Florida Gators basketball still confident going into FSU game

The Florida Gators basketball team suffered a loss to Duke, one of the most prominent programs in college basketball, on Tuesday. The 84-74 defeat in Madison Square Garden was just the second loss of the season for Florida. Its only other loss came to Gonzaga, which is also a top-10 team in the latest polls.

The game against Duke was a test that showed the Gators where they are really at as a team at this point in the season, which is actually a pretty good place. Moral victories are not a real thing. This is not to say that Florida should take a moral victory, but the game was a good sign of things to come. This team likely won’t be in contention for a national title, not this year at least, but it is a team that can go in and put up a fight against some of the top teams in the country in neutral site games. There isn’t much separating Florida from being one of those teams.

“Little more seasoned, you know, probably a little more poised, things that we’re working on,” Mike White said on the main differences between the Gators and the teams that defeated them this season. “Our strengths right now are our length, our athleticism, the fact that we have a locker room full of guys that are willing to fight for each other, playing selflessly, staying together, willing to sit down in a stance and give it everything they’ve got defensively. And then we’ve got some weapons offensively as well. Better of course than a year ago, we’re getting better offensively.”

The most noticeable change in Florida as a team from last year to this year is a much stronger sense of togetherness. In White’s second season, the Gators are finally playing selfless basketball, which was a huge focus in the offseason. “We played good in the Duke game,” said sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen. “It’s the little mistakes that we made that we have to continue to make up and just continue to practice hard. The Duke game, I think together, we showed that we stay together as a family and that if we continue to work hard, we’ll eventually be where we want to be.”

The Gators will need to show more of those same traits that were shown against Duke when they take on Florida State on Sunday because things will not get much easier. The Seminoles bring in an offense averaging more than 90 points per game and a defense that could pressure Florida more than any team yet this season.

“We better have a lot of poise because as much pressure as we saw against Duke, as much disruption defensively as we saw, as much speed and quickness as we saw, I think it’s a higher level on Sunday,” said White. “Duke has its other positives of course to compliment that, and Florida State is a really good team. Defensively, they’re the longest, fastest, quickest, most athletic defense I think arguably that we’ll play this year. Second-biggest team, I think, numbers-wise in college basketball.”

Allen had the best game of his career last season, as he put up 32 points in a tough 73-71 loss to Florida State. He said he hopes to duplicate that on Sunday, but as the Gators have proven this season, anyone can break out with a great offensive performance on any night. “I can prepare the same way and hopefully have the same game, but you never know whose night it might be,” he said. “This game, we’re just going to prepare the same way. It’s just going to make us play harder, the fact that they beat us last year. We just can’t let it happen again.”

A rivalry win is just what the Gators need with just two games remaining before returning home to the newly renovated O’Connell Center for the first time this season.

Bailiegh Carlton
A lifelong sports fan, Bailiegh Carlton knew from a young age that she wanted to work in sports in some capacity. Before transferring to the University of Florida to study journalism, she played softball at Gulf Coast State College. She then interned for Gator Country for three years as she worked toward her degree. After graduation, Bailiegh decided to explore other opportunities in the world of sports, but all roads led her right back here. In her time away, she and her husband welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. When she isn't working, she can almost always be found snuggled up with sweet baby Ridley, Cody and her four fur babies.