Despite Haugh’s efforts, Gators Fall Short to Duke

Durham, N.C. — There stood Todd Golden. Still. Not a quiver in his lips. Frown growing. Grey Nike Dunks only a foot away.

He’d probably seen this type of thing unfold hundreds of times. The 40-year-old coach has been up to this for a while. But guiding his reigning national champion to the home of the team probably most enraged by how March Madness ended last season was a new experience.

So pan down, and there lay Boogie Fland, moments after a turnover that surely will haunt his college career. It’s easy to see the source of Golden’s consternation.

No. 15 Florida was within seconds — or inches, however you choose to measure — of beating No. 4 Duke. Yet as Blue Devil guard Caleb Foster tore the ball from Fland’s grasp, over two hours of clawing proved fruitless. 

The 67-66 loss was jarring in many ways. Florida played what Golden referred to as its “best half of the year,” drawing back from a 15-point deficit. The Gators outrebounded Duke’s vaunted frontcourt by 11. They outscored Duke by 11 in the second half, as well. 

They also, however, lost their third game of this young season. If you’d ask Golden the order of importance of those variables Tuesday, the answer was sharp. 

“Great question,” he quipped sharply. It was the most out of sorts the typically smooth coach has appeared in the last year. He was definitive, but the Gators’ persisting issues are clearly digging into him: “Tough to swallow in a game like this.”

The final moments definitely didn’t make the pill more enticing. Fland, who’ll be more distinctly remembered for his collapse, hit a 3-pointer in the final minute to give the Gators their first lead of the second half. After weeks of Florida searching for a closer — a man to take its final shot; its next Walter Clayton Jr. — it felt like Fland had risen to the occasion with his 16 on the night, just in time for Florida to score the nonconference win that could turn its rough start over. Golden’s squad was transforming to that of a season ago, which won a championship riding locker-room resets and late-game heroics. The cloak was finally lifting.

The signs were there, though, that this team wasn’t its predecessors.

So when Duke sharpshooter Isaiah Evans, not a defender within five feet of him, took what ultimately was the game-winning, arena-entrancing shot (“as loud as I’ve heard Cameron,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer added), the cycle that’s defined Florida this season was just fulfilling itself. The Gators defended well in the second half — “an elite defensive effort,” Golden made clear — yet they shriveled when it mattered most. Florida eased its turnover woes, which rose to over 10 per game so far this year, but couldn’t hold onto the ball on each of its final two possessions. Florida shot the 3 better in the second half, deviating from its sub-30% brick festivals. But it missed 13 in the first half, making the difference moot. 

Distinctly unique from the team that improved with more pressure last year, the current Gators can’t seem to find a complete performance. 

“This should’ve been a win,” forward Thomas Haugh said. “[We didn’t play] well enough. At the end of the day, we just need to get a win.”

In what’s becoming a bi-weekly note, Haugh continues to look like an All-American. He finished with a team-high 24 points, the fourth game this year he’s led Florida in scoring. The Gators expected him to make a leap from his sixth-man, fifth-in-scoring role last season, though there was no real anticipation he would become the sole consistent aspect of Florida’s offense. 

That may sell Urban Klavzar short. After 20- and 18-point nights in his last two games, the sophomore only scored six against Duke, but took on the brunt of the closing moments, adding two steals. He’s been the benefactor of Xaivian Lee’s continued struggles, which didn’t end Tuesday, either. He finished with four points and a -1 efficiency rate, tied for the worst of Florida’s contributors, and didn’t play any of the final six minutes.

“I thought he was tough, that he defended. He did a great job on Evans. [Evans] only made one 3,” Golden said. “Unfortunately, it was the last one of the night.”

And there, then, stands Golden, looking over the grave. The Gators arrived for a funeral, and every Blue Devil wore black. They were never going to get anything short of a burial. 

Climbing back out won’t be any easier for Florida, either. The Gators travel to Madison Square Garden next Tuesday to face No. 5 UConn in an away atmosphere posing as a neutral site. The Huskies — especially when good — make their way down the Metro-North in force. 

The Gators, with the hype train already shaking, may not.

Category: Basketball, College Basketball, Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball