It was all Florida from the tip as the Gators jumped out to an early double digit lead over the Florida State Seminoles and never relented, winning comfortably by a score of 89-68. Just about everything went right for the Gators in the first frame as they scored at will against the Seminoles’ scattered defense, heading to the break remarkably up 52-22. Florida State did win the second half 46-37, but with the game never really in balance the Gators were content to sit on cruise control to close out the game. Walter Clayton was the offensive engine for the Gators finishing with 19 points and 5 assists, with Tyrese Samuel and Zyon Pullin, who played his first game as a Gator, both chipping in 15 a piece.
What Went Right
So far this season the Gators have been winning games and staying competitive in a loss with their relentless offensive rebounding. Against the Seminoles they did that once again with 20 offensive rebounds to Florida State’s 16 defensive rebounds–another completely dominant rebounding performance. However, while grabbing missed shots had been essentially Florida’s best chance to score to start the season, that wasn’t the case on Friday. Able to move the ball despite Florida State’s aggressive perimeter defense, the Gators continually got downhill with the drive putting the Seminoles into a blender resulting in a number of wide open layups or kick out threes. This was by far and away Florida’s best half court offensive performance and they’ll look to continue to build on that momentum throughout the non-conference season. Of course, it wasn’t just the offense that was cooking. Florida completely suffocated Florida State defensively for much of the game and the Seminoles’ point total could have easily looked a lot worse if not for some tremendous shot making, particularly in the first half. Even though the Seminoles only had 22 points it seemed like each one was on a ridiculously tough fading jumper or off-balance floater forced by stingy Florida defense. Coach Golden, a coach with a focus on the defensive side of the basketball, will be largely thrilled with what took place.
Picking Nits
The crazy part about Florida’s blowout win is the fact that they were far from perfect. So, to pick a few nits–the Gators had 20 turnovers, about half of which came from a lack of execution, and roughly half of which came from a lack of focus. Both causes will bring a lot of frustration to Florida’s coaching staff, but if you can go through those lessons in a blowout win it certainly beats learning them in a blowout loss. The Gators also allowed 17 offensive rebounds and continued to struggle from the free throw line going 22-36 (61%). Florida played a solid game as indicated by the blowout win, but they easily could have made it an even more crooked score if they brought their A-game. Perhaps it’s encouraging that even while lacking execution in a number of important areas they were still able to dismantle a high-major opponent.
A Welcomed Sight
Zyon Pullin was activated after a three-game suspension brought on by the NCAA and he hit the ground running with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists off the bench. There was no rust from not playing to start the season and he was immediately a calming presence when the Gators started kicking the ball around. Pullin got his offense on straight line drives, pull up jumpers, and with nice footwork around the mid-post, and you can see why he was such a heavily sought-after grad transfer and one that was worth taking the three-game suspension for. Florida’s coaching staff will have a difficult decision on their hands moving forward regarding whether to keep Pullin on the bench or have him inserted into the starting lineup.
Final Thoughts
After 7 years of Florida State completely dominating the rivalry it looks like the Gators have clawed back a lot of ground. This is three straight for the Gators over the Seminoles and the margins of victory have been 16 points, 9 points, and now 21 points. In a game like this it’s hard to know if the Gators were just fantastic, or if the Seminoles played like the worst possible version of themselves. The Gators couldn’t control the defensive glass, fouled too much (five players had 4 or more fouls), left points at the free throw line, and turned the ball over a ton–and they still had a blowout win. It has to be encouraging that the Gators can just play pretty well and still dominate a game, as that hasn’t been the case for a long time in Gainesville. If Florida is able to continue to play with the defensive intensity and offensive rebounding they showed while cleaning up the little things they did wrong they could be an absolute force by the time SEC play rolls around.