Gators Dominate Bulldogs

No Thomas Haugh, no problem for Todd Golden and the the defending national champion Florida Gators. Florida dominated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 108-74 on Senior Night as they continue their run towards the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Golden earned his 100th career win as the Florida Gators head coach. With Florida’s win, combined with Alabama’s loss to Georgia tonight, the Gators claimed their first league championship since 2014 after initially clinching a share of the title in a 111-77 win over Arkansas this past Saturday.

Mississippi State took an early 24-14 lead with the SEC’s second leading scorer Josh Hubbard leading the way. He was able to score in different ways and the Bulldogs were very efficient shooting the ball. The 10 point deficit was Florida’s largest home deficit in 38 days to open the game. The Gators’ backcourt of Boogie Fland, Xaivian Lee and Urban Klavžar took over the game after a timeout, leading an 18-0 run to take an eight-point lead. True freshman C.J. Ingram II stepped into a bigger role tonight with Florida’s leading scorer Thomas Haugh missing the game as a precaution due to a sore ankle. He started the scoring stretch with back to back 3-point shots and finished the game with 8 points.

Alex Condon dominated in both halves, posting a game-high 26 points on 12 of 19 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists. Xaivian Lee finished with 19 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals with no turnovers. Klavžar and Fland each scored 10 points as they were among 6 players who were in double figures. Rueben Chinyelu posted his 18th double-double of the season with 11 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks tonight. He broke the single season record for the most offensive rebounds in a season earlier this season and now tied a 50-year-old record for double-doubles in a single season at Florida.

Florida will be the #1 seed in the SEC Tournament next week in Nashville. The Gators will conclude the regular season at Rupp Arena when it faces Kentucky on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Gators won 92-83 over the Wildcats back on Feb. 14. They’re projected to be a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN’s bracketologist Joe Lunardi. They have a chance to earn a #1 seed if they’re able to beat Kentucky and win the SEC Tournament.

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