College Basketball: Gators comes back at home to upset ranked Florida State

Gainesville, Florida - The Florida Gators pulled off an early-season upset of their interstate rivals, the Florida State Seminoles on Sunday afternoon.

Brandon McKissic scored 12 points for the Gators on Sunday.
Brandon McKissic scored 12 points for the Gators on Sunday.  © IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

The Gators beat the 20th-ranked Seminoles 71-55 for their second-straight win, while Florida State suffered their first loss of the college basketball season.

With the win, the Gators snapped a seven-game skid against the Seminoles.

The first half had the two locked into a tight battle, with neither side really taking control of the game.

No lead by either team during that time was big enough that two quick scores by the opposition could've wiped out any advantage.

Down going into the second half down by only two, the Gators began to get some momentum going that cashed in with over ten minutes to play.

Florida State began to play sloppy basketball, not helping their cause with turnovers and missed shots aplenty to lean the game Florida's way.

The Seminoles could only muster four more points in the last three minutes as the Gators held on to win.

The player spotlight

Gators forward Colin Castleton scored 15 points against Florida State on Sunday.
Gators forward Colin Castleton scored 15 points against Florida State on Sunday.  © IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

Florida's senior forward Colin Castleton (21) made his presence felt in a big way by working hard in the paint on both offense and defense against the Seminoles.

As his team's leading scorer, he was one of four Florida starters that scored in double-figures.

He has also been a dominating defensive factor in the paint, averaging six blocks per game.

He ended the game 5-of-9 from the field for 15 points, 16 rebounds, and six blocks.

The big picture

Seminoles forward Malik Osborne leads 20th-ranked Florida State through the new college basketball season.
Seminoles forward Malik Osborne leads 20th-ranked Florida State through the new college basketball season.  © IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

This loss for Florida State won't raise any red flags so soon in the season.

Even if the Seminoles lose their current place in the rankings, they're still good enough to earn a place in the national championship tournament in March.

On Thursday, the Gators host the Milwaukee Panthers while on Wednesday, the Seminoles will be back at home to face the Tulane Green Wave.

Cover photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

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