Florida has beaten the No. 1 team in the nation twice in school history, but never in the regular season.
The No. 7 Gators will get a chance to accomplish that feat tonight when they face No. 1 Duke in the finals of the Motion bracket of the PK80 Tournament. The game will start at about 10:30 p.m. and air on ESPN.
Florida reached the finals with a thrilling 111-105 double overtime win over No. 17 Gonzaga on Friday night. Junior guard Jalen Hudson scored a career-high 35 points in the win and is averaging a team-high 21.2 points per game. Point guard Chris Chiozza added a career-high 26 points and 10 assists in the win. Chiozza suffered elbow and rib injuries during the Gonzaga game but is available to play tonight.
Duke is led by preseason All-American guard Grayson Allen, who is averaging 16.9 points and 4.3 assists per game. The Blue Devils also will be tough to handle up front with 6-foot-10 freshman forward Wendell Carter Jr. and 6-11 freshman forward Marvin Bagley III. Florida beat Gonzaga on Friday night despite being outscored 52-24 in the paint.
UF’s last win against a No. 1 team was against Ohio State in the 2007 NCAA Tournament finals.
Small ball versus tall ball. Go Gators!
Slowing the pace down worked to our disadvantage.