Anthony Duruji, Gators get 'swagger back' against MSU

Anthony Duruji was feeling good about himself — and his teammates — following Florida’s 80-72 win Wednesday over Mississippi State. 

With a “significant” shoulder injury sidelining star Colin Castleton, UF still rallied from a seven-point deficit with a 23-8 run over the final 7:15. 

Duruji led the charge with 18 second-half points and a season-high 22, including two treys, two dunks and an impressive steal and fastbreak three-point play. He was one of four Gators who finished in double figures.

As Duruji walked to the post-game press conference, he made a comment to Tyree Appleby, who scored a season-high 17 points.  

“I was telling Tyree when we were just coming here, ‘Our swagger is back.’ That’s something that we preached before the game,” Duruji said. “Sometimes we give teams too much credit. Like, we’re good too. I think we’re starting to get some things rolling. Some things are brewing with Florida Gator basketball.” 

UF coach Mike White pumped the brakes a little bit, saying the team’s swagger “wasn’t even fully there” on Wednesday night. He saw more confidence from his players at the start of the game, but they fell behind by 10 with under four minutes left in the first half. 

Then Appelby exploded with a seven-point scoring spurt before the break, and Duruji accounted for 12 of Florida’s first 17 points in the second period.

“We played with a ton of confidence early, and some of that was we were so proficient defensively. We just seemed to shoot it with a little bit more confidence. We definitely showed some more swagger offensively, for sure. I thought we played more downhill, played with instincts, let it fly to a certain extent,” White said.

“I think sometimes we can overthink it. And we do always respect our opponents. We respect the quality of teams in this league, but sometimes we need to understand. Anthony needs to understand, he’s earned the right to say he’s a pretty damn good player. I’m glad he said that.” 

Duruji’s best game as a Gator

Duruji shot 6-for-8 from the field, 8-for-9 from the foul line and added a career-high five steals. He reached 20 points for the first time in his UF career, and the Louisiana Tech transfer scored 25 points as a freshman in 2018.

Duruji didn’t start playing competitive basketball until high school, but has “come a long way” according to White. 

“Oh my goodness, he was huge,” White said of Duruji. “He was terrific defensively, running through passes, finishing. His skill-level has improved, his overall level of confidence. 

“He started playing at a really late age, I want to say 14 before he even touched a basketball. He’s just come a long way. He’s as good of a guy as you could coach, and I’m happy for him. His motor has improved as much as anything, along with his skill level and confidence. He was really, really good in the second half.” 

Appleby scored 13 of his 17 points in the first period, but made a huge second-half shot to ignite Florida’s 23-8 run. After a Shakeel Moore trey put the Bulldogs up 7, Appleby responded on the ensuing possession. 

He knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the game and was fouled by Moore, sending him to the line for a four-point play with 7:05 left. There was a media timeout before he made his free throw.

“Once the team came over to me,” Appleby said, “we were all hype and everybody knew, it’s going to be hard to beat us tonight.” 

There’s that swagger. 

“Hopefully our guys gained a little confidence,” White said. “To be able to beat Mississippi State without Colin Castleton, our guys should feel good about themselves. But we gotta move on to Vanderbilt.”