Whenever you play a Buzz Williams team it is going to be a rock fight and that was the situation in Gainesville once again on Saturday and this time the Gators were the more physical and more composed team as they steadily built their lead in the second half on the way to a big 89-70 win. For certain stretches of the game it looked like the Aggies were dictating the way this contest was going to be played and that was in the trenches with turnovers, offensive rebounds, and diving on loose balls, but Florida was able to eventually open up action with their transition play and shooting which resulted in a 19-point win as they bounced back nicely from a disappointing loss against Georgia. With the win the Gators improve to 25-4 on the season and 12-4 in the SEC, and with Texas A&M being a strong team in the metrics Florida will add yet another big win for the resume as they look for a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Volume Shooting
Texas A&M gives up more three-point shots than any other high-major team in the country as they sell out to guard the paint and often completely abandon shooters. Florida was more than willing to take advantage by launching as many wide open threes as possible, ultimately having one of their best shooting nights of the season going 14-33 (42%). It’s not a style the Gators have played a lot this season as they are generally trying to pound the ball inside and get looks around the rim, but when the Aggies were giving them wide open looks they were happy to take them, and with a number of capable shooters on the floor at one time the shots were falling in bulk. While the Gators might not shoot 33 threes in a game again this season it was good for their confidence to have a game like this and hopefully that confidence will carry on for the next few weeks.
On A Heater
In Florida’s loss to Georgia there was a clear bright spot and that was Will Richard who had 30 points playing in front of friends and family in his home state for likely the last time in his college career. Just to show that wasn’t a fluke, he followed it up with 25 points on efficient 9-13 shooting to make it two straight massive games to lead the Gators. Someone who thrives on spot-up shooting, Texas A&M’s pack the paint defense was exactly what Richard wanted to see and he was content to set his feet and launch warm-up style threes hitting 6 of his 9 attempts to lead the way among Florida’s shooters. As the first transfer to join Todd Golden when he took the Florida job Richard has turned into a leader and it seems like he can get the team fired up in a way few others can, and the fact that he is playing his best basketball this late in the season is a great sign going into March.
Frontcourt Depth
If there is one thing Texas A&M does well it’s offensive rebound which meant Florida’s frontcourt was going to be in for a long night but they stepped up to the challenge and were very good not only on the glass but also offensively around the rim and defensively guarding in space and the group of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, and Micah Handlogten were a big reason why the Gators were so successful Saturday. Haugh led the way in scoring with 17 and he knocked down 2 of his 3 threes, a massive sign for a player whose shooting has been streaky during his short career so far. It was also good to see Alex Condon appear to play at full strength after he played but seemed limited against Georgia, this time putting up 11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and a steal. It’s also worth noting that he had to have a root canal after taking an elbow against Georgia and didn’t just go on to play without missing any time–but played really well. Handlogten also starred in his role hauling in 8 rebounds while also adding 2 blocks.
Final Thoughts
After a completely flat effort against Georgia you wanted to see a clear bounce back from the Gators and that’s exactly what happened with a physical and focused 40 minutes of basketball against a battle tested Texas A&M team that can run apathetic teams out of the gym with their toughness and physicality. Florida has four losses this season but every time they’ve taken a loss, it seems like they are ready in the next game. After losing to Kentucky, they beat #1 Tennessee 73-43. After losing to Missouri, they beat Texas 84-60. After losing to Tennessee, they beat Vanderbilt 86-75. Now, after losing to Georgia, they beat Texas A&M 89-70. We are quickly getting to the point of the season where you don’t have a chance to bounce back after a loss, but it’s still good to see the team showing energy in these spots and they’ll hopefully grow in consistency moving towards postseason play.