Michael Frazier II was the star of last nights show. The show consisted of a school record 11 three pointers (also the most ever in an SEC Conference game).
Frazier finished with a career-high 37 points and helped the #1 Gators move a game toward a perfect SEC regular season with the victory over South Carolina on Tuesday night in Columbia.
“They told me if I got a crack to let it go,” Frazier said after the game.
South Carolina head coach Frank Martin added, “Somehow, some way we didn’t express to our players that Michael Frazier can shoot the basketball”
The Gators are 28-2 and a game away from going undefeated in the SEC, something no team not named Kentucky has accomplished since Alabama’s 14-0 run in 1956. Head coach Billy Donovan shrugged that off, preaching his players will take the same approach to Saturday’s Senior Day meeting with Kentucky as they have each game all season.
“I still think there’s things in front of this team,” he said. “We can’t get wrapped up in the moment.”
Frazier’s performance topped the 1986 mark of Florida’s Joe Lawrence, who had nine against Cal. It was also the most ever in an SEC league contest.
Frazier didn’t feel anything special in warm-ups, but knew he was onto something with his five 3-pointers in the first half. In the second half, it was MFII who broke things open with four 3s during a 23-5 run after the Gamecocks had cut a double-digit lead to 39-35.
Mindaugus Kacinas had 12 points to lead South Carolina, which was coming off a huge upset win over #25 Kentucky.
Frazier blew past his old career best of 21 points set earlier this season against Texas A&M. He was 11 of 18 from 3-point range while the rest of the Gators were 0 of 13.
The Gators built an 11-point lead early in the second half but Brenton Williams had a four-point play and followed with a 3-pointer to get the Gamecocks within 39-35 with 13:05 left.
But Frazier connected on a 3, then center Pat Young had a three-point play and the rout was on. Frazier added four more 3-pointers over the next 6 minutes to stretch the lead to 62-39 with 4:42 left.
As time wound down, South Carolina students started chanting “Georgia Southern”. Clearly a sign of desperation of the embarrassment.
The Gators came in having clinched the SEC regular-season title last week when second-place Kentucky was beaten twice, including a surprise 72-67 loss to the Gamecocks on Saturday.
The Gators steadily moved through in pushing to the unbeaten conference season, a run that started in January with a 74-58 win over South Carolina in Gainesville.
Seniors Pat Young finished with nine points, Casey Prather had seven, and Scottie Wilbekin did not score in the second half.
Florida hosts rival Kentucky for the regular season finale at the Stephen C. O’ Connell Center on Saturday at noon on CBS.