Wednesday Morning Shootaround

Florida beat South Carolina 97-93 as the Gators got revenge for a last second loss from earlier in the season. Nick Calathes led six players in double figures with 22 points while adding 6 boards and 5 assists as Florida took over sole possession of first place in the SEC East. Devan Downey had 33 to lead the Gamecocks.

Both of these teams love to push the ball and run the floor, and as a result this game was played at an absurd pace. The key to this game for Florida was that Calathes and Erving Walker were able to break the Gamecock press fairly easily throughout the game. South Carolina can score and can get up and down with the best of them, but if their press isn't slowing a team down (especially one with two point guards as good as Calathes and Walker), then they are not going to beat too many teams.

This is really the first time I've had a chance to see South Carolina play an entire game, and I wasn't all that impressed by them. Downey and Zam Frederick can put up points. There is no question about that. They also have a couple big guys that are athletic and can run the floor. But the biggest issue with this team is that they are too much of a 1-on-1 team. For example, last night they had 36 field goals and just 9 assists while turning the ball over 17 times.

The rest of the night's action:

• Ohio State 80, Purdue 72 OT: The Buckeyes got 26, 12 boards, and 7 assists from Evan Turner as they knocked off the Boilermakers in OT. Purdue was playing without Robbie Hummell, who sat out the game with back spasms. William Buford gave OSU a huge boost in the second half, as he caught fire and knocked down six or seven jumpers in a row. BJ Mullens had 17 and 8 boards. He has really been playing well of late, scoring in double figures in eight of the last nine games.
• UNC 108, Maryland 91: Wayne Ellington scored 34 points and hit seven of the Tar Heels 16 three's as UNC ran all over Maryland. Ty Lawson had 21 and 6 dimes and Hansbrough added 24.
• Marquette 76, DePaul 61: Jerel McNeal stuffed the stat sheet again. Look at this line: 26 points, 4 boards, 6 assists, 5 steals, and 4 blocks.
• Mississippi State 66, Kentucky 57: Jarvis Varnado had 6 points, 12 boards, and 7 blocks and MSU used a four guard line-up to throw Kentucky out of rhythm offensively. Jodie Meeks finished with just 15 points.
• Georgetown 57, Rutgers 47: Jessie Sapp led the Hoyas with 11 points as Georgetown ended a five game losing streak.
• NC State 87, North Carolina Central 59
• George Mason 78, Hofstra 54
• Kansas State 65, Iowa State 50
• Northern Iowa 61, Bradley 58
• San Diego State 68, UNLV 66 OT