Eric Musselman chose not to sit his best forward, Jaylin Williams, when the big man picked up his fourth foul with 7:57 left. He needed him on the court.
He was right.
Williams sank a 3-pointer three possessions to move Arkansas ahead after that foul and hit a lay-up to give Arkansas a five-point lead with 2:57 left and the Razorbacks never trailed again, beating Florida, 82-74, and snapping a 14-game losing streak in Gainesville in the process.
Florida pulled back within a point with 1:27 left when Colin Castleton set a career high with his 27th point with a bucket in the paint. On the next possession, JD Notae buried a 3 from the wing to all but ice the game as Arkansas finished things off from the free-throw line.
Castleton led all scorers with 29 points and he grabbed six rebounds. Notae led Arkansas with 22 points. Williams had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Devo Davis (18), Au’Diese Toney (12) and Stanley Umude (11) also scored in double figures.
Arkansas hadn’t beaten Florida in Gainesville since 1995, the year the Razorbacks played in the national title game against UCLA.
The win is Arkansas’ 12th in its last 13 games. The Hogs have three regular-season games remaining with the next coming on Saturday at home against Kentucky.