Georgia
Too close for comfort: Florida basketball survives second half meltdown against UGA
Swampcast talks Florida Gators football and men’s basketball
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Florida basketball turned what could have been a disastrous collapse into another win over rival Georgia and former head coach Mike White.
Sophomore center Micah Handlogten posted a double-double with a season-high 23 points and 17 rebounds and point guard Zyon Pullin scored 7 of his 20 points in overtime, lifting the Florida Gators to a 102-98 overtime win over the Bulldogs before an announced 10,045 at the O’Connell Center.
Florida (14-6, 4-3 SEC) won its third straight and will take some confidence into its next matchup at Rupp Arena against No. 6 Kentucky on Jan. 31.
Florida led by as many as 21 points in the second half, but hard-charging Georgia rallied late. Down 85-75 with 2:59 left. Georgia went on a 10-0 run to force overtime, with a Blue Cain driving layup tying the score at 85 with 49 seconds left. Georgia had a chance to win the game on the final possession, but Richard came up with a late steal, then missed a running 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Pullin put Florida back up 88-85 in overtime on a three-point play and after Georgia forward R.J. Melendez made a 3-pointer to cut Florida’s lead to 100-98 with 6.5 seconds left in OT, Pullin made two free throws to seal the win.
Melendez led Georgia (14-6. 4-3 SEC) with 35 points.
Florida shot 59.4 percent from the floor in the first half to build a 47-34 halftime lead. Florida junior guard Will Richard scored 14 points in the first half, going 6 for 7 from the floor.
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The Gators jumped to an early 24-9 lead on a dunk by freshman Thomas Haugh, but Georgia responded with a 12-2 run, cutting UF’s lead to 26-21 on a pair of Melendez free throws.
Florida then regrouped with an 11-0 run, with a Handlogten 3-pointer and Richard four-point play extended its lead back to 37-21 with 5:22 left. UF maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of the half, going up 47-34 on a jumper in the lane from Pullin at the first half buzzer.
Here are three takeaways from the Florida win:
Another balanced scoring effort for UF basketball
In addition to Handlogten’s 23 points and Pullin’s 23 points, Florida had three more scorers in double figures, with Richard scoring 18 points, Walter Clayton Jr. scoring 18 points and freshman Alex Condon scoring 10 points off the bench. Florida dished 23 assists, with Pullin finishing with 8 assists and Condon finishing with 5 assists.
UF basketball dominated on the boards
Florida used its size advantage throughout the game and was the more physical team throughout the game, outrebounding the Bulldogs 48-27, including 16-8 on offensive rebounds, and outscoring Georgia 12-3 in second chance points.
Florida was sloppy with the basketball
The Gators turned the ball over 19 times, with Georgia outscoring Florida 24-15 in points off turnovers. Richard had 4 turnovers while Handlogten and Samuel had 3 turnovers apiece.
Georgia
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Georgia
Sources: Georgia State landing new defensive coordinator from ACC champs
Dell McGee’s defensive staff overhaul as he enters Year 3 atop the Georgia State program is getting its most significant piece of the puzzle, FootballScoop has learned.
McGee is hiring Cam Clark, a senior analyst on Duke coach Manny Diaz’s 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Champions staff, to run the Georgia State defense, sources tell FootballScoop.
It’s a notable hire for McGee, who is seeking to turn around Georgia State after going just 4-20 in his first two seasons at the helm.
While Clark arrives at Georgia State after assisting the Duke Blue Devils offense, his background is in defensive coaching.
He served two years as defensive coordinator at Football Championship Subdivision program Western Illinois, and he also ran the defense at Lamar University. Additionally, Clark was defensive coordinator at Georgia prep powerhouse Thomas County Central High School.
A former star player at Harding University, Clark obtained his master’s degree from Auburn University, where he served as a graduate assistant.
He has additional Football Bowls Subdivision experience from coaching under both Hugh Freeze and Gus Malzahn while serving on their respective staffs at Arkansas State.
Georgia
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