Takeaways: Phlandrous Fleming Jr. Shines; Gators Defeat Georgia 84-72

The Florida Gators handed Georgia its 23rd loss of the season, the most in a single season in UGA history, on Saturday with an 84-72 victory over the Bulldogs.

After going back and forth with the Dawgs in the first ten minutes of the game, Florida began to distance itself heading into the halftime break due to contributions from the likes of Phlandrous Fleming Jr., Tyree Appleby, Myreon Jones and Colin Castleton. That quartet carried that momentum out of the half, realizing a 13-0 run to break away from the Bulldogs.

They wouldn't look back as they cruised to the must-have road win and season sweep of the Dawgs on Saturday.

Here are AllGators' three takeaways from the Gators' timely and dominant win over their archrivals.

Phlandrous Fleming Jr. shows out in homecoming

Any type of career-high performance is one worth remembering. When it comes in front of your loved ones in your hometown, it hits just a little bit differently.

Compiling 27 points on 11-for-18 shooting from the field and 4-for-9 from three, Fleming served as the primary scoring option for the Gators on Saturday, earning the highest point total of his Florida career.

"He was really locked in," head coach Mike White said postgame. "His attention to detail, his focus, his decisions offensively... He was really solid defensively [too]. When you talk to your guys about being locked in, he epitomized it today."

Phlandrous Fleming Jr. dropped 27 Pts vs. Georgia to complete the season sweep for @GatorsMBK 🧹🧹 pic.twitter.com/ya2Z93nEL0
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 26, 2022

Growing up in Athens (Ga.), Fleming has a past with the University of Georgia, namely as a lifelong fan.

Following the Georgia Bulldogs national championship victory over Alabama in football, Fleming took to social media to celebrate the accomplishment made by the team he grew up rooting for. However, the transfer guard's actions were't received too kindly from Florida fans, deeming him disloyal as he cheered for one of the Gators' biggest rivals and said his intentions spanned beyond excitement and toward mocking the University of Florida.

He posted an apology less than 24 hours later.

Since then, Fleming has carried on with business as usual, but his return home provided an opportunity to reconcile the relationship with Florida fans with a strong performance in front of his friends and family of close to 60 or 70 in attendance at UGA.

He capitalized on the opportunity to elevate the Gators to a victory, operating as the best player on the court.

Not only did he score the basketball with supreme efficiency, but his contributions encompassed his efforts as a passer with four assists, a rebounder with five boards, a defender with one steal and one charge drawn as well as an energizer for his unwavering intensity and plus-19 advantage he provided Florida when one the court.

Fleming's homecoming outing played a vital role in the Gators' imperative win to keep their postseason hopes intact.

Offensive Explosion At Georgia (Part 2)

The basket is bigger inside Stegeman Coliseum.

The last time the Gators traveled on the road to take on the Georgia Bulldogs, a dose of high octane offense made the difference in UF's 92-84 triumph over Tom Crean's squad. Similar magic arose today as they had sustained success scoring the basketball.

Scoring with ease from start to finish, the Gators shot over 50% from the floor and 45% from beyond the arc as a team, capitalizing on the open looks the Georgia defense granted while alternating between man-to-man and zone in an attempt to throw different looks and slow down a smoothly operating offensive attack.

"That's as well as we've played offensively all year," White said.

Earning 20 assists on 31 made baskets – while valuing the basketball to total just six turnovers on the day – Florida's facilitation was an evident factor in creating open looks for what the Gators coin as "A [graded] shots" from the field.

"The shooting percentages speak for themselves," White said "We were 14-of-31 [from three]. When you complement that with 20 [assists] and [6] turnovers, you got a chance to beat an SEC opponent."

Despite a relatively quiet day from Castleton, the Gators big man posted 10 points to give UF four scorers in double digits, the recipe for success throughout the year.

White said that he hopes the Gators can replicate their shooting performance when they travel to Nashville on Tuesday night to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in another must-win game.

On to Vanderbilt

As soon as the Gators step on the bus home to Gainesville from Athens, it's time to shift focus to Vanderbilt.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is viewed as one of the most no-nonsense head coaches in the entire NFL and professional sports as a whole.

A large part of that persona has been his ability to live in the present, understand that the only thing he and his team can control is the task ahead. "Nothing about the past. Nothing about the future. We're on to Cincinnati," he infamously said after a letdown against Kansas City in 2014.

Although the circumstances of Florida's win on Saturday are different, Belichick's message needs to be echoed by Gators head coach Mike White.

Sure, the Florida Gators' did a lot of things right in their outing against Georgia. Shooting well from beyond the arc, attacking the glass when the ball goes up, playing with intensity on both ends of the floor are some examples.

However, when floating on the bubble as Florida currently is, a convincing win over a team that is now 6-23 (1-15 SEC) is crucial, but won't be applauded.

Entering the contest with a 33% chance to make the NCAA tournament, Florida's hope for the postseason was based on its ability to compete, earn two road victories and steal one at home against No. 6 Kentucky.

The Gators completed phase one of that mission. Phase two starts now with Vanderbilt.

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