Florida’s basketball season officially began on Tuesday with the Gators coming out strong with a 74-61 win over the Elon Phoenix. The final score didn’t tell the whole story of the game, as Florida led by as much as 28 points in the second half but began to cycle through their bench in the final 12 minutes allowing the Phoenix to slowly make up for some of the deficit. Florida jumped out quickly in this one leading to a 47-24 lead at half and never looked back, taking care of business on their home floor in front of eager Gator fans.
Setting The Tone
Colin Castleton had his way with the smaller Elon frontcourt in the first half getting most of his 18 points, 5 rebounds, and four assists early. His dominance was a big part of the reason the Gators were able to get out to a huge lead and it was just what you’d hope to see against a smaller opponent. He was able to get points on post ups, on offensive rebounds, and on dump off passes, exactly what the Gators would hope for from a big. He almost had a bunch more points but left a few at the free throw line where he shot 4-10. Plenty of his teammates struggled as well from there as the Gators went 16-29 from the charity stripe, so this might have just been a game where Florida’s players needed to shake off some rust. Perhaps even more important than his offensive stats were his 6 blocks as he picked up just where he left off last season as one of the best shot blockers in college basketball.
Finishing Strong
Penn State transfer Myreon Jones was quiet in the first half but came alive in the second hitting four threes and finishing the game with 18 points. Throughout his collegiate career Jones has been a streaky shooter and while that can make for some ice cold games (like his 0-6 performance in the exhibition against Embry-Riddle) it can also make for some explosive halves like Tuesday where he poured in points in a hurry. Even though he didn’t hit shots early in the game he made some nice plays off the dribble and found opponents for easy buckets and that’s something that’s encouraging for when his shots aren’t falling. Jones is clearly an explosive scorer when his shot starts falling and it will make for some exciting basketball when he’s on.
Defensive Domination
A common theme throughout this game was the Gators flying around the court defensively and making life hard for every Elon offensive player. UMKC transfer Brandon McKissic definitely set the tone defensively as his relentless on ball pressure forced a number of turnovers and ill-advised passes. Tyree Appleby was also active in the passing lanes and Charleston Southern transfer Phlandrous Fleming provided some stout perimeter defense on some of Elon’s most talented wings. Of course, if anyone got past the first line of Florida’s defense, Colin Castleton was there to mop up any mistakes with his shot blocking ability. Throughout the summer Florida’s staff has talked about just how good they think this team can be defensively and they showcased some of that talent on Tuesday.
Final Thoughts
There are going to be plenty of people to look at a win against Elon and question just exactly what that means but the Gators took care of business in the way you’d hope they would against a Colonial Athletic Association opponent. They were stifling defensively, they got to the hoop at will, and they controlled the glass against a smaller, less athletic team. Yes, they did allow Elon to claw (somewhat) back into the game and keep the score respectable, but that was essentially Elon’s starters, of which they had a number of talented ones, against Florida’s bench. Florida played with intensity, they played unselfishly, and they generally executed well, and they’ll be about as fired up as possible to see the rival Florida State Seminoles on Sunday.