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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- No. 8 Florida got a piece of a title to
go with its talent Wednesday night.
Teddy Dupay scored all 14 of his points in the second half to
help the Gators clinch at least a share of the Southeastern
Conference championship with an 87-67 victory over South Carolina.
"I always thought we could do something like this," coach
Billy Donovan said. "But we still had to go out and prove it."
Like they have most of the season, especially at home, Florida
(23-5, 12-3) proved it with a smothering second-half performance
that put the game out of reach well before the final buzzer.
The Gators tied their regular-season record for wins and
guaranteed themselves a spot atop the conference for only the
second time in their history.
A somewhat muted celebration followed the game. The team mascot,
Ollie Gator, was paraded onto the court wearing a crown. Confetti
and streamers rained down as Donovan took the microphone to thank
the fans, who showed up in record numbers this season.
A more raucous party could ensue Saturday if Florida can win on
Senior Day at Kentucky (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 22 AP) to take lone possession of the title. The Wildcats are 75-4 on Senior Day since 1920.
"We talked about cutting down nets, but I didn't want to get
into that," Donovan said. "I'm extremely happy that we've earned
a share of the SEC. But we've still got another game, the SEC
tournament and the NCAA tournament to play."
South Carolina (12-16, 4-11) came in with three victories in its
previous four games and showed some signs of being a tough opponent
come the SEC tournament, which begins next Thursday.
But any upset bid ended when Dupay sparked the Gators on a 15-3
run to open the second half and give Florida a 52-35 lead. The
5-foot-10 sophomore point guard had a layup, a pretty assist to
Brent Wright for a dunk and a 3-pointer during the 3½-minute
stretch.
From there, the Gators played spurts of the second half to
chants of "SEC, SEC, SEC," from the crowd, which was celebrating
the team's first title since 1989.
Among the most impressed was Gamecocks coach Eddie Fogler.
"They play the game better than the rest of the 11 teams in the
league," Fogler said. "That's about as nice a compliment as I can
give a basketball team. They play hard, they give it up, they're
fun to watch."
Senior Kenyan Weaks played his last home game and made four of
Florida's 12 3-pointers to finish with 12 points. The 12 3-pointers
matched the Gators' high this season.
Sophomore Mike Miller, an NBA prospect also possibly playing his
last home game, led Florida with 15 points and six assists.
The Gators shot 53 percent from the field -- 70 percent in the
second half.
South Carolina did a great job breaking the press early and
stayed in the game thanks to the hot shooting of Jamel Bradley.
Bradley hit three straight 3-ointers,including one off the glass,
midway through the first half to give the Gamecocks a 26-25 lead.
"We weren't thinking much, other than that we were probably
making Coach pretty mad," Miller said of the team's mindset when
it fell behind. "But we knew with our style of play, we can feel
comfortable at halftime if we're tied or just have a small lead. We
just have to play our style of basketball."
They did just that during a 7-2 run to close the half. From
there, they never trailed again.
The Gamecocks became the fifth SEC team to receive its worst
loss of the year from Florida.
Bradley was the only South Carolina player in double figures.
Wright had 12 points for Florida, which won its fifth straight.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
South Carolina Clubhouse
Florida Clubhouse
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