Gators Defeat NC State 68-66

Wasn't that nice? A second half rally, Nick Calathes completely dominating the second half and a defensive stop to end the game. That's the way it should be done. For the Gators to win, Calathes does not need to score 31 every night, but they need him to be active and efficient. Against the Wolfpack, Calathes was 11-16, 1-3 from three-point range. He had five rebounds, five assists and only two turnovers. He was the reason why UF rallied from their 33-23 halftime deficit.

The other player who was delightfully active was Erving Walker, who played great defense and added 8 points in 20 minutes. He was 3-7 shooting and took a few ill-advised threes, but that is what freshmen do. He even looked disappointed when Donovan subbed him with Walt Hodge for NC State's final two possessions.

The most important thing, besides not laying down in the second half, was a perimeter team wasn't knocking down threes and had to play inside and won. UF was 2-13 from three, but still won. They couldn't do that last season.

This is one game, but Florida should pretty confident before they open SEC play with Ole Miss next Saturday.