For Oklahoma and No. 3 Florida, much has changed since New Year’s Day when both teams were 13-0.
While the Sooners have lost nine of their last 12, the Gators have won nine of their last 12, including two upsets of No. 1-ranked teams.
Tuesday night, when Oklahoma visits Florida at Gainesville, Fla., the stakes for the teams are vastly different as they consider the postseason implications.
A victory by the Sooners (16-9, 3-9 Southeastern Conference) would enhance their claim to an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, the Gators (22-3, 9-3) are trying to avoid a resume blemish which could damage their prospect of gaining a No. 1 seed.
“We want to give ourselves the best chance to advance in the NCAA Tournament,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “If you’re able to lock down a 1 seed, you give yourself a much better chance to do that. So we’ll continue to talk about it and try to reach that goal.”
Golden was speaking after Florida’s fourth straight win, an 88-67 victory over visiting South Carolina on Saturday, which was highlighted by the return of two injured players.
Micah Handlogten made his season debut after a broken leg in last year’s SEC tournament championship game. He had two points, five assists, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 20 minutes off the bench.
“He was impactful,” Golden said. “He made winning plays. It’s great to have him back out there.”
The return of the 7-foot-1 Handlogten is timely as 6-11 starter Alex Condon is expected to miss the Gators’ next few games with a sprained ankle. Frontcourt reserve Sam Alexis is out with an ankle injury, as well.
Also back after missing two games with a hip injury is Alijah Martin, the Gators’ second-leading scorer (15.1 points per game). Martin produced 11 points in 23 minutes, also off the bench, after starting Florida’s first 22 games.
Denzel Aberdeen, who moved into the starting lineup with the injury to Martin, has risen with his new role, scoring 42 points in the Gators’ last two games while hitting 15 of 24 shots (62.5 percent).
Aberdeen made 5 of 7 from 3-point range on his way to scoring a career-high 22 points Saturday against South Carolina. Thomas Haugh also notched his career-high, scoring 20 against the Gamecocks.
Oklahoma is reeling after blowing a five-point lead in the final 35 seconds of an 82-79 loss at home to LSU, which had lost its previous seven games.
The Sooners surrendered a four-point play, fouling Cam Carter as he drained a 3-pointer. After LSU made a steal, Carter scored on a three-point play with eight seconds left.
“We had a complete meltdown,” Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said.
The Sooners have lost their last four games. The average margin of the first three losses in the skid, each to a ranked team, was 23.3 points.
With their next five games also coming against currently ranked teams, the Sooners will look to their top two scorers, Jalon Moore (17.2 points per game) and Jeremiah Fears (15.2).
“There’s still opportunities and a lot to play for,” Moser said. “We have a path. It’s a hard path but it’s an attainable path.”
–Field Level Media
