Live blog: No. 2 Florida beats Oklahoma 85-63

If there was ever going to be a let-down game for the No. 2-ranked Florida Gators, this was it. They had won seven of eight and were facing an Oklahoma team that was going in the other direction. But the Gators didn’t fall into a trap Tuesday night in Gainesville. Instead, they excelled and won with ease.

Final score: Florida 85, Oklahoma 63.

The Gators, now 23-3 overall, 10-3 in the SEC, are one of the hottest teams in the country and seem to be hitting their stride. The Sooners, who are fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, fall to 16-10 and 3-10. They’ve now lost five straight games, four to ranked opponents.

Senior guard Walter Clayton led the Gators with 18 points. Four other UF players scored in double-figures. Florida made 12 3-pointers (in 32 attempts), while OU connected on only seven. Another key stat: Turnovers. Florida committed just six while Oklahoma had 13.

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SCORE UPDATE: Florida 79, Oklahoma 53 (3:19)

The Gators are about to put the finishing touches on a convincing win. Florida has had mostly backups on the court the past few minutes. Guard Walter Clayton has scored a game-high 18 points to pace Todd Golden’s team. The Gators have 12 3-pointers to only six for OU.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 70, Oklahoma 48 (7:40)

Seven Gators have scored five or more points and Florida has connected on 11 of 28 from 3-point range. And, the Gators are 13 of 14 from the line with only four turnovers. Overall, Florida is shooting just 44.2 percent from the field but the Gators are not beating themselves in this game. Florida guard Walter Clayton has scored a game-high 18 points.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 62, Oklahoma 35 (12:48)

Florida has OU on the ropes. It’s just about over. The Gators now have 11 3-pointers and have gotten a game-high 18 points from guard Walter Clayton. On defense, Florida has six steals and has forced 10 turnovers. Clayton, guard Will Richard (14) and guard Alijah Martin (13) have combined for 45 points.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 53, Oklahoma 33 (15:43)

The Gators started the second half kind of sloppy and already have two turnovers (they had only one in the first 20 minutes). But another 3-pointer, this time from guard Alijah Martin, was UF’s 10th of the game. They’re on cruise control right now. Martin and guard Walter Clayton have 13 points each to lead the Gators.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 46, Oklahoma 24 (HALF)

The Gators, behind nine 3-pointers and 11 points from guard Walter Clayton, has opened up a huge halftime lead. Florida has just one turnover to seven for Oklahoma — and the Sooners are only 7 of 26 from the field (26.9 percent).

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 37, Oklahoma 17 (6:41)

The Gators are on a 17-3 run over the last four minutes and have taken complete control of this game. Florida is 8 of 15 on 3-pointers — three from guard Will Richard, who has a team-high nine points.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 28, Oklahoma 17 (6:41)

The Gators had a chance to go up 16 but guard Denzel Aberdeen missed a 10-footer and then the Sooners made their first 3-point on the other end. Still, Florida is playing well.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 26, Oklahoma 14 (08:07)

After starting the game 0 of 5 from the field, Florida has made nine of its last 16 shots. And the Gators have five 3-pointers to none for Oklahoma. Another key stat: Florida does not yet have a turnover. Florida guard Walter Clayton is pacing the Gators with eight points.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 15, Oklahoma 8 (11:51)

The Gators are on a 12-2 scoring run over the last 4:29 but still are only shooting 38 percent from the field. But they’ve nailed three 3-pointers to none for the Sooners. Florida guard Walter Clayton already has eight points to lead all scorers. He’s 3 of 4 from the floor; the rest of the team is 2 of 9.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 6, Oklahoma 6 (15:57)

With Oklahoma fighting for an NCAA Tourney spot, the Sooners have come out playing hard and are shooting 50 percent from the floor early. Meanwhile, the Gators are just 2 of 7 from the floor, but have two 3-pointers, one from guard Walter Clayton and one from guard Will Richard.

How to watch Florida against Oklahoma

When: Tuesday, Feb. 18
Where: Stephen C. O’Connell Center (10,151) | Gainesville, Fla
Time: 7 p.m. ET 
TV | Stream: ESPN 2 | ESPN app
On the call: Reporter: Molly McGrath, Analyst: Jimmy Dykes

Betting lines for Gators vs. Sooners 

Spread: Florida -15.5 
Over/Under: 157.5 points
Moneyline: Florida -1450, Oklahoma +850

Florida-Oklahoma injury report

UF forwards Alex Condon and Sam Alexis are both out. Oklahoma has no players on the availability report. 

Florida Gators projected starters

No.	Player	Position	Height/Weight	Class	Min.	Pts.	Rebs.	Misc.
1	Walter Clayton Jr.	Guard	6-2, 195 pounds	Sr.	32.0	17.0	3.6	4.3 ast
11	Denzel Aberdeen	Guard	6-5, 190 pounds	Jr.	21.2	8.6	2.1	1.8 ast
5	Will Richard	Guard	6-4, 206 pounds	Sr.	32.1	13.0	4.6	1.8 stl
10	Thomas Haugh	Forward	6-9, 215 pounds	So.	22.9	8.7	6.2	1.8 ast
9	Rueben Chinyelu	Center	6-10, 260 pounds	So.	19.7	5.5	6.5	1.0 blk

Oklahoma Sooners projected starters

No.	Player	Position	Height/Weight	Class	Min.	Pts.	Rebs.	Misc.
15	Duke Miles	Guard	6-2, 188 pounds	R-Sr.	26.2	10.6	2.6	2.3 ast
0	Jeremiah Fears	Guard	6-4, 182 pounds	Fr.	28.6	15.2	3.9	3.8 ast
2	Brycen Goodine	Guard	6-4, 190 pounds	6th	19.9	8.1	2.3	2.0 3fg
14	Jalon Moore	Forward	6-7, 215 pounds	Sr.	30.2	17.2	5.8	1.2 3fg
10	Sam Godwin	Forward	6-10, 240 pounds	Sr.	18.6	5.8	5.2	.536 fg%