Patric Young had one of his best games of the year with 19 points, 11 boards and 2 blocked shots for a Value Score of 93 but it was all for naught as the Gators lost 61-67 to the Kansas State Wildcats. The only other Gator with a winning performance was Scottie Wilbekin who scored 11 points and had 7 assists for a Value Score of 49. No other Gator produced a Value Score above 38.
The Gators were out hustled and out rebounded by 10 boards as the Wildcats remain perfect on their home court. The Gators also suffered 7 blocked shots and shot 26% from the arc versus 41% for Kansas State. That was the difference in the game. The Gators never got in rythm as Kansas State took advantage of the Gator's lack of quickness at point and made every offense possession a struggle. Their aggressive defense on the perimeter and shot blocking in the middle neutralized all Gators except for Young.
Another tough loss for the Gators but great road experience against a quality opponent. Conversely, the the SEC Conference looks weak with only Florida, Missouri and Kentucky appearing to be top 20 caliber teams. Win or lose, the Gators need to face tough competition wherever they can if they hope to develop into a team that can make a run in the tournament. This game exposed some weakness that need to be shored up before they become a tournament ready team.
Box Score Value Leaders:
Young
............93
Wilbekin
.........49
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link to see all player value scores for this game
Value Credits* are assigned as follows:
+5 credits for each Steal and Assist
+4 credits for each Point scored, Rebound and Block
.-5 credits for each Turnover
.-2 credits for each Field Goal Attempt
.-1 credit for each Free Throw Attempt
* Value Credits are based solely on Box Score data and do not reflect total game contributions by players
Kansas State Game Official Box Score
The Gators next game will be against the
Air Force Academy on Saturday, Dec 29th at 2:30.
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