Chris Walker had a long wait to see his first action for the Gators, but he wasted little time in displaying the raw talent that has fascinated fans and scouts alike.
Making his long-awaited debut, Walker sparked the Gators with a pair of stunning first-half dunks, and No. 3 Florida escaped with a 68-58 victory over Missouri on Tuesday night.
Walker pointed to the sky as he entered the game for the first time with 11:28 remaining in the first half and promptly energized the crowd with a pair of blocked shots and a rebound over the next handful of positions. He would have also had an open dunk if not for a traveling violation called on Dorian Finney-Smith.
His second stint was even more electric.
Shortly after returning to the game, Walker gave the home crowd what it has been waiting for since he enrolled at UF on Dec. 14. Standing near the right block, Walker skied for a pass from fellow freshman Kasey Hill and finished an alley-oop that tied the score at 23 late in the first half.
Only a few possessions later, the dynamic duo combined for almost the exact same play, with Hill lobbing another pass to Walker for a huge slam to set off a delirious crowd with the final seconds ticking down in the first half.
“It was really exciting to see Chris get out there and do what he does best,” UF center Patric Young said.
Missouri’s Jabari Brown, who entered the game as the team’s leading scorer at 20.4 points per game, tempered the brewing excitement by connecting on a deep 3-pointer as time expired in the first half.
The Tigers’ 28-25 advantage was the first time the Gators (20-2, 9-0 SEC) had trailed at halftime since overcoming a 36-35 halftime deficit to beat Arkansas in overtime Jan. 11.
Brown finished with 15 points for the Tigers (16-6, 4-5), whose three-guard lineup had success against a Florida press that has given SEC opponents fits this season.
Neither team was able to create much separation until Michael Frazier II began hitting from behind the arc midway through the second half. Frazier, who finished with 14 points, hit three 3-pointers in the span of two minutes to give the Gators a 54-48 lead.
The late barrage helped salvage another poor shooting game for UF, which made just 6 of its 20 attempts from behind the arc — with two of the makes coming from Scottie Wilbekin, who finished with a game-high 19 points.
Hill continued his strong play as of late and followed with a pair of free throws to give the Gators a 56-48 advantage with 5:42 remaining. The chemistry between Hill and Walker, who finished with four points, two rebounds and a pair of blocks in limited action, is a welcomed sight for Florida moving forward.
Coach Billy Donovan, who learned Tuesday he was chosen to coach the 2014 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship, has now won at least 20 games in each of the past 16 seasons while at Florida. Only Syracuse (Jim Boeheim) and Duke (Mike Krzyzewski) have longer active streaks under a single head coach.
“Excellence — that’s what he exudes from his personality,” Wilbekin said. “He’s a great coach and I think it shows from his overall record.”
UF, which has now won 14 straight games, concludes its three-game homestand with a matchup against Alabama on Saturday. The two teams met Jan. 23 with the Gators earning a 68-62 road victory.
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