The Daily Gus: February 4th

Florida welcomes South Carolina into "The Swamp" for a spot in first place in the SEC East on Tuesday night after getting walloped at Tennessee over the weekend. South Carolina came out on a mission and kept the Gators in a game; Devan Downey scored 33 for the Gamecocks. South Carolina had beaten Florida at home on January 21st on a quick lay-up by Downey as time expired to shock the Gators. Since then, South Carolina had been on a roll, tallying up a total 16-4 record going into the showdown. Florida got to the free throw line 40 times compared to South Carolina's 22 and forced 17 turnovers as Florida recaptured the top spot in the SEC East 97-93 although they tried their best to give it back down the stretch. Walter Hodge missed a series of free throws and Downey nailed three last minute treys to pull within two before the well ran dry for South Carolina. Still, reason for optimism for the Gamecocks; for a team with alot of uncertainty they are playing up to potential and should certainly be considered among the top four SEC squads come March.

Shoot-Around
- 12th ranked Purdue went on the road to Columbus to face an Ohio State team desperate for a signature win at home where they could stay atop the Big Ten. The Buckeyes were 5-4 coming in and had shown real signs of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; not knowing what kind of team will show up ever since a win at Notre Dame which does not look as appealing anymore. Ohio State got their win (even though Purdue was without leading scorer Robbie Hummel) 80-72 in overtime. Ohio State was the first team to shoot over 45 percent against the Boilermakers all season, and Purdue could not snag a crucial road win which would have tied them with Michigan State. Although Hummel is cleared to play with a hairline fracture in his back, having him perform is crucial to the Purdue success.

- UNLV hosted San Diego State for a spot in second place in the Mountain West and trailed the entire game before tying it at 56 with under two minutes left. The Rebels forced overtime, but San Diego State guard Kyle Spain had eight of his 17 in overtime and hit a crucial three with a minute left to put SDSU up four. MTM fave Wink Adams had a shot to win it at the buzzer, but to no avail and San Diego St got a huge road MWC win.