GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Thomas Haugh scored 22 points, Rueben Chinyelu had his 17th double-double of the season, and No. 7 Florida cruised to a 111-77 victory over No. 20 Arkansas on Saturday night to at least win the Southeastern Conference title.
That tied Arkansas head coach John Calipari’s worst career loss, a 34-point performance against Duke in 2018. Calipari was playing for the University of Kentucky.
advertise
The Gators (23-6, 14-2 SEC) snapped a February winless streak with nine straight wins and clinched their first regular-season title since 2014. They hold a two-game lead over No. 17 Alabama with two games remaining and will look to clinch the championship at home on Tuesday night.
But they didn’t wait to celebrate.
With a packed house at Florida State’s Billy Donovan Court, it’s turned into a party spot for ESPN’s College GameDay. Coach Todd Golden was front and center as the team handed out hats and T-shirts and cut out the nets. This isn’t Golden’s first time in the spotlight Saturday night, either.
Early in the second half, Golden and Calipari received two technical fouls after screaming at each other near midfield. Calipari’s assistant pulled him away. Golden turned around and outraged the more than 11,000 people in attendance.
advertise
It was one of the few bright spots in a game that ended early.
The Gators dominated on both ends of the floor, playing hard inside and outside, building a 30-point lead with 13 minutes left in the game. The biggest surprises were backups Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown. Klavzal hit his first four 3-pointers and scored 14 points, while Brown scored 11 points with two 3-pointers.
But Florida’s big men largely controlled the tempo. Howe, Chin Yale and Alex Condon drove in the paint, helping the Gators outrebound Arkansas 49-30 and win the battle in the paint.
Billy Richmond III scored 22 points for the Razorbacks (21-8, 11-5), including 14 in the first 15 minutes. Darius Acuff Jr. led the SEC in points and assists, finishing with 17 points and six assists.
advertise
Florida State guard Boogie Friend was one of seven Gators to score in double figures against his former team and helped end Calipari’s six-game winning streak in Gainesville.
Florida State has won six straight games against ranked teams and has scored at least 90 points in each game. It’s the second-longest streak in college basketball history. The longest streak is tied by UNLV and Loyola-Marymount, both completed in the 1989-90 season.
Next
Arkansas: Host Texas on Wednesday night.
Florida State: Host Mississippi State on Tuesday night.