FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey text-messaged Billy Donovan, his Florida counterpart and mentor, on Saturday a few hours before their teams met at Walton Arena.

"I sent him a text this morning saying, 'This is ridiculous. I'd much rather be in Ireland,'" said Pelphrey, who went on a golf outing with Donovan to Ireland last spring. "But it is what it is."

Donovan probably would have rather been in Ireland, too, considering the Razorbacks beat his No. 20 Gators 80-61 before a season-high home crowd of 19, 881.

It was Florida's most-lopsided loss since an 82-62 defeat at Kentucky on March 7, 2004, and Saturday's game wasn't as close as the final score indicated.

Arkansas was ahead by 25 points at halftime, 46-21, and led by as many as 30 points, 62-32, with 11: 35 left.

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"We played hard, we tried," Donovan said. "But they were physically imposing.

" When they come out they look like an NBA team physically and we probably look like a very mature high school team."

The Razorbacks returned all five starters and the top nine scorers from last year's NCAA Tournament team while the Gators lost all five starters and 10 lettermen from their back-to-back national championship teams.

Still, Florida (18-4, 5-2 ) came into Saturday's game nationally ranked and tied for the SEC East lead while the Razorbacks (16-5, 5-2 ) were searching for consistency.

But Arkansas found the winning formula this week, beating SEC West leader Mississippi State 78-58 on Wednesday night at Walton Arena before dismantling Florida.

"We're playing with real good confidence," said senior forward Sonny Weems, who led Arkansas with 17 points. "We feel like we can go out there and lace it up with anybody the way we've been playing these last couple of games."

Weems scored seven consecutive points, including a baseline drive dunk, to key a 17-2 run for the Razorbacks that took them from an 8-8 tie to a 25-10 lead with 7: 48 left in the first half.

The Gators didn't draw closer than 13 points the rest of the game.

"Sometimes we've had trouble sustaining," Pelphrey said. "But I'm very proud of the effort our guys gave.

" We've got to somehow protect it. We've got to understand what we've got right now.

" The good play of the last two games is not because of our individual abilities. It's because we've made a decision to be better teammates, to play harder."

Arkansas senior point guard Gary Ervin played one of his best games, finishing with 15 points, 6 assists and just 2 turnovers.

The Razorbacks were strong inside with senior forwards Darian Townes (14 points ) and Charles Thomas (8 points ) and sophomore forward Michael Washington (8 points ).

Arkansas sophomore guard Patrick Beverley had a game-high 12 rebounds, and 7-0 senior center Steven Hill helped key a strong defensive effort with 2 blocked shots. Weems and Thomas also blocked shots at the basket.

"The chemistry is there," Townes said. "We still have a lot to build on, but everyone is believing in each other and knowing each other's roles and we are showing it on the court."

Arkansas shot 54. 2 percent from the field (32 of 59 ) while Florida shot 33. 3 (22 of 66 ), including 4 of 25 three-point attempts.

"Defensively, we've been guarding well the last couple of games," Beverley said. "If we can stay consistent with that, we're going to continue to win games."

The Gators missed their first 13 three-point attempts before junior guard Walter Hodge connected with 11: 21 left to pull them within 62-35.

"We came out and we weren't ready to play, it seemed like," said Florida freshman Nick Calathes, who had 12 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. "I give them credit. They stepped up, and we couldn't get stops on the defensive end.

" We just didn't knock down shots and get defensive stops. We weren't tough enough inside."

Florida came into the game shooting an SEC-best 50. 2 percent from the field, but the Gators started 5 of 19 while the Razorbacks took control early.

"Basketball is a fickle game and that three-point line sometimes can break your heart," Pelphrey said of the Gators' shooting woes. "I think we did a good job [defensively ], but I also think it's one of those games were the ball wasn't going down for them."

Pelphrey and Donovan became close friends at Kentucky - where Pelphrey was a player and Donovan an assistant coach - and worked together for eight years at Marshall and Florida with Pelphrey as an assistant and Donovan the head coach.

That close relationship made Saturday's game somewhat bittersweet for Pelphrey. He doesn't enjoy seeing Donovan's team get beaten, though he certainly preferred being on the winning end.

"I'm proud of John," Donovan said. "I think he's got a great opportunity here. I've always had great respect for this program and their fan support.

" He's done a terrific job with these guys in my opinion. You can see their team playing better and growing."

Two years ago, Donovan and Florida beat Pelphrey's South Alabama team 76-50 in a firstround NCAA Tournament game, so now they're 1-1 in coaching matchups.

"It's not easy," Pelphrey said of playing Donovan's team. "You've got to understand how I feel about that guy.

" He was a huge part of my life as a player and mentored me as a coach."

Donovan did a pretty good job on the coaching part judging by how Pelphrey's Razorbacks played on Saturday.