Florida 82, Ohio 48: Gators claw Bobcats in lopsided win

Two and a half weeks ago, the Florida men’s basketball team was licking its wounds after a bruising exit from the Phil Knight Legacy tournament at the hands of West Virginia; last week, UConn handed Florida a comprehensive defeat in Gainesville.

But after yet another rout of a team they should have defeated decisively on Wednesday in Tampa, the Gators seem to have at least figured out how to approach that sort of game by licking their chops.

Florida’s 82-48 win over Ohio was never really in doubt. The Gators used a dominant first half — especially defensively — to open up a lead that Ohio would never meaningfully shorten.

After a 9-2 start that lengthened to a 15-6 opening, the Gators went…