ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Behind a big night from Jaylen Barford and Daniel Gafford, the No. 6 seed Arkansas men's basketball team defeated the No. 3 seed Florida Gators 80-72 Friday night, advancing to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament for the third time in the last four years.
Using a 16-2 run in the second half, the Razorbacks were able to gain control of the game and defeat the Gators for the first time since 2013.
From the tip, the pace of the game was at one Arkansas feels comfortable with. Thanks to their hot shooting early, the Gators led 13-10 at the first media timeout and would eventually extend it to eight. The Gators drilled six of their first 10 three-point attempts, but Arkansas would answer, eventually cutting the Gator lead to one.
With less than three minutes left in the first half, Florida would stretch it back out seven, hitting two of its seven first-half three pointers. Turning up the defense, Arkansas would weather the storm and hold Florida scoreless for the final four minutes and 54 seconds of the first half. The Hogs would go on an 8-0 run to take a 30-29 lead into the break.