Sometimes in a conference tournament played on a neutral floor you’ll see teams struggle to execute and games devolve into rock fights and that’s essentially what happened on Friday between Florida and Kentucky but it was the Gators who built a lead early that were able to leave victorious by a score of 71-63 to win and advance to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. As is tradition with Kentucky this season it was a slow start that allowed the Gators to build a lead. They were able to go on their patented surge back to make it a close game, but playing their third game in three days against a fresh Florida roster they didn’t have enough in the tank to close things out. After some tense final possessions, Florida’s win was sealed by Xaivian Lee hitting a dagger step back three followed by a steal on the other end which gave the Gators a chance to take a breath after nearly allowing the Wildcats back in the game. Whether it was the intensity of a conference tournament, a team with a bit a rust against a tired team, or the fact this was the third meeting of the season between the two clubs, this one was not pretty–but Florida will be happy to get the win that will seal their 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens around the sport the next few days.
Early Season Style
In recent weeks the Gators have started to make some jumpers which has made them so deadly since for much of the season they were winning games on brute force with their rebounding and defense. Well, this was a bit of a return to that style as the Gators had 18 turnovers, went 3-20 from three, and had 18 offensive rebounds–a familiar looking game to much of their wins in the early and middle portions of the season. On one hand, the Gators will be extremely disappointed with their lack of offensive flow and execution, but on the other hand they once again showed how high their floor is as even if they have a dreadful showing offensively they can get second chances with the offensive rebound and manufacture points in transition off of stops. Even when the offense is struggling and shots aren’t falling, this isn’t a team that’s going to let it affect their defensive effort, and that could help them win a grinder game in the NCAA Tournament.
Defensive Identity
Things weren’t pretty on the offensive end but when it came to locking down defensively the Gators were back to embracing their lunch pail mentality. Nothing came easy for the Wildcats who finished the game shooting 36% from the field with 12 turnovers while the Gators also turned away 6 swatted shots at the rim. A disproportionate amount of Kentucky’s offense comes from guards Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen and the Gators were able to slow them down as they combined for 27 points on 10-29 shooting, adding in just 3 assists to 6 turnovers. Plus, some of those points came in the final minutes where it was desperation heave time, and for much of the game they were completely quiet. Florida should be thrilled with their effort defensively and while much of the credit goes to Boogie Fland who is always a factor on the defensive perimeter, up and down the lineup the Gators did a great job of protecting the paint and getting out to shooters on kick outs.
Leading The Way
Looking at the team as a whole it was a pretty rough offensive performance but there was one bright spot in Alex Condon who was by far Florida’s best offensive player with 22 points alongside 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Playing the “4” Condon often has a mismatch guarding him on the low post and he took full advantage, getting deep post catches and attacking his defender confidently leading to layups and baby hooks. He was also tremendous in transition, running the floor like a gazelle every time the Gators got the ball which resulted in some easy points in transition which the team desperately needed given the offensive struggles. It might have been a slow start to the season relative to expectations for Condon but the last month or so he has played like the preseason All-American he was, and the 22 points he created in a game the Gators struggled felt more like 42 given the circumstances.
Final Thoughts
It’s survive and advance season so we don’t want to get too bogged down with the details–Florida found a way to win, and that’s all that really matters. Are there still some questions about Florida’s ability to execute offensively at times? Yes, but that’s nothing new–and the Gators have earned a 1-seed and a great chance at an SEC Tournament banner despite the limitations. They’ll take the win and look to do it again tomorrow. That game will be against the winner of Vanderbilt and Tennessee, which is yet to tip at the time of this article publishing.