ChompTalk.com

The biggest question for the Florida men’s basketball team was whether their poor start and unconvincing victory against Army Wednesday was more to do with rust or another disappointing team.

The Gators did their part to answer that question Thursday against Boston College, and they answered in emphatically with a 90-70 win over the Eagles to move to 2-0 to begin the season.

In a night in which field goal percentage hovered just under 60% and three-pointers were made at over a 40% clip, the team looked a lot more fluid and comfortable from the opening tip Thursday night. Tre Mann picked up right where he left off with 8 points in the opening eight minutes as the Gators moved to an 22-11 lead. Omar Payne came in and looked much better early, coming off the bench with a good assist and a pair of early baskets.

About 14 minutes into the game, the Gators really took command. With a 29-20 lead, Florida went on an 13-0 run to push their lead to 22, 10 of which came from Mann and Keyontae Johnson.

Johnson looked the part of preseason SEC Player of the Year Thursday night, and he and Mann overwhelmed Boston College from the get-go. With four minutes left in the first half, the two were outscoring the entire Boston College team 25-20, and they finished the first half tied with the Eagles at 29 apiece. The Gators shot 6-11 from the three-point line in the opening frame and had 10 assists as a team, seven more than their first half yesterday.

Johnson finished the game with 24 points and 12 rebounds, leading five total Florida players that scored double digits. Mann had 17 points, a career-high six assists and, most importantly, only turned the ball over once. Scottie Lewis contributed 14 of his own points on top of five rebounds and a pair of steals and blocks apiece. Noah Locke and Omar Payne had 12 and 10 points respectively to round out the impressive offensive performances.

The most important part of this Thursday win is just how much better Florida looked, even only a little more than 24 hours after their opening game. Mann looked just as good offensively and cut out a lot of mental mistakes, evidenced by the single turnover. Johnson quietly went about his double-double, leaving no reason to believe that stat line felt out of the ordinary to him or wouldn’t be replicated the next time he takes the court. Payne looked like an entirely different player, positioning himself correctly and fighting for leverage and shots the entire game, including one lay-in with an opponent grabbing one of his arms.

Head coach Mike White has this offense humming, scoring more than 40 points in its final three halves in Connecticut. The team will return to Gainesville for their home opener against Stetson on Sunday in an effort to move to 3-0.