Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Gators Men’s Basketball Return Home Following Historic Road Trip

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team was dealing with some frustrating losses last week. After dropping games to South Carolina and Vanderbilt, they embarked on a five day road trip last Wednesday. It’s safe to say that the Gators took out those frustrations on the road in historic fashion.

The 2016-17 team became the first team in school history to win back-to-back road games by thirty plus points. Saturday’s dismantling of Oklahoma 84-52 was the Gators’ third thirty plus point road win of the season. These three wins are the most ever in a season by a Gator team. The two previous ones being the 106-71 win at LSU on Wednesday and the 91-60 win over North Florida in December.

The Gators haven’t experienced dominating thirty point wins in a few years. The last time a Gator team had a stretch similar to this was the 2012-13 Gator team. That team won at Mississippi State 82-47 on Jan. 26, 2013 and followed that up with a home win against South Carolina 75-36 on January 30. The 2012-13 edition of the Gators would end that season with a trip to the Elite Eight.

This marks only the third time in Florida men’s basketball history that the Gators won back-to-back games by thirty plus points. Including the previously mentioned stretch in the 2012-13 season, the other time that happened dates back to the 1966-67 season. That season, the Gators beat Miami 111-66 and followed that up with a 79-49 win over Ole Miss.

What’s Next for the Gators

With the back-to-back thirty plus point wins and the school record nineteen threes at LSU, this road trip was historic and very important for this Gator team. The road trip helped Florida jump up to 24 for in the latest AP Poll and secure College GameDay’s fifth trip to Gainesville for Saturday’s match up with Kentucky. Saturday’s GameDay appearance will put Florida fourth highest visited school for the show, joining Kansas, Duke, and Kentucky.

 

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