Roberson, Florida keep Arkansas winless on road

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- All those options, all those shooters, all that passing. Watching them play Saturday, it was easy to see why the Florida Gators haven't lost in almost two months.

Freshman Anthony Roberson scored 16 points to help No. 4 Florida tie a school record with its 14th straight victory, 77-66 over Arkansas.

David Lee and Matt Bonner added 13 each for the Gators (18-2, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) in an amazingly balanced effort. Roberson and the five starters all shot the ball at least seven times, and none shot it more than 11.

It was the kind of balance that made Lee look every bit as good as Roberson, and Bonner just as effective as Brett Nelson, one of three starters who finished with eight points.

The key to the evenness?

"Some frontcourts, you throw it in there, and it's a black hole -- it goes in there and doesn't come back out,'' Gators coach Billy Donovan said. "With this team, it comes back out.''

And when the guards are open, they make their shots. Roberson went 4-for-8 from 3-point range. Nelson went 2-for-4 and the Gators shot 38 percent from behind the arc, just one point below their average, which is second in the SEC.

Florida matched the program-best win streak it set last year and stayed hot for its big game next Tuesday against No. 7 Kentucky.

Arkansas (6-11, 1-5) lost for the seventh time in eight games and stayed winless away from home this season.

The Razorbacks, however, kept this game interesting throughout -- something of a surprise considering they entered the game as the worst-shooting and lowest-scoring team in the SEC.

"I'm never happy with a loss,'' Arkansas coach Stan Heath said. "But I couldn't be upset with my guys and the effort they gave.''

Freshman Jonathon Modica made five of six 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 26 points. The Hogs shot 9-for-20 from 3-point range -- well over their 29 percent average this season -- and stayed within double digits through the first 26½ minutes of the game.

Not until Bonell Colas converted a three-point play with 13:24 remaining did the Gators push the lead into double digits, at 51-41.

Trailing 60-45, Modica hit 3-pointers on two straight possessions for Arkansas, but Roberson answered with a 3 after the first, and classmate Matt Walsh answered with another one after the second.

It was one of several signs of just how unstoppable the Gators can be when they're clicking, as they have been, more or less, since their last loss, Dec. 3 at West Virginia.

The scariest part?

"We're so young,'' Donovan said of a roster that has seven freshmen and two sophomores. "There's more growth out there for our basketball team. We haven't reached our potential yet.''

The Gators handled the ball with ease, committing only seven turnovers and making 17 assists.

Their game at Kentucky will be for the lead in the SEC East. The Wildcats defeated South Carolina 87-69 on Saturday to improve to 6-0 in the league, a half-game behind the Gators.

Donovan dismissed the notion that his players might have been looking ahead, and thus struggled with Arkansas. Nor was he into discussing Florida's likely move up in the polls. Heading into the weekend, two teams ahead of the Gators -- Texas and Arizona -- had already lost.

"We've earned some respect because of some of the teams we've played and some of the things we've done in terms of competing,'' Donovan said. "But if that's what they're happy with, we'll fall off the face of the earth.''