The Florida Gators (18-14, 9-9) snapped their three game losing streak and knocked off Arkansas (17-15, 8-10) 66-50 on Thursday afternoon on the first day of the SEC Tournament.
Keyontae Johnson scored a career high 20 points and grabbed twelve rebounds to lead the Gators to a huge win to boost their chances of making the NCAA Tournament. After leading 30-28 at halftime, the Gators took the lead for the final time with just over 18 minutes to go in the game and took control thanks in large part to their defense. The Razorbacks were unable to score a basket in the game's final 7:54 as Florida took control.
Gators leading scorer KeVaughn Allen broke out of a recent slump, scoring 17 points after scoring 18 points in the team's previous four games combined. He also hit a huge three with 7:26 remaining that ignited a 17-4 for the Gators.
The Gators now have a huge opportunity to boost their NCAA Tournament hopes when they battle 9th ranked (and top-seeded in the SEC Tournament) LSU on Friday afternoon. Tipoff between Florida and LSU is scheduled for 1 PM on Friday from Nashville - you can hear the game throughout Tampa Bay on 95.3 WDAE and AM 620.