NCAAB

Florida Gators at South Carolina Gamecocks

· NCAA Men's Basketball
28-2, 10-2 Away
<span class="badge bg-danger" style="font-size: 1.2em; margin: 5px 0;">Final</span>
72 - 46

Michael Frazier II scores 37 on 11 3-pointers to power Florida

"They told me if I got a crack to let it go," Frazier said.

That was the easy part for Frazier, the sophomore who frequently found himself open and made the Gamecocks pay.

"Somehow, some way, we didn't express to our players that Michael Frazier can shoot the basketball," South Carolina coach Frank Martin said.

The Gators (28-2, 17-0 SEC) are 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. Florida coach Billy Donovan shrugged that off, saying his players will take the same approach to Saturday's senior day meeting with the Wildcats 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 California. It also was the most ever in a league contest; Rotnei Clarke hit 13 in 2010 and Alex Dillard made 12 in 1994, but both Arkansas players did it against nonconference opponents.

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 Frazier who broke things open with four 3s during a 23-5 run after the Gamecocks (11-19, 4-13) had cut a double-digit lead to 39-35.

"We were just really amazed at how open he was getting and how he kept knocking them down," Florida center Patric Young said.

No other Gator reached double digits in points.

Mindaugas Kacinas had 12 points to lead South Carolina, which was coming off a win over 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, Young had a three-point play and the rout was on. Frazier added four more 3-pointers over the next six minutes to stretch the lead to 62-39 with 4:42 left.

As time wound down, South Carolina students chanted, "Georgia Southern," reminding the Gators of their football loss to the Football Championship Subdivision school last fall.

Florida went in Tuesday having clinched the SEC regular-season title last week when second-place Kentucky was beaten twice, including a surprise 72-67 loss here 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.

Florida, though, has not dominated on the road the way it has at home in recent weeks, winning its past four road games by an average of six points. This one proved just as tight for the top-ranked team in the first half.

Frazier started off hot with two of his five first-half 3-pointers to give the Gators a 7-0 lead. Florida's defense forced three turnovers in the first five minutes.

But the Gamecocks, still fresh from the court-storming celebration three days ago, took Florida's punch and came out swinging themselves with a 12-2 run to move in front and stayed with the nation's top team the rest of the half.

There were four ties and five lead changes over the final 10 minutes, and it was Frazier who broke the last tie with his last 3 of the period to send the Gators to the break ahead 28-26.

Frazier had 15 points in the period as the rest of Florida's big guns misfired in the opening half. Leading scorer Casey Prather was held to one free throw while Scottie Wilbekin was just 1-of-5 shooting for two points.

Young finished with nine points, and Prather had seven. Wilbekin did not score in the second half.

How can I watch Florida vs. South Carolina?

  • TV Channel: Florida at South Carolina 2021 College Basketball, week 18, is broadcasted on ESPNU.
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Recent Plays

2nd 0:00 End of Game 72 - 46
2nd 0:17 Mindaugas Kacinas made Free Throw. 72 - 46
2nd 0:17 South Carolina Deadball Team Rebound. 72 - 45
2nd 0:17 Mindaugas Kacinas missed Free Throw. 72 - 45
2nd 0:17 Foul on Chris Walker. 72 - 45

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/57.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originFLA https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2579.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originSC
25-59 FG 16-50
42 Field Goal % 32
11-31 3PT 4-16
35 Three Point % 25
11-19 FT 10-15
58 Free Throw % 67
38 Rebounds 34
16 Offensive Rebounds 13
22 Defensive Rebounds 21
16 Assists 10
17 Steals 6
4 Blocks 2
12 Turnovers 19
0 Team Turnovers 0
12 Total Turnovers 19
0 Technical Fouls 1
0 Total Technical Fouls 1
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
0 Points Off Turnovers 0
0 Fast Break Points 0
0 Points in Paint 0
17 Fouls 16

Game Information

Colonial Life Arena

Location: Columbia, SC
Attendance: 12,781 | Capacity:

2025-26 Southeastern Conference Standings

TEAM CONF GB OVER
Florida 16-2 - 27-8
Arkansas 13-5 3 28-9
Alabama 13-5 3 25-10
Vanderbilt 11-7 5 27-9
Tennessee 11-7 5 25-12
Texas A&M 11-7 5 22-12
Georgia 10-8 6 22-11
Kentucky 10-8 6 22-14
Missouri 10-8 6 20-13
Texas 9-9 7 21-15
Auburn 7-11 9 22-16
Oklahoma 7-11 9 21-16
Mississippi State 5-13 11 13-19
Ole Miss 4-14 12 15-20
South Carolina 4-14 12 13-19
LSU 3-15 13 15-17
Full Standings