No. 1 Gators turn back Alabama behind Green

His 20 point second half effort helped Florida overcome an 18 point deficit.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- No. 1 Florida was only as good as its point guard against Alabama.
Taurean Green scored 20 points in the second half and the Gators overcame an 18-point deficit to beat the 25th-ranked Crimson Tide 76-67 on Wednesday night and extend the nation's longest winning streak to 17 games.
The Gators were down 22-4 early in the first half and 42-31 at the break. Not coincidentally, Green was 0-for-6 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range in the first half.
He was a different player after halftime -- and Florida looked much more like the defending national champion.
Green, the team's leading scorer and point guard, made six of seven attempts in the second half and helped rally the Gators (24-2, 11-0 Southeastern Conference), who matched a school record for consecutive wins.
The Tide (18-7, 5-6) dropped to 1-5 on the road in conference play.
Richard Hendrix led Alabama with 16 points and eight rebounds. Alonzo Gee added 15 points.
The Gators have been down by double digits several times this season -- possibly a product of getting every team's best shot -- but they have bounced back each time with a strong second-half start.
This was no different.
Second half battle
Florida used a 14-4 run to make it 52-51 with 11 minutes to play. Green made consecutive layups during the spurt.
Corey Brewer finished a steal with a reverse layup about a minute later, and Green hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Gators their first lead of the night, 56-54.
It was short-lived.
Jermareo Davidson made a driving bank shot and Gee hit a jumper to put Alabama back in front.
The teams exchanged baskets down the stretch, but Green took over in the closing minutes. He hit another 3, then made all six free throws in the final two minutes to seal the victory.
Green finished 6-of-13 from the field and had three assists.
Brewer added 16 points, while Joakim Noah and Al Horford were relatively quiet. Noah had 10 points and eight rebounds, and Horford had 12 points and six boards.
For all the hype Noah and Horford get for their dominance down low and all the attention Lee Humphrey gets for his 3-point shooting and Brewer gets for his defense and ability to slash to the basket, Green may be the Gators' most important player.
When he struggles, so do the Gators.
When he's on, Florida is almost impossible to stop.
No. 3 Wisconsin 75, Minnesota 62
MINNEAPOLIS -- Alando Tucker helped third-ranked Wisconsin overcome a flat first half, scoring 29 points against rival Minnesota.
Kammron Taylor added 12 points and Michael Flowers had 11 points for the Badgers (25-2, 11-1), who maintained their tie with Ohio State for first place in the Big Ten.
Lawrence McKenzie, who didn't start for the second straight game, led the Gophers with 21 points.
Spencer Tollackson added 13 points and Dan Coleman chipped in 12 points for Minnesota (9-17, 3-9), which has lost 11 of 12 against Wisconsin.
No. 8 Memphis 69, Tulsa 52
TULSA, Okla. -- Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 20 points and tied his career-high with four steals, and Antonio Anderson returned from an injury to score 15 points as Memphis clinched a bye in the Conference USA tournament.
Memphis (22-3, 12-0) took control with a run late in the first half and led by at least nine throughout the second half en route to its 14th straight win.
Tulsa (15-9, 5-6), with the lowest shooting percentage in Conference USA, struggled against Memphis' stingy defense. Freshman Jamel McLean scored a career-high 16 to lead Tulsa.
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