Arkansas basketball takes down Florida for first win in Gainesville since 1995

Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman said Saturday that Florida was "dangerous at home." The Gators had just knocked off No. 2 Auburn at home, just like Arkansas had about a week earlier.

The No. 18 Razorbacks were the next team to visit Gainesville and Florida put them in danger, but Arkansas pulled out the 82-74 win on Tuesday night. It was Arkansas' first win at Florida since 1995.

Fouls were a factor, as SEC co-player of the week Jaylin Williams collected four fouls with eight minutes to play. Williams had already taken four charges, bringing his season total to 44. He finished with his 10th double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Florida forward Colin Castleton, who is third in the league in field goal percentage (54.5%) and rebounds per game (9.6), led all scorers with 29. He was 9-for-10 from free-throw line for the Gators (17-11, 7-8 SEC). Arkansas (22-6, 11-4) fouled eight times in seven minutes to start the second half.

JD Notae led Arkansas with 22 points. Arkansas outrebounded Florida 39-31 and turned the ball over just six times against a typically aggressive Florida defense.

"Right now, we’re a really confident team on the road," Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said. "When a team wins at this pace, you’ve got a group that’s not satisfied. A group that’s hungry and wants to continue to get better."

NET RANKING: Razorbacks' NCAA Tournament resume, Quadrant 1 record, more

WOMEN'S HOOPS: 'She'll leave a legacy': Ramirez's impact on Arkansas women's basketball goes beyond 3-pointers

LAST TIME OUT: Defense again saves No. 24 Arkansas basketball as Razorbacks outlast No. 13 Tennessee

Jacksonville in Gainesville

Jacksonville, Arkansas, natives Davonte Davis and Tyree Appleby were suited up for opposite squads, and both had big games. Davis has improved as a shooter in recent weeks, going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc in Arkansas' previous four games.

Against Florida, he extended that streak to five games while scoring 19 points with six rebounds and four assists. Musselman said he made a difference in the much-improved second half.

"That's the Devo we know," Notae said. "We know he's capable of doing that each and every night."

Appleby was key in Florida's upset of Auburn, when he scored 26. In Tuesday's game, he had 19 points on 6-for-14 shooting.

"I would say (Appleby) coming out and knocking down two (3-pointers) right away is on me," Musselman said. "I made the decision to put Au’Diese (Toney) on him instead of our point guard.... I would say more than the players, those threes in particular are on me and decisions I made going into the game."

Appleby graduated high school three years ahead of Davis, but the two did meet on the court in Jacksonville when Davis was a freshman at Jacksonville Lighthouse and Appleby was a senior at Jacksonville High School.

"We always played with each other and against each other back at home during the summer time," Davis said. "He's a really great player."

In last season's matchup, when Davis was a freshman for the Razorbacks, the two led their respective teams in scoring. Davis had 18 and Appleby 16 as Arkansas won 75-64.

Davis punctuated the 2022 matchup with a dunk and a technical foul for slapping the backboard in celebration. It was Appleby who took the free throw on the foul. Davis apologized after the game, but Musselman said it was all emotion.

Florida rains threes early

Florida isn't known for 3-point shooting. In fact, its 3-point percentage (30.5%) is slightly worse than Arkansas' (31%), and poor shooting from beyond the arc has been a theme for much of the season.

But Florida came out firing and the Gators made seven in the first half. Appleby led the way, going 3-for-6 in the first 20 minutes.

"We gave up too much dribble penetration and they were just getting in the lane, kicking out to spot up shooters wide open," Notae said. "So we had to stop the ball first. And then once we got in front of the ball, we made it tough on their shooters because they weren't just catching it and shooting."

But Arkansas' defense tightened up in the second half. Florida didn't attempt a 3-pointer for almost half of the second period, but it made its first to take a 3-point lead. The Gators finished shooting 32% to Arkansas' 39%.

Up next

Arkansas hosts No. 3 Kentucky on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena (1 p.m. CT, CBS).

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can email her at clong@swtimes.com or follow her on Twitter @christinalong00.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball beats Florida: First win in Gainesville since 1995