Duke freshman Boozer bullies Florida in 67-66 win
There stood Todd Golden. Still. Not a quiver in his lips, yet his frown growing. Grey Nike Dunks only a foot away.
He had probably seen this type of thing unfold hundreds of times. The 40-year-old coach has been up to this for a while. But guiding his reigning national champion to the home of the team most enraged by how it ended last season — remember, Duke was all but certain it would face Florida in the national championship — is surely a new circumstance.
So pan down, and there lay Boogie Fland, moments after a turnover that will haunt his college career. It’s easy to see the source of Golden’s consternation.
No. 15 Florida was within seconds — or inches, however you choose to measure — of beating No. 4 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday. Yet as Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster gathered the ball from Fland’s grasp, over two hours of clawing proved fruitless.
The 67-66 loss was jarring, then, in many ways. Florida (5-3) played what its coach, Golden, referred to as its “best half of the year,” climbing from a 15-point deficit. The Gators outrebounded Duke’s vaunted frontcourt by 11. They outscored Duke (9-0) by 11 in the second half, as well.
It all meant nothing.
“This should’ve been a win,” forward Thomas Haugh said. “[We didn’t play] well enough. At the end of the day, we just need to get a win.”
The moments before Fland’s turnover encapsulated Florida’s night and season. The sophomore guard scored 16, and in the final minute, gave Florida a two-point lead off a three-pointer after entering the game shooting 24.2% from deep. Florida has been searching for a closer, so this felt like a moment of resolution.
Then came the timeout, Duke drawing up its own attempt with less than 30 seconds left. The Blue Devils never won a single-possession game a season ago, but as guard Isaiah Evans took the game-winning three without a soul near him, Duke’s previous ailment disappeared.
Until that point, Florida’s defense, especially in the second half, had looked its best since at least last year’s NCAA Tournament. These Gators, however, continue to face the same issues of inconsistency. They’re shooting 27.4% from three on the year, while also turning the ball over more than 10 times per game and regularly collapsing on defense in the grandest moments.
Even then, Florida’s mind-set is laced with a touch of pride. After the game, Haugh explicitly outlined how Florida is built on “grit.” Grit, however, did not make Florida shoot better than 26% from three, nor did it help the Gators’ turnover tendencies evaporate.
“To win in a place like Cameron, you got to outplay Duke by 10 points,” Golden said, brushing off concern for his team’s lack of adaptation. “I thought, tonight, we were good enough.”
In a way, the Gators remaining within a point of a top-five team while performing as they did is inspiring. Yet foes will continue to bring their best punch to the reigning champs, so improvement is necessary.
Battle of the Bigs
“Hey, big man. Big man. Big man. Score me some points.”
He already had. There was no reason to think he would stop, really, at this point.
But as the Crazies’ words rang, there went Cameron Boozer. One dribble. Another even firmer dribble — the creaky court of Cameron Indoor Stadium rattled with that one. And, with a cement shoulder into Florida’s preseason All-American Alex Condon, the freshman added his 10th and 11th points.
By the end of the evening, he sat with 29, his third 25-point performance of a freshman campaign.
“I thought [Cam] did a great job,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said of the freshman from Miami Columbus high. “He hit clutch shots in key moments.”
Florida’s vaunted frontcourt? The one that inexplicably returned every contributor from its championship team? It lost its third game of the year. The way — getting thrown around up front — is what stings.
Golden’s replacement plan this offseason for his departing guards centered on, well, his centers. It was more of a reinvention. Florida decided it would start forward Haugh, Condon and center Reuben Chinyelu, three players over 6-8.
The vision was understandable. Golden wanted his most talented players on the floor, no matter their theorized positions. He’s riding a bit of a wave, as at least 15 of the current top 25 teams regularly start three 6-8 players. But Florida’s version is getting roughed up every other game.
And Boozer was the biggest bully to date.
Condon and Chinyelu only scored a combined 16 against Duke. Haugh continued to impress, leading Florida in scoring for the fourth time with 24. Duke also, crucially, tallied 11 blocks to Florida’s two.