Records: Florida 22-10, 11-7 SEC; Georgia 17-16, 6-12 SEC
Next up for Florida: vs. #18/19 Alabama; SEC Tournament at Nashville, Tenn.; Friday, March 15, approx. 9:30 p.m. Eastern, SEC Network
Notable
* Walter Clayton Jr. scored 22 and the Gators posted a 32-13 second-half rebounding advantage to hold off the Bulldogs for a third time this season and 11th consecutive time, matching the longest winning streak in series history (2004-09).
* The Gators are 5-0 vs. Georgia under Todd Golden.
* Florida battled back from a 46-39 second-half deficit, using a 12-2 run to take a 51-48 lead with 11:50 left in the game and never trailed again.
* Tyrese Samuel posted a career-high 15 rebounds to go with 17 points to record his 11th double-double of the season, most by a Gator since Al Horford’s 16 in 2006-07.
* Samuel posted a double-double in the second half alone, recording 14 points and 10 boards in the final 20 minutes.
* Will Richard scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half. A native of Fairburn, Ga., Will Richard has averaged 16.6 points and 6.4 in five career games vs. Georgia, shooting .604 from the field (29/48) and .429 from 3-point range (12/28).
* Alex Condon added 10 points off the bench, his 13th double-figure game of the season.
* Five Gators scored in double figures for the 10th time this season, with Florida posting an 8-2 record in those games.
* Despite seeing limited second-half action due to foul trouble, Zyon Pullin finished with 11 points, eight assists (tied for his season high) and five rebounds.
* Pullin continues on a program-record pace with a 4.23 assist-to-turnover ratio.
* Pullin has scored double figures in 28 of his 29 appearances this season.
* With Clayton’s 22 points, he has 548 for the season and jumps from 25th to 14th on Florida’s single-season scoring list.
Southeastern Conference
Men’s Basketball Tournament
Friday, March 15, 2024
Florida Gators
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Bridgestone Arena
Coach Todd Golden
Walter Clayton Jr.
Tyrese Samuel
Postgame Press Conference
Florida 85, Georgia 80
THE MODERATOR: We’re ready to begin with Florida.
We’ll ask Coach for a few general thoughts on the game,
then take questions.
Coach.
TODD GOLDEN: Incredibly proud of our team for this win
tonight. A lot of things didn’t go our way, especially early. I
thought our guys did a great job staying the course. We
were a little dejected at halftime I thought. We came out
and settled ourselves down even though Georgia made a
good run at the beginning of the second half.
Again, just continued to try to keep things simple. Finally
stepped up and made some free throws, got some stops.
That allowed us to get out in transition and get some easier
baskets than we were getting in the first half.
Tournament time, neutral sites. Our first time in this
building with a short warm-up, I thought under the
circumstances we performed relatively well. I’m really
excited for this contest tomorrow night against Alabama.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll take questions for either of the
student-athletes.
Q. Tyrese, how did you fight through mentally the
anguish of what was going on at the free-throw line?
TYRESE SAMUEL: To be honest, I wasn’t even thinking
about it all. I missed already. At this point I just got to go
over there and make ’em. That was my mindset the whole
time. Just kind of like slow down. In the second half, just
slow down and take your time, hopefully they’ll fall – today
at least.
Q. Walt, what was the message at halftime?
WALTER CLAYTON JR.: Coach made it very clear we
was losing on the rebounding front. Obviously was fouling
a lot. Defend without fouling was the big thing, getting
back on the boards. I think we did a good job of that the
second half, rebounding.
Q. Walt, can you go over what happened on that steal.
WALTER CLAYTON JR.: He just threw the ball away,
threw it to me. I grabbed it, took off. Fortunately the ref
called a foul.
Q. When Zyon Pullin went out and fouled out, what
was your mindset to take this team on your back?
WALTER CLAYTON JR.: I think all around we just got a
great team. I’ve always had a mindset of just next man up.
Things happen, you got to be able to play through them.
