We lost by 4 on the road...

[faber]

Lack of dominant big men , and an offensive change this year will be this teams downfall in the tourney. Young goes out and we are cream puffs inside, plain and simple. I am probably in the minority but it seems like the high screen offense is a detriment to Boyton, its time he gets back to spotting up and shooting the three...he has been hoisting them up but if you notice he is always moving, never in a lock down shooting position like last year...the offense has dictated that, we need Kenny B from last year to have any shot.

[benheb]

Originally Posted by danky1313

I KNOW about and worry the same in regard to our pattern of blowing games late in the last 2 tourneys and in 5 of our 6 losses this year. The naysayers here though that talk about us losing early in the tourneys as its going to be a matter of fact drive me crazy. I don't know if it's the "football" school mentality or Gator Fainting Goat Syndrome, but for God sake this is College Basketball and nothing is set in stone till that last game has been lost or you just won 6 straight in the NCAA tourney. ANYONE can make a run. ANYONE can get hot and ANYONE can go against patterns they've been in for a year or years. Some teams are more likely than others to do that because of talent, EXPERIENCE in the NCAA tourney and proven coaching. We have that as much if not more than any team that will be in the Big Dance. So acting like youve given up is ridiculous. I don't care what's happened in our losses because I know what we've done in our wins and what's possible regardless of patterns. I won't give up much less come close to feeling we don't have a great shot to cut nets down in Atlanta on April 8th. Some of you can continue this pity party amongst yourself if you want but if we do win the SECT next week and go on to the FF and even win the whole thing I hope you don't get excited or celebrate it one bit. I think some of you like bitching, moaning and predicting doom than you enjoy having a program like we do and winning. Especially when history and tradition says we shouldn't even be in a place year after year to have something worth worrying about losing.

Agree. I just find it hard to blather about us learning from this loss when my UK buddies were whooping it up as I finished my four beers before noon here out west. I wished I had had five as I was way to sober to not comtemplate that scoreless collapse at the end. Believe me, every missed layup or turnover just seemed much worse in those conditions.

I think they can turn it around but that tramatic episode has me worried - it's just a different looking team the last few games. I will celebrate winning the sect and I still almost expect it.

[SmootyGator]

Originally Posted by ufgator865

Its not the score but the pattern of blowing games that we clearly had won.

LOL! Yeah, we had clearly won the UK game. I mean, up by 7 with 8 minutes to go. No one has EVER come from that far behind...

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Originally Posted by number1

Oh and look Michigan choked away a win, but theirs was at home.

And also against the #2 team in the nation.

A Noel-less Kentucky - even at home - is not an apt analog.

[GatorJason]

January NBN thread focuses on tough road games at Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky: Thread

This is how some predicted the Gators would handle these games when they were playing well. Few predicted 0-3 but others noted the outcome of these games was not a predictor for how well they would play in the tournaments.

[dawny]

Why doesnt Young take over a game, look at his size ,Casey is a better rebounder,and half the size.

[CAGator93]

Originally Posted by SmootyGator

LOL! Yeah, we had clearly won the UK game. I mean, up by 7 with 8 minutes to go. No one has EVER come from that far behind...

We didn't score a single point for the rest of the game -- yeah, it was a matter of us choking rather than UK stepping up. 11 pts in the final 9 minutes got them the W.

[tommyuf21]

Got on the plane with the score 57-50 and WCS with 4 fouls. 90 minutes later, in Charlotte, I look at the score and see 61-57. Hmm, what happened.

After looking at it, it's a real problem of not being able to close teams out late. I think the neutral sites will mitigate this to a degree, because the problem is almost exclusively on opponent's court. However, Saturday has to leave a little bit of anxiety about how this team will perform when everything is on the line.

I'm willing to wait and see what happens in Nashville. It's a new season and if they look great there, then everything that happened in Rupp is a distant memory and means nothing. If the last 7 minutes of Saturday afternoon carries over to Friday, start getting really concerned.

[socraticsilence]

Originally Posted by ufgator865

Its not the score but the pattern of blowing games that we clearly had won.

This. its the cumulative effect- literally every single tough road game and/or close game we have lost (I honestly wish we'd trailed or had a tough game at home other than the Bama game which turned into a rout at the 5 minute mark or so).

[tommyuf21]

The question to be answered is; is this something that can be fixed?

From what I read here from most, its a terminal problem. A mental flaw that cannot be overcome.

I tend to think that is overstated. I believe the flaws that this team has lends to these kinds of outcomes. I think the lack of a consistent low post presence, lack of depth in the low post and over reliance on guard play makes some games blow outs (when shooters are hot) and other games toss ups. In the toss up games (usually on the road where you don't shoot as well), the inability to go inside, finish and/or get fouled and make free throws by our bigs puts us at a disadvantage.

Generally, teams with hot guard play go far in the tourney. We will need all of our outside shooters to be on in order to make a run.