GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Thomas Haugh scored 22 points, Rueben Chinyelu recorded his 17th double-double of the season and No. 7 Florida clinched at least a share of the Southeastern Conference title with a 111-77 victory over 20th-ranked Arkansas on Saturday night.
It tied the worst loss of Arkansas coach John Calipari's career, a 3-pointer against Duke in 2018. Calipari was with Kentucky at the time.
The Gators (23-6, 14-2 SEC) closed out an undefeated February with their ninth straight win and clinched their first regular-season championship since 2014. They remain two games ahead of No. 17 Alabama with two to play and can clinch the outright title Tuesday night at home.
But they didn't wait to celebrate.
With tickets sold out and ESPN's College GameDay on tap, Florida turned Billy Donovan Court into a party spot. Coach Todd Golden was front and center as the team handed out hats and t-shirts and cut down nets. It wasn't Golden's first time in the spotlight Saturday night, either.
Golden and Calipari suffered double technicals early in the second half after yelling at each other near center court. Calipari's assistants took him away. Golden turned around and enraged the more than 11,000 attendees.
It was one of the few highlights in a game that practically ended early.
The Gators dominated on both ends, making plays inside and out, and built a 30-point lead with 13 minutes left. The biggest surprises were bench players Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown. Klavzar hit his first four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points, and Brown scored 11 thanks in part to two 3-pointers.
But it was Florida's big men who controlled the pace most of the time. Haugh, Chinyelu and Alex Condon worked their way inside, helping the Gators outrebound Arkansas 51-31 and win the battle in the paint.
Billy Richmond III led the Razorbacks (21-8, 11-5) with 22 points, including 14 in the first 15 minutes. Darius Acuff Jr., who leads the SEC in scoring and assists, finished with 17 points and six assists.
Florida guard Boogie Fland, against his former team, was one of seven Gators in double figures and helped end Calipari's six-game winning streak in Gainesville.
Florida has won six in a row against ranked teams and scored at least 90 points in each of them. It is the second-longest streak in college basketball history. The longest record is shared by UNLV and Loyola-Marymount, both in the 1989-90 season.