Obviously ZP going out, that’s a big part of our team, as far
as what he does, facilitating the ball, getting us shots.
So just trying to put myself in his shoes a little bit, run the
team, put the ball in the basket, get some good looks, not
turn it over.
Q. How important was this win after the way regular
season ended at Vanderbilt?
WALTER CLAYTON JR.: I think it’s very important. I was
telling the guys today, it’s very tough to beat a team three
times in a row. It don’t matter who it is. Beating a team
three times is tough.
I was telling them we got to go out there and be the
tougher team. I definitely think it was very important.
TYRESE SAMUEL: Kind of like what he said. Beating a
team three times in a row is really hard. We have to earn
it. They’re trying to win games, too, like how we are. Just
got to come out and play harder. Came out with the
outcome today.
Q. The night-and-day nature of the rebounding in the
first half and second half, was it what your coach said?
Because it looked like some of the last couple games.
TYRESE SAMUEL: Yeah, most definitely. Rebounding
was the emphasis this week. We worked on it a lot. I
think, like, coming into the second half, it was really
important ’cause especially for the bigs, nothing was really
falling for us close to the rim. I feel like us rebounding
helped us get our mojo back.
It was key.
Q. Tyrese, scoring in the paint in the second half, how
important was that?
TYRESE SAMUEL: It was important. Just getting the
easy lays. In the beginning we weren’t making ’em.
Taking our time, playing off of two, shot faking, game foul,
getting and-ones, whether it was Will, me, Condo, even the
guards as well. It was really important staying poised and
making these layups at the end of the second half.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll excuse the student-athletes and
continue with Coach.
Q. What was the message regarding attacking the 2-3?
TODD GOLDEN: What was the message?
Q. Yes. What changed?
TODD GOLDEN: We were obviously able to get into the
middle of it pretty easily. As the first half wore on, that’s
what they were hoping we would do, settle for those
12-foot push flows that we were taking. Rese and Condo
missed three or four of them in a row.
First of all, we weren’t playing with their guards in the paint,
which has been a really good formula for us all year.
Again, we weren’t putting pressure on the rim enough to
get to the foul line. That was the gamble they were willing
to take, allowing us to take some of those shots. We
weren’t capitalizing.
In the second half we wanted to get it a little deeper. The
biggest difference was we got on the glass. That was the
biggest key. We had 16 total, so 12 offensive rebounds in
the second half; was the difference of the game, really.
We didn’t shoot the ball well in the second half either
around the rim. I don’t feel we finished very well. The
second-chance opportunities allowed us to make some
and get to the line.
I really feel like the way we put pressure on the glass in the
second half changed the complexion of the game.
Q. What was the mood at halftime and your message?
TODD GOLDEN: We were, like I said, a little dejected,
disappointed. We came out with great energy. I thought
our prep all day was awesome, our walk-through was
fantastic. Guys were juiced before the game. We got off
to a good start. We were up by nine with 10 minutes to go
in the first half. Playing pretty well.
We fell into a little bit of a funk. Credit to them, they bled
us down to the point where we were down three at
halftime. We had all this energy, playing really well, next
thing you know we’re down three. Maybe a little bit of
doubt crept in from last week losing at Vandy.
As a coaching staff, we have to calm our guys down.
We’re amped up to play in this setting, which we want to be
that way. But we’re making uncharacteristic mistakes, not
just keeping it simple and letting the game come to us that
way.
At halftime we wanted to calm down a little bit, stay the
course. We were 4 for 13 from the foul line in the first half.
Make a couple more free throws, we’re probably tied or a
little bit of an advantage with the lead.
It didn’t go our way the first five or six minutes of the
second half either. I think they got it up to eight at one
point. Once we started getting some stops and clean
rebounds, it allowed us to get out in transition a little bit.
Ended up making a few free throws for that stretch, which
allowed us to capture the lead. We didn’t let it go after that
point.
Q. You just said getting out in transition. You
outscored them 23 to 9 in fast-break points. How
much of that was an emphasis?
TODD GOLDEN: That’s our team. We played fast all
year. Transition has been really good for to us. We’re
always trying to push and get really good shots at the rim
or catch-and-shoot threes within the first six seconds of the
shot clock.
That’s something that we strive to do. I think their zone
slowed us down a little bit that way. But conversely, on our
defensive end, we try to take away transition from teams.
That’s our key as well.
Going into every game, it’s similar that way. Georgia is not
exactly the most explosive team in transition. They want to
kind of grind you out in the halfcourt, make you chase them
around and guard. They’re hard to guard that way.
The transition showed up especially late, once we started
getting some clean rebounds and clean stops. The play
that Chris referenced where Walt got that steal breakout
and one layup, that was a huge, huge play, gave us a little
separation down the stretch.
Q. If you would allow me a big-picture college
basketball question. From an offensive-minded
perspective, what do you think has been the impact of
the change to the block charge?
TODD GOLDEN: I mean, it’s a very simple answer. Like
scoring is up, fouls are up a little bit, free throws are up a
little bit. Honestly, it’s probably a good change for the
game. Those plays are bang, bang. The reality is it’s
really hard for any human to get them right in real time.
As an official, taking that out of the game is — for the
officials, I should say, makes their lives a little easier. They
don’t have to be perfect in those situations.
It’s just not exactly a very great, clean basketball play when
guys are always trying to slide under guys as they’re going
up in the air to the rim.
I think it’s probably for the best that they’re not calling those
anymore.
Q. Can you speak to Riley stepping up and making
those free throws late.
TODD GOLDEN: They were huge obviously. Goes
without saying. He did a good job against pressure making
himself available, being strong with the ball, getting fouled.
Sometimes you take it for granted when guys make free
throws late, but those are huge. Every single one of them
kept the game from being a one-possession game late,
and the type of step-up effort that you need down the
stretch to close out a game like tonight.
But proud of him for in that moment being able to step up
and knock those free throws down.
Q. (No microphone.)
TODD GOLDEN: Because they tried to sub a guy in
without the clock running.
Q. The poise that you guys had without ZP on the
floor, talk about the performance without him on the
floor.
TODD GOLDEN: Yeah, obviously not a situation we’ve
been in at all this year. Actually our first three games.
After that he’s been out there for about 37 minutes a night.
Again, I thought our perimeter in that moment, which was
Walt, Will and Riley, did a great job of just, like Walt said,
next man up. We knew what the situation was. There was
nothing we could do to change it at that moment. We had
two options: hang our head and complain and feel sorry
for ourselves or step up and realize we needed some guys
to make some big-time plays being down in that moment
like we were.
All those guys did a great job of keeping their composure,
not getting too frustrated or upset once that lead went the
wrong way. That group did a really good job defending
over that stretch. I think that allowed us to come back and
grab that lead.
Q. You may be personally responsible for knocking
Georgia out of any post-season. What do you think it
is about the way you match up with them, how they
play you?
TODD GOLDEN: I mean, we’re a very good team. I think
we’re tough for a lot of teams to match up. We’ve had an
advantage against them inside all year. In the first game
we got on the glass. We’ve won the rebounding battle in
all three games. I think that would be the easiest way to
say. Plus 16 on the glass tonight. I know we had great
offensive rebounding numbers in the first two matchups.
We didn’t do as good a job finishing around the rim tonight,
which was disappointing. That was something we’d been
really good at against them.
All three ended up being somewhat close. Obviously the
first one we were up big and did a poor job handling
success late. At their place we had to come back, down
six at halftime. Tonight we had to come back a little bit.
They’re a tough team. They do a good job running their
stuff. They’re hard to guard. They make you chase ’em. If
you have mental lapses defensively, they’ll carve you up a
little bit. Again, I thought we did a really good job down the
stretch of staying the course, defending without fouling,
making them take tough twos over us.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
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