GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Omar Payne was an afterthought in Florida's highly touted recruiting class, which featured high school All-Americans Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann.
No one expected Payne to start, let along star, in any games this season. So his performance against Auburn was a bigger shock than the final score.
Payne had the best game of his college career, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds, as the Gators routed the fourth-ranked Tigers 69-47 on Saturday.
''Elite,'' teammate and fellow big man Kerry Blackshear Jr. said. ''Great on both ends of the floor. His energy was great.