Gator Country

After two games it’s pretty clear that the Gators are going to have to rely heavily on three-point shooting this year, or at least that’s what they’ll have to do until the three freshman bigs are ready to contribute meaningful minutes. The Gators haven’t had much of a post-up game in their first two games and they haven’t done much in the way of slashing to the basket once the floor is spread.

If there is one thing to look for tonight when they face Southern Utah (8 p.m., Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Sunshine Network), it’s a better effort of trying to open the floor and at least get to the basket more. Billy Donovan said the Gators don’t necessarily have the personnel to run a standard post-up game, at least without the freshmen ready to play significant minutes in the blocks, so one way to get around that problem is to run more Princeton-like motion with a lot of guys cutting off a high or mid-post entry pass.

If the Gators are able to hit some three-point shots early, they should be able to get more inside action and more clear lanes to the basket. Look for Chandler Parsons to try to get to the rim a little bit more, particularly with his shot in somewhat of a slump. Parsons is an excellent ball handler at 6-9 and he has the ability to get to the rim off the dribble. If he’ll pull up and take that 12-15 foot midrange shot instead of relying so heavily on the three, he could really prove to be a big time weapon.

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About the author

Franz Beard

Franz has been writing sports for 42 years in various outposts like Gainesville, Jacksonville, Savannah, Richmond and Miami. He's been writing for Gator Country since 1999 and has served as the site's managing editor since 2004. He is also a contributing writer to Gator Country Magazine.

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