GAINESVILLE — On the eve of college basketball’s biggest month, Florida coach Todd Golden’s red-hot Gators looked like a team ready for another deep postseason run.
With a 111-77 win Saturday night against No. 20 Arkansas, the No. 7 Gators ended a flawless February 8-0 and poised for another memorable March — the time when championship teams find their stride.
“Didn’t didn’t lose In February, got to try to not lose in March either,” Golden said.
Florida’s one-sided showing already earned Golden’s squad a title. The win dropped Arkansas (21-8, 11-5 SEC) out of the conference race and left the Gators (23-6, 14-2 SEC) two games ahead of Alabama (22-7, 12-4) with two games to go, ensuring Florida at least a share of the school’s eighth regular-season league title.
To celebrate, Florida players and coaches cut down the nets and donned championship hats and T-shirts. The school unveiled a banner.
But the Gators aren’t satisfied with Mississippi State up next Tuesday night in the O’Connell Center.
“We want the whole thing for ourselves,” small forward Thomas Haugh said.
Saturday night’s high-stakes matchup pitting two national championship-winning coaches became a showcase of the Gators’ improved depth, versatility and killer instinct.
“There wasn’t a guy out here they could stop,” Golden said. “We just kept scoring and scoring and scoring.”
Seven Gators scored in double figures for the first time since 2017, including a team-leading 22 points by Haugh, as UF shot a blistering 54.8% from the floor. Center Rueben Chinyelu recorded his 17th double-double, with 12 points and 16 rebounds in 23 minutes as Florida held a 51-31 advantage on the glass. Led by guard Urban Klavzar’s 14 points, the Gators outscored the Razorback reserves 33-23 as coach John Calipari lost for the first time in Gainesville since 2018 while at Kentucky.
The 34-point margin of defeat tied the largest of the 67-year-old Hall of Famer’s career.
“Look, I’ve done this a long time,” Calipari said. “Stuff happens.”
Despite six consecutive wins on Florida’s home floor, Calipari has endured some beatings in the O’Dome, including four-double digits defeats in a six-game stretch from 2013-18.
No Calipari loss in Gainesville came close to Saturday night’s as a sellout crowd of 11,076, national TV audience and 16 NBA scouts looked on while the Gators moved to 42-3 at home during the past three seasons.
Arkansas put up fight early on. A jumper by star freshman and SEC-leading scorer Darius Acuff Jr. gave his team a 16-11 lead.
But the Gators answered an 8-0 Razorbacks’ run with a 12-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Klavzar for a 23-16 lead.
The Gators built a 24-point lead during the first half and never led by fewer than 19 points the rest of the way.
Another Klavzar 3-pointer pushed the Gators’ lead to 30 points for the first time, at 73-43 with 13:22 remaining.
Calipari watched helplessly as the Gators continued to pile on, building the lead as many as 37 points.
“I wish it would have gone faster,” he quipped.
The only drama remaining the rest of the way involved Florida point guard Boogie Fland, who transferred from Arkansas in May. The 6-foot-3 sophomore scored 14 points and had four assists and no turnovers, but left the game with 5:12 remaining after he landed hard on the floor and headed to the locker room with trainers.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com