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1. Florida sure looks like SEC’s top team

Maybe Saturday was just a speed bump for Florida.

The No. 19 Gators thumped South Carolina, 95-48, on Wednesday night, which ties the program record for margin of victory in an SEC game, and the most by any team in SEC play over the last 50 years. Coming just four days after a surprising home loss to Auburn, this was the Florida team we’d seen most of January.

“We had a bad taste in our mouth following that loss at home to Auburn, and the only response that would have been acceptable was coming out with a great mentality, both physically and mentally, over the course of 40 minutes, and I thought our guys did a great job from start to finish,” coach Todd Golden said.

Florida (15-6, 6-2 in SEC) led 12-8 about 8 minutes into the game, then hit the gas. It outscored South Carolina 23-3 over the next 8 minutes, pushed the lead to 28 by halftime, and was relentless in the second half. It shot 62% from the field, 42.9% from deep — a season high — owned the boards, and held the Gamecocks (11-10, 2-6) to just 26% from the field.

Best team in the SEC? Probably. What about another title?

In the other SEC games, Smurf Millender hit a layup in the final seconds of regulation that forced overtime against Tennessee, but when Georgia found itself down by three in OT, Millender … hit another layup.

Tennessee walked away with an 86-85 road win that was resembled what Vols fans were used to the last few years under Rick Barnes. The Vols (14-6, 4-3 in SEC) were just 44% from the field, but dominated the glass and made enough defensive plays when it mattered.

Also important? Freshman Nate Ament went for 19 points and six rebounds. He’s finally looking like a top freshman in his last five games, which coincides with the Vols’ best five-game stretch thus far this season.

In the other two SEC games:

• Keyshawn Hall (31 points) outdueled Dailyn Swain (30 points) as Auburn (14-7, 5-3) scored on all but four of its second-half possessions, won its fourth-straight game and moved into a tie for third in the league. It’s upcoming slate? At Tennessee, vs. Bama, vs. Vandy and at Arkansas. Texas (12-9, 3-5) committed 26 fouls, its most in a game this season. You can imagine how much Sean Miller’s loved that.

• Mississippi State snapped a 5-game skid with an 80-66 win over LSU. The Bulldogs (11-10, 3-5) with their most efficient offensive game (1.18 ppp) since Jan. 3. LSU (13-8, 1-7) might have its best chance for a road victory when it travels to South Carolina on Saturday.

2. Houston not sharp, but bounces back on the road

Kingston Flemings wasn’t about to led Houston lose back-to-back road games.

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