Missouri Knocks Off Florida, as Both Teams Exchange Bad Three Point Shots in the Final Minute
By Jason Lisk
Missouri trailed #5 Florida 49-36 about halfway through the second half, but rallied to take a late lead on a Phil Pressey drive and foul. Scottie Wilbekin answered with what looked like a monster step back three pointer to put Florida back in front, but Missouri took a one point lead and then held on in a head scratching final minute when Pressey launched a horrible three point shot with Missouri up 1, and then Kenny Boynton matched it by launching his own contested poor shot when Florida only needed a 2 to win.
How big was this win? Missouri is only 1-6 on the road (4-7 neutral), so they are no guarantee not to add bad losses, but this win moves them squarely up the board and away from the “bubble”. They move from a projected 11 seed after the close loss at Arkansas, to an 8 seed based on adding a top 5 win that few other teams in that range have. Florida, meanwhile, now likely has to run the table and win the SEC tournament to get a #1 seed, because the Big Ten and ACC will produce three between them.