Gators impress in win over Xavier

By BILL KOSS
Florida Gators Basketball Color Analyst

Jan. 2, 2011

The Gators earned a special win on Friday in Cincinnati that couldn't have come at a better time.

With all of the gnashing of teeth over the team's failure to make open shots, the Gators knocked down three-pointers and made jumpers inside the arc, and n the final day of the 2010 year, Florida dropped the New Year's Eve Ball in the basket instead of clanging it off the rim.

Alex Tyus did his own portrayal of Sampson and not only cut his hair but, instead of losing his strength and compromising his athletic ability, he magically transformed his game and delivered one of his best overall efforts.

Tyus made the Gators' first three baskets and came within three of his season high 30 minutes, scoring 12 points and finishing his first game this year with no turnovers. The athletic 6'9" forward played with poise and was active on both ends of the court.

Florida had four players in double figures, and made six of their 13 three-point attempts, but it was clutch free throw shooting down the stretch by Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton that put an end to Xavier's 30-game home winning streak.

It was one of Florida's most impressive non-conference wins on the road in the program's history.

The last time the Gators ended a significant home team's streak was in 2002 when Matt Bonner, David Lee and Anthony Roberson beat Maryland in College Park snapping an 87 game non-conference home winning streak. It was also a win on the road over a non-conference opponent in a hostile environment.

Florida has some special wins of this nature over the years.

Beating West Virginia in Morgantown in 1967, winning the Providence Classic in Providence, Rhode Island in 1978, beating Villanova in DuPont Pavilion in 1993, upsetting Wake Forest with Tim Duncan in Winston Salem in 1994 and last year's miracle 75-foot heave by Chandler Parsons in Raleigh against North Carolina State all go down as program high points of winning non-conference games on the road.

This game, however, may have a special place for more than the accomplishment itself. It may just be the catalyst for this team's understanding of how they have their best chance to win, and a proving ground for the ingredients which must be in the mix if this team is going to have the sweet taste of success at the end of the season.

Only eight Florida players had more than five minutes in the game. They had 17 team assists on 23 made baskets. Over the past 250 games where Florida has had at least 15 assists in a game, they have won 86.4 percent of the time.

Wilbekin, Young and Murphy came off the bench to play an average of 15 minutes and contribute seven points, 12 rebounds and only three turnovers.

The Gators outrebounded (39