ChompTalk.com

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team traveled to Tallahassee to play rival Florida State Saturday, but the tone of the day and entire season shifted early after star Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the court.

Johnson, the preseason SEC Player of the Year, had just thrown down a lob from guard Tyree Appleby and was walking on to the court following a timeout when he abruptly collapsed. The game was paused as he was stretchered off the court and taken to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. At 12:24 P.M., Denver Parler, a communications director for the team, tweeted that Johnson was in “critical but stable condition.”

Florida had opened the game on a tear, going on an 11-1 run and leading 11-3 before Johnson went down. The team was visibly shaken following their teammate’s collapse, with multiple players shown in tears in the huddle before play resumed.

Florida State took control from that point onward, going on a 21-12 run to take the lead back with 7:07 left in the first half and never surrendering again, winning by a final score of 83-71. Freshman guard Scottie Barnes continued his impressive play as he and fellow guard M.J. Walker finished with a team-high 17 points. Junior guard Anthony Polite also had an impressive performance, with 14 points and five rebounds of his own.

The Gators were understandably rattled, and the team looked as if it was simply going through the motions. Sophomore Scottie Lewis had a season-high 19 points on 4-5 shooting from three to go along with a pair of steals and a trio of blocks. Fellow second-year guard Tre Mann continued his strong play, nearly reaching a triple double with 17 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. However, the offense looked stagnant with the loss of Johnson felt on the court and in their hearts as the team combined for 20 turnovers.

The Seminoles finished with a 12-point victory, handing Florida its first loss of the young season.

The Gators will return home to face North Florida on Wednesday in the team’s second home game of the 2020-21 season, the first of a three-game home stand.