Florida almost mounted an incredible comeback but ultimately their efforts came up short and they fell to the Mississippi State Bulldogs by a score of 72-69. The Gators were in serious trouble with less than a minute remaining as the Bulldogs led 71-62 but a series of steals by the Gators and missed free throws from Mississippi State (who struggled all game long going 13-24 from the stripe) allowed the game to remain close. After Tre Mann, who led the comeback charge with big shots and an athletic and-one, hit a free throw to make it 72-69 the Bulldogs had the opportunity to dribble it out while the Gators would be forced to foul but instead took an ill-advised layup attempt that spilled out. Florida ran up the floor with one more opportunity to tie and the ball went to Mann who dribbled and made a step back move. Instead of pulling the trigger he tried to lure a defender into committing a foul, but he avoided contact and instead Mann’s halfhearted shot fell short. This game was a lot closer than it felt and the Gators were incredibly lucky to have a chance to tie at the end, but it was great to see the effort and toughness with the Gators fighting their way back into the game.
Undersized
The main reason Florida lost this game was the fact they were manhandled on the inside. 52 of Mississippi State’s 72 points came in the paint and the Bulldogs won despite only hitting one single three-point shot, a rarity in the modern game. Part of the reason they were able to get so many points on the inside was that they grabbed 15 offensive rebounds as the Gators had no answer to keeping them off the glass. Mississippi State had two centers on the floor at all times and Anthony Duruji, Samson Ruzhentsev, and Osayi Osifio who split minutes at the four were all overmatched. Tolu Smith, one of the supersized power forwards at 6’10”, 250 pounds, finished the game with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks simply having a field day against all the smaller options Florida put against him.
Staying Hot
Colin Castleton had some issues on the inside against the more physical front line of Mississippi State but following up the game against Ole Miss where he had 8 blocks he had plenty more in the tank swatting away 6 attempts. He added 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists to that stat line, staying hot and making him one of the unquestioned leaders on this team. Castleton was definitely overmatched at some points physically and the Gators probably tried to force post ups from him a bit too much but he was still productive and found ways to help the Gators in a positive way.
Never Giving Up
In Florida’s losses to Alabama, Kentucky, and now Mississippi State the Gators have been bottled up and have had major trouble scoring. However, in each of those games Tyree Appleby has never given up and has found ways to score when his teammates couldn’t and that was the case against Mississippi State as he went for 20 points, leading the Gators. Not much was working for the Gators as it still seems like they are trying to find their offensive footing but Appleby’s ability to break defenders down one on one meant he could go get points even without a play called. As one of the smallest guys on the floor he battled all game against Mississippi State and gave the Gators a chance to win with his offensive creation.
Final Thoughts
This was a rough loss for the Gators that truthfully ended up looking way closer than it actually was. Whether it was Mississippi State’s poor three point shooting, their poor free throw shooting, or their countless late game mistakes there was plenty they did to allow the Gators to stay in the game and had they been only slightly crisper this game would have been way out of Florida’s hands. Once again the Gators showed their deficiencies defensively and the fact that they have struggled to make adjustments against teams who continue to go to the same weaknesses in Florida’s defense to score, this time their interior defense. For the second game in a row Florida was without Scottie Lewis whose presence was sorely missed. Had he played, this game could have had a very different outcome but unfortunately he wasn’t available and the Gators were unable to find a way to win without him. Things don’t get any easier for the Gators as they’ll next see an extremely talented Tennessee team.