For the second — maybe third — straight game of the 2018 Battle 4 Atlantis, the Florida Gators played solid defensive basketball, forcing a talented opponent to score against tough schemes and close guarding.
But against Butler on Friday night, the Gators could not do that scoring in their own right, wilting on offense against an equally stout Bulldogs defense and ultimately falling in a dispiriting 61-54 defeat.
Kamar Baldwin — who looked like a potential All-American on the night — led Butler with 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and was joined in taking and making tough shots by Paul Jorgensen, who had 16 points and seven boards and was the only Butler player to make multiple threes.