Gators, who have been consistently bad from the free-throw line this year, closed it out from the free-throw line, finishing 24-31 from the charity stripe after starting 2-of-7.

Florida Flying Toward March

This win was a signature one for first-year Gator coach, Mike White. The win will boost the Gators' resume and help their chances for March come tournament time. 

After the game, White had this to say: 

"It's a really big win, I'm worried about this team being as good as we can be and seeing how far we can play into the postseason and getting into the real postseason that we want to be in, and this is a step for sure. This doesn't guarantee anything, obviously. We have a ways to go. ... Most importantly, it shows our guys this is what we're capable of. Can we match that?"

West Virginia will try to rebound from this tough defeat as they play at Iowa State on Tuesday. The Cyclones (16-5, 5-3 Big 12) suffered a loss today as they fell to the 5th ranked Texas A&M Aggies. The matchup with the Mountaineers Tuesday will have huge implications on the Big 12 and the rest of the NCAA.

As for Florida, they play host to the Arkansas Razorbacks (11-10, 4-4 SEC) on Wednesday. This will be a big games for both teams as they look to climb the SEC standings. 

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About the author
Norman Tall
Norman Is a writer who mostly covers NFL.( A lot of New York Giants) Also enjoys watching Hockey.