With Florida’s season at the risk of spinning out of control they’ll try to get things moving in the right direction Tuesday when they take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Losing 7 of their last 9 games, the NCAA Tournament is out of the question for the Gators unless they were to go on a run in the SEC Tournament and win, so right now they’re looking to get some wins that will improve their seed and put them in a better position to try to make that happen. Currently the Gators are 10th in the SEC at 7-9, and they’ll look to put some distance between them and the 11th ranked team–the Georgia Bulldogs. Entering Tuesday night at 6-10, this would give the Bulldogs a chance at matching Florida’s record if they were able to take down the Gators.
This will be the second meeting between Florida and Georgia this season with the Gators taking the first matchup 82-75. The story of that game was runs for both teams, as the Bulldogs actually threw the first punch going up 23-10. Florida then answered back in the beginning of the second half going up by double digits and nearly winning comfortably before some miracle three-point shooting late by the Bulldogs brought the game closer. Ultimately, it was still a relatively comfortable win for the Gators but they saw what Georgia can be when things are clicking.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, things aren’t clicking right now. They’re 3-9 in their last 12 games, and their last three games entering Tuesday’s matchup with the Gators were all blowout losses to Alabama (108-59), Arkansas (97-65), and Missouri (85-64). Of course, Florida is also coming off of three blowout losses (though the margins weren’t as bad as what Georgia suffered) but something will have to give on Tuesday and one team will end their streak of blowout losses.
First year head coach Mike White inherited a team that struggled mightily the year prior and has been able to make the Gators competitive, though they still find themselves in the bottom third of the league. As has been the case with White’s teams historically–their defense is stronger than their offense. According to KenPom the Bulldogs are currently 134th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency and 173rd in the country in offensive efficiency so they aren’t wildly better on the defensive end, but it is noticeable. Georgia has struggled to shoot the ball at times this season which has hurt their ability to pressure defenses and it has allowed opponents to really pack the paint and key in on their two guards who are the clear highlights of the roster.
Point guard Terry Roberts and shooting guard Kario Oquendo make up a formidable backcourt in the SEC. Roberts was a player the Gators recruited heavily in the transfer portal from Bradley, but ultimately backed off in favor of Kyle Lofton. Roberts has been a productive, do-it-all guard averaging 13 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals per game–though his sub-30% three-point stroke means defenses can give him a cushion and dare him to shoot while taking away the driving lanes.
Roberts had 25 points and 4 assists against the Gators in the first meeting of the season, taking advantage of several favorable matchups. Roberts is an extremely athletic point guard at 6’3”, and Florida’s options at the point guard spot are generally undersized and not athletic. Roberts was able to get to the rim at will against the Gators and put major pressure on the rim, and that’s going to be a huge concern for the Gators now that they don’t have the shot blocking presence of Colin Casleton.
Keeping Kario Oquendo in Athens was one of the big wins for Mike White in the offseason as he was a productive player last year who was thought to be considering a transfer, but he ultimately stayed through the transition to compete for White. His numbers are a bit down from last year when he averaged 15 points and 4 rebounds but he’s still averaging 13 points and 3 rebounds per game making him a productive player. There is one interesting storyline regarding Oquendo that will be worth monitoring on Tuesday. In Georgia’s prior game against Missouri, