Gators upset Spartans 77-74
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Erving Walker hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:56 left and Florida hung on to upset No. 2 Michigan State 77-74 Friday night in the Legends Classic.
Walker finished with 12 points to help the Gators (5-0) remain undefeated.
Durrell Summers missed two last-gasp three-point attempts in the final minute.
The Spartans (4-1) missed their chance to give coach Tom Izzo a record 341 victories at the school. Izzo will get another chance Saturday.
Chandler Parsons scored 14 points to lead the Gators. Walker hit his three from beyond NBA range in front of Florida’s bench for a 72-71 lead.
Kalin Lucas scored 20 points for the Spartans.
The Gators will play Rutgers in the championship game.
Michigan State was knocked off because of some incredibly sloppy play. They hacked the Gators with bad fouls down the stretch and committed a whopping 23 turnovers. The Spartans also missed eight of 10 three-point attempts.
The Gators only went 5-of-24 on threes, but Walker hit the big one after missing his first five attempts.
Walker added two more free throws to make it 74-71, then made one of two on the next possession to keep the lead at three.
Dan Werner made two free throws with 17 seconds left to seal the win.