Weems, Arkansas dismantle Gators

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Clink. Clank. Clunk.

Florida found out how humbling a bad shooting day on the road against a physical team can become Saturday afternoon. Trailing by as many as 30 points in the second half, the 20th-ranked Gators fell 80-61 to surging Arkansas before a frenzied sellout at Bud Walton Arena.

How humbling was it? Florida suffered its worst loss in close to four years. The last time Florida lost by more than 19 points was an 82-62 defeat at Kentucky in March of 2004 that ended the 2003-04 regular season.

"We didn't come ready to play," said Florida freshman guard Nick Calathes. "We just didn't get enough stops on the defense end. We got great looks, but it was one of those days where we didn't knock our shots down. Give them a lot of credit, but we weren't tough enough."

Apparently, six days of rest between games didn't help Florida regain its shooting legs. Instead, it may have taken the Gators out of their rhythm. Florida missed its first 13 3-point attempts. Junior guard Walter Hodge finally broke the seal with a 3-pointer with 11:29 left.

By then, Florida was down 62-35 and out of the game.

"We got good looks," Hodge said, shrugging his shoulders. "We just didn't make them."

As deflating were a number of missed layups and putbacks inside early that could have given Florida a lift. As a result, the Gators trailed 46-21 at halftime.

"We had a lot of good inside looks, the first six or eight minutes, and then their length, their physical strength, began to take a toll on us," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "There were times when we were physically overmatched. When they come out, they look like an NBA team and we look like a very mature high school team."

Florida shot 33.3 percent from the floor and a dismal 16 percent (4-for-25) from 3-point range. It was hard to put a finger on the reason for the poor shooting. Florida shot at Bud Walton Arena shortly after it arrived Friday night, but did not shoot around Saturday morning because of the 2 p.m. local (Central) tip time.

"We had some good looks, but we also took some shots that were probably contested," Donovan said.

Hodge led Florida with 13 points, and Calathes added 12 points and seven rebounds. Marreese Speights also had 12 points but struggled shooting over Arkansas 7-foot center Steven Hill. Speights finished 5-of-13 from the floor, while battling inside against the revolving door of Arkansas big men.

"They've got two seven-footers inside," said Hodge, although Arkansas starting forward Michael Washington measures just a shade over 6-10. "So it was tough to get shots inside."

Florida's 21 points in the first half were its lowest in a half in seven SEC games. Sophomore forward Dan Werner picked up an early foul and struggled to find an offensive rhythm. Werner had five points and no assists and was 1-for-7 from 3-point range, putting up more 3-point attempts than he has in any game this season. Freshman point guard Jai Lucas was held scoreless for the first time in his career.

Sonny Weems led the Razorbacks (16-5, 5-2) with 17 points, including seven during a 17-2 Arkansas first half run that took Florida out of the game. After Calathes tied the score at eight with a soft jumper in the lane, Weems started the Arkansas barrage with a dunk off a baseline drive.

Weems then hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to put Arkansas ahead 13-8 and showed his offensive versatility with another driving layup that extended the lead to 15-8.

"Weems has always caused us problems," Donovan said. "He's a terrific shooter and one of the better defenders in the league."

Then, Arkansas senior point guard Gary Ervin (15 points, six assists) provided a spark off the bench with a pair of driving layups. The second put Arkansas ahead 25-10, forcing Donovan to call a timeout.

From there, Florida continued firing and clanking shots, missing all 10 of its first-half 3-point attempts. Florida also missed four first-half free throws.

The misses carried over to the other end of the floor. The Gators allowed Arkansas to shoot 57.6 percent from the floor in the first half.

"As a team, you have off-nights, but you have to stay focused and play defense," Hodge said. "That was the difference."

It was an emotional day for both Donovan and Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey, the former Marshall and Florida assistant who beat his mentor for the first time in two meetings.

"It was no fun," Pelphrey said. "I actually sent him a text message this morning saying, ‘This is ridiculous.’ I'd much rather be back in Ireland, playing golf."

Emotions aside, Florida will look to regroup from its most lopsided loss in close to four years in a showdown Tuesday at No. 7 Tennessee.

"Last Monday, we were the greatest thing since sliced bread," Donovan said. "Now, we're being asked about a carryover. As a coach, you try not to get caught up in the emotional ups and downs. It's part of our league."

"We just have to go back, watch film and fix things," Hodge said. "They (Arkansas) made open shots. They played hard on defense. Those are the things we need to do."