Florida 79, South Carolina 65: Gators Vanquish Road Demons, Gamecocks

It doesn't matter so much that Florida got a road win over a South Carolina team that might have problems making the SEC Tournament; it just matters that Florida got a road win. That particular demon probably isn't gone, but it's at least been beaten back once, and that helps these Gators as they head into the meat of the SEC schedule.

Six Gators — starters Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Bradley Beal, Erik Murphy, and Will Yeguete, and instant offense provider Mike Rosario — reached double figures, none scoring more than Boynton's 15 points, and the Gators made 12 of their 24 threes. And the Gators managed their road weaknesses well, too, making 17 of 21 free throws and dishing 19 assists against just 10 turnovers.

Even the biggest problem the Gators had — Patric Young, who began the game on the bench with a sprained ankle, struggled, scoring just four points and racking up four fouls in 13 minutes — really didn't matter. That's what a good team is able to do: Win despite weaknesses. On this night, with Yeguete snagging eight rebounds and Walker recording seven assists and Florida's outside shooting making up for other faults, that's what the Gators did.