A Basketball Riddle

[SmootyGator]

What happens when you play on the road, against a team that has only lost one time at home this season and also:

The home team that usually shoots 29% from 3-point land starts out 7 of 9, despite playing decent (not their best, but still solid) defense...

The home team starts out 7 of 9 from the field....

Your starting center picks up two quick fouls....

Your best big defender tweeks his knee and only plays for one minute....

Just about every rebound bounces to the other team, whether you have great position or not....

Just about every loose ball bounces right to the other team....

You miss several EASY layups....

You have a off night on your own 3 point shots...

Answer: You lose by 11.

For real though, if you would have said that all of those things were going to happen (did I miss any?) before the game, how much would you have predicted we would lose by? My guess would be 20-25.

I'm happy to see that most of the posts, while not super-positive, are fairly understanding that these kind of games happen. As others have said, games like this can teach teams a lot. I hope we learn from it and it makes our team stronger. And for the love of god, I hope our team gets HEALTHY!

[tilly]

I give up. What happens?

Truth is the answer may be...We lose by 11 and were fortunate that the score wasn't a lot worse.

Nights like last night can get you embarrassed...just one of those nights...But Billy will have them refocused in a hurry.

[RD_gator]

After looking at the box score stats for both teams, the main critical difference I see is the turnovers (16-8) which happened when Florida was trying to execute their offense. That is eight less possessions that this team could have used to make up or overcome the final 11 point deficit in the (69-80) loss!

Florida-Arkansas Boxscore

While Arkansas got off to a white, hot start, the razorbacks did cool off some as the game progressed:


Florida:

FG%: 23-56 (41.1%)
FT%: 13-19 (68.4%)
3Pt-FG%: 10-27 (37%)
REB: 31 (8 OREB); Assists: 15; Steals: 5; Blocks: 1
PF: 19 (Young fouled out! Prather w/ 4 fouls, Murphy w/ 3 fouls)

Murphy (4 TO's) & Wilbekin (3 TO's) had almost half of the team's 16 turnovers. Four players (Rosario, Boynton, Prather & Frazier) had 2 TO's. In the limited minutes that Michael Frazier played, I thought that he had the most efficient game (11 pts, 9 reb, 3/4 from 3pt-range) of all the UF players! Prather did not have a good game; Casey is still trying to come back from his injury but he was put in because of necessity (Yegette's injury). In the early moments of the first half, it seems like Arkansas somehow took both of UF's front-court players (Murphy & Young) out of the game.


Arkansas:

FG: 28-57 (49.1%)
FT%: 16-21 (76%)
3Pt-FG%: 8-18 (44.4%)
REB: 30 (6 OREB); Assists: 19; Steals: 6; Blocks: 1
PF: 17
(11 different Arkansas players scored in their win).

Beside the turnover difference, all of the other stats between Florida & Arkansas seemed about even: Both UF & Arkansas had nearly the same number of shot attempts, similar amount of free-throw attempts & rebounds; Arkansas took less 3-pt FG shots as the second half progressed. However, I didn't like the refs calling ticky-tacky touch fouls on Florida & Young when the other team seemed to be allowed to be more aggressive.

[ugaGator]

Originally Posted by SmootyGator

What happens when you play on the road, against a team that has only lost one time at home this season and also:

The home team that usually shoots 29% from 3-point land starts out 7 of 9, despite playing decent (not their best, but still solid) defense...

The home team starts out 7 of 9 from the field....

Your starting center picks up two quick fouls....

Your best big defender tweeks his knee and only plays for one minute....

Just about every rebound bounces to the other team, whether you have great position or not....

Just about every loose ball bounces right to the other team....

You miss several EASY layups....

You have a off night on your own 3 point shots...

Answer: You lose by 11.

For real though, if you would have said that all of those things were going to happen (did I miss any?) before the game, how much would you have predicted we would lose by? My guess would be 20-25.

I'm happy to see that most of the posts, while not super-positive, are fairly understanding that these kind of games happen. As others have said, games like this can teach teams a lot. I hope we learn from it and it makes our team stronger. And for the love of god, I hope our team gets HEALTHY!

you forgot: The refs don't call fouls against your opponents for over a half

[hgators]

This loss is better for us than a win would've been!

[RD_gator]

you forgot: The refs don't call fouls against your opponents for over a half

^ I agree. It could have been a different type of game if Florida was able to use Young more in the post during the first half! I saw Arkansas players throw Young down on the floor during rebounds & no calls were made. Patric wasn't even allowed to breath when a much smaller defender was guarding Young when he had the ball! Ridiculous!

[REM08]

I'm not saying the refs were good (didn't see enough of the game to know), but you guys have taken almost 60 3's in the last two games - almost half of your total shots. That usually isn't the best way to draw fouls. Maybe the refs were bad, but I'd like to see less 3's - especially when they're not falling.

[RD_gator]

Originally Posted by hgators

This loss is better for us than a win would've been!

Disagree. Besides the final score, what did Florida do wrong in this game compared to the other SEC games? It may have helped Florida more in the long run had the gators rallyed on the road against a huge deficit!

Throughout this season, I think this Florida team seems to have issues in running their offense against more athletic, physical teams (i.e, Kansas St, etc.). Specifically, in establishing the post-game offense. Some teams have become really good at disrupting the high-post screen offense with Murphy-Boynton/?Young-Wilbekin?.

Perhaps Florida needs more offensive sets or just better execution. I am no basketball X's & O's guy but I was watching the Indiana-Michigan game & they mentioned a double-high post screen with two bigs. I was intrigued by what could happen or open up if both Murphy & Young screened high together. Could some guards slash to the "unguarded" basket? If Florida employed something like that, would that throw an opponent off if the Gators came up with something new or different?

[SmootyGator]

Originally Posted by ugaGator

you forgot: The refs don't call fouls against your opponents for over a half

Yeah... Forgot about that one. It wasn't *too* terrible, but it was definitely in Arkansas' favor.

[sec1]

i agree with rd gator.... i think we have issues with athletic teams ... it will be a issue moving forward

[RD_gator]

Originally Posted by REM08

I'm not saying the refs were good (didn't see enough of the game to know), but you guys have taken almost 60 3's in the last two games - almost half of your total shots. That usually isn't the best way to draw fouls. Maybe the refs were bad, but I'd like to see less 3's - especially when they're not falling.

According to Donovan's philosophy (learned from Pitino & Providence/UK), Florida should take about 18-25 (10-12 per half) 3-pt attempts per game and try to hit about 35-45% of them in order to maximize the abilities/output of Florida's talented outside shooters. This is supposed to open up more space for the inside-game to develop and for the post players to draw the majority of the shooting fouls. However, if Florida's guards cannot find the post player in good enough position to score they often take a few more 3-pt shots than necessary. Against Arkansas, the refs were calling 'touch' fouls on the inside players too much (i.e Young) & consequently, UF's post players were not as effective in this game. Yegette had an injury so UF was missing one more extra player that could have been more productive here.

Florida's guards are not often the best slashers that can draw fouls when shooting; sometimes when they try to be slashers it results in bad turnovers - like Rosario having a shot blocked when it is contested. Florida's guards are asked to be more of a good passer (like a PG) that makes good decisions with the ball & to be good outside shooters when they are open. It's a bit of a trade-off in not having a more athletic guard/SF (like at Kentucky, Tennessee, & other places) that can take it to the hoop! I think those type of athletes are not always the best passers/decision makers when they have the ball.

[GatorPlanet]

All that aside, the real story of the game was EFFORT. Arky brought it, we didn't. We didn't start playing with any real effort until about 4 minutes left in the first half, and by then we were down by 23 points.

I know exactly what our guys were thinking, going in. SC beat Arky by 21, we beat SC by 39. Ergo, we're 60 points better than Arky.

Sorry, guys, it just doesn't work that way. Can't just phone it in.

[HALLGATOR]

Did anyone else think about Bruce Pearl and what he said a few times about how best to guard Florida? It seems the announcers for last night were saying this was exactly what Arkie was doing without referring to Pearl's take.

[REM08]

Originally Posted by HALLGATOR

Did anyone else think about Bruce Pearl and what he said a few times about how best to guard Florida? It seems the announcers for last night were saying this was exactly what Arkie was doing without referring to Pearl's take.

I may be the only one in the dark here, but what did Pearl say?

[HALLGATOR]

Originally Posted by REM08

I may be the only one in the dark here, but what did Pearl say?

To be honest I don't recall exactly what he said but we discussed it a little bit in one of the threads. I thought maybe one of the posters with better memories could chime in. It has to do with not allowing our players to work both sides of the courts by hampering their screens from what I remember. Anyway the way they were talking sounded a lot like what he had said.

[InstiGATOR1]

Originally Posted by REM08

I'm not saying the refs were good (didn't see enough of the game to know), but you guys have taken almost 60 3's in the last two games - almost half of your total shots. That usually isn't the best way to draw fouls. Maybe the refs were bad, but I'd like to see less 3's - especially when they're not falling.

The issue is not the number of fouls called for UF, but rather the 3 marginal fouls called against Pat Young, particularly the 2 that took him out of most of the first half. Take away either of those first half calls against Young and I doubt you read any mention of officiating on this board. More importanly, take away either of those fouls, I doubt Donovan calls time out to stare down the officials.

[UFG8rGuy3283]

Originally Posted by InstiGATOR1

The issue is not the number of fouls called for UF, but rather the 3 marginal fouls called against Pat Young, particularly the 2 that took him out of most of the first half. Take away either of those first half calls against Young and I doubt you read any mention of officiating on this board. More importanly, take away either of those fouls, I doubt Donovan calls time out to stare down the officials.

I haven't seen Billy that pissed in a long time at an officiating crew.

The biggest problem I saw with the refs was that instead if playing through it, our guys got noticeably frustrated. I believe that's what forced Murph to get taken out of his game offensively in the first half.

It's difficult, but you have to let your coach handle those things.

[bullish]

We could use Pearl as Billy head assist coach. Pearl worked the officials better than anybody.

[akaGatorhoops]

I'm not sure what pearl said but arky made the decision to defend us by switching on virtually every ball screen. On paper, this should be basketball suicide, as Murphy, Young, Boynton, Wilby are guys who could create tremendous mismatches on switches. But what was most disturbing about the loss was that we either failed to recognize the mismatches or just ignored them.

[gatorbogey]

kansas just finished their first half on the road vs TCU - who is winLESS in the big 12 conference - and scored a paltry 13 points!!!