Fueled by an overwhelming effort on the defensive end the Florida Gators were able to go on the road and take down the Missouri Tigers by a score of 79-67. Missouri is a team that is built around being able to score but you wouldn’t have known it by how the Gators clamped them down and they were largely frustrated on their way to a big loss in front of their home crowd. With the win the Gators improve to 12-6 on the season and 2-3 in the SEC while Missouri continues to slide falling to 8-10 on the season and 0-5 in league play. It is also Missouri’s eighth loss in their last nine games. This was also Florida’s first road win of the season, and they’ll hope it breaks the seal for multiple more road wins to come.
Locking It Down
As a defensive-minded coach Todd Golden has not been happy with how the Gators have performed on their end of the floor this season and their defense may have reached a low against Tennessee where they couldn’t get a stop no matter what they tried. With a renewed level of focus against the Tigers, Florida was locked in defensively from the opening tip and played a focused 40 minutes keeping with Missouri’s cutters as they went through the Princeton-style offense they have been known for under head coach Dennis Gates. In the second half it was a 5:33 Tigers field goal drought forced by the Gators that allowed them to build a double-digit lead, essentially icing the game. This is the kind of effort Golden has been looking for all season, and while Missouri has struggled this year and hasn’t been nearly as potent offensively as they were in 2022-23 the Gators should have some improved confidence as they move forward in league play.
The only area Florida struggled defensively was with guard Tamar Bates. After giving up huge nights to Dalton Knecht and Jonas Aidoo against Tennessee the Gators once again allowed a career night against them as Tamar Bates scored 36 points on 13-21 shooting without a single turnover. With Bates scoring 36 of Missouri’s 67 points you can see that the Gators did a good job with everyone else on the Tigers but didn’t have a single perimeter defender who could slow down Bates’ drives. On the whole Florida played a connected defensive game and had success but there are times they could have used someone to step up and be a one-on-one stopper.
Advantage Inside
So far in SEC play Florida’s frontcourt has had a tough go of it. Teams that have a lot of muscle inside have overwhelmed them physically, and teams that have speedy perimeter oriented bigs have also had their way. Missouri doesn’t have either of those things and Florida’s post players were able to have a bounce back performance and win their matchups and if you’re looking for what won the Gators this game–it starts on the inside. Tyrese Samuel had a smooth 17 points, largely on drives from the high post, and Micah Handlogten added 10 points alongside 12 rebounds. Handlogten had a rough couple of games recently getting picked on by opposing coaches for his lack of muscle on the defensive side but he had a more favorable matchup against Missouri and took advantage, walling up the paint defensively and finishing lobs and dump offs on the other end. Alex Condon also provided a boost of the bench once again with an energetic 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block.
Playing Smart
Missouri has been one of the worst defensive teams in the SEC and to try and make up for some deficiencies they junked up the game by trapping every pick and roll when in man defense and mixing in some zone to give a different look. Early on Florida did turn the ball over a number of times which had you wondering if they were going to have another game struggling with ball security but they adjusted and were able to play a smart game moving forward finishing with only 8 turnovers. Florida was also able to be effective playing slower than normal as only 6 points came in transition, meaning the Gators had to get into their half court offense and try to execute out of it which hasn’t always been a strength but was good against Missouri. Lastly, they were able to completely keep Missouri out of transition as they only had 4 fast break points which never allowed them to go on a run in front of their home fans, adding to the mature game by the Gators.
Final Thoughts
If Florida wanted to stay in the NCAA Tournament picture at all they needed to find a way to win this game and they didn’t just do that–they dominated. This kind of huge performance on the road won’t just be a check in the “W” category but it will also boost Florida in the metrics–something they need to help out their NCAA Tournament resume. Yes, Florida was expected to win this game but it was supposed to be close and Florida left no doubt holding on to a comfortable lead for much of the second half. They got back to their identity that was successful early in the season playing through their frontcourt players and dominating the glass, and they were also able to play one of the best defensive games of the season. Missouri is on a massive skid losing eight of their last nine games but you can only play who is in front of you and the Gators were able to win with some style points.