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Ole Miss coach Chris Beard: Florida Gators should be a No. 1 seed

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•about 20 hours•

On3Keith

Alex-Condon-Florida-Gators
Florida Gators forward Alex Condon (21) gestures after a shot against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. (Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports)

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA — After watching No. 5 Florida dismantle his team Saturday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Ole Miss coach Chris Beard heaped a ton of praise on the Gators. But this sentence seemed to sum up everything he said.

“In my opinion, they should be a No. 1 seed” in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, Beard said. If you watched Florida play this past week, it would be hard to argue with him. In succession, the Gators beat No. 12 Texas A&M 89-70 at home, No. 7 Alabama 99-94 on the road and Ole Miss, a likely NCAA Tourney team, 90-71. Three days after Florida took the Tide apart, Alabama won at No. 1 Auburn.

UF had balanced scoring in the win

Florida, 27-4 overall, 14-4 in the SEC, and Ole Miss (21-10, 10-8) were relatively close for a half, as the Gators led just 38-31 at the break. But in the second 20 minutes, the floodgates opened and the Gators went ahead by as many as 22 points. Florida guard Walter Clayton paced UF with 23 points. Three other Gators were in double-figures — forward Alex Condon (17), guard Alijah Martin (13) and guard Will Richard (10). Condon added a game-high 15 boards. For Clayton, Martin and Richard, it was senior night.

To Beard, the game showcased so much of Florida’s game. Of Clayton, the Gators’ star guard, he noted, “The best players are going to have March moments.” He said Florida had four guards who can basically do everything. He pointed out that Condon can beat you inside and outside. He said the UF post players “come in swarms.” And, Beard even raved about Florida’s defense and the Gators’ ability to jump vertically without fouling much.

“Just a really talented team — one through nine,” Beard said. “I don’t know if there’s a more talented team in college basketball. That’s why they’re deserving of the attention and respect they’re getting.”

Statistically, the Florida Gators were strong Saturday night

The final numbers told the story. Florida made 31 of 63 shots (49.2 percent) and 14 of 38 3-pointers. Ole Miss was only 22 of 66 from the field, good for 33.3 percent, and 7 of 21 from deep. The Gators won big on the glass, with an impressive 48-36 edge that didn’t feel that close as one watched the game. If there was one complaint it was that Florida committed 14 turnovers.

The Gators now have some time off. They begin play in the SEC Tournament next Friday as the No. 2 seed behind regular-season champion Auburn. After that comes the NCAA Tournament.

“I’m extremely proud of our program,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “Obviously, a great regular season. … Just can’t say enough about the job our players did this year and our staff was able to do from start to finish. As we just talked about with our players in the locker room, I want them to be very proud of the effort and the success we’ve had at this point but we have a lot of work left to do and a lot of things left to accomplish.”

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