GAINESVILLE, FLA. ? Funny thing about scoring — it has a way of obscuring all the other good things Florida freshman Matt Walsh can do.

Walsh had nine assists, six rebounds, five steals and — oh, yeah — 20 points Thursday night to lift No. 8 Florida to a 99-65 victory against Eastern Illinois in the Preseason NIT.

Not a bad night for the funky-looking 19-year-old player who opened the season Tuesday with 26 points.

After his latest collegiate success, he conceded that passing wasn’t really his forte in high school.

“But now that I’ve got guys to pass to, they make it easy,” said Walsh — he of the orange hoop shoes, the white headband and the frizzy hairdo.

The victory sent the Gators (2-0) to the NIT semifinals against Stanford next Wednesday in New York.

Coach Billy Donovan’s list of fabulous freshmen didn’t end with Walsh. Anthony Roberson had 20 points and seven of Florida’s 32 assists. Rashid Al-Kaleem went 3-for-7 from three-point range for 11 points. Another freshman, Adrian Moss, had six blocks to help the Gators set a program record with 14.

“These guys have the ability to score, but they can do so many other things, too,” Donovan said.

Florida's Matt Walsh, right, knocks the ball away from Henry Domercant (44) of Eastern Illinois as Florida's Anthony Roberson watches. Florida won Thursday's NIT contest at Gainesville, Fla.

Henry Domercant of Eastern Illinois (1-1) got the picture.

Domercant averaged 26 points last season and scored 36 in the opener Monday against Boise State. But against Justin Hamilton and the Gators, he finished with seven points on 2-for-9 shooting. He also had 10 rebounds and seven turnovers.

Panthers coach Rick Samuels said there’s no way to prepare for a team like Florida in practice.

“The guys they list as 6-1 and the guys we list as 6-1 aren’t close,” Samuels said. “We’ll have to get guys out there with tennis racquets to simulate that.”

Walsh showed he had the full floor game going early. On the first possession, he made a tough pass to Matt Bonner for an easy layup. On the next, he tossed the ball high to David Lee, who caught it and threw down a reverse dunk.

The Gators led 26-15 with 12 minutes gone in the first half and, although they had some brief trouble deciphering Eastern’s defense, the lead never fell below 10 after that.

Lee finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for Florida. Bonner had 15 points and Hamilton had five assists.

With Domercant dormant, Eastern Illinois depended on Jesse Mackinson, who played a great game, finishing with 21 points and eight rebounds. But he was the only Panthers player in double figures, and that was hardly enough.

“I don’t think they’re scary,” Domercant said. “They’re just a good team with some depth. They called on a lot of young people, threw them into the fire, and they’ve stepped up.”

Indeed, the Gators need more from the freshmen because of the injuries they’re dealing with. Not playing early this season are Brett Nelson (foot), Bonell Colas (groin) and Christian Drejer (ankle).

“The experience these guys are getting is going to be a tremendous help as we get healthy,” Donovan said.

Even without the injured players, the Gators were deep enough to press Eastern Illinois in the first half, forcing 10 turnovers on their way to a 47-31 lead.

Florida also shot 11-for-28 from three-point range. About the only thing the Gators didn’t do well against their overmatched opponent was shoot free throws. They went 10-for-22 from the line and will have another tuneup game, Sunday against Coastal Carolina, to iron it out before the trip to the Big Apple.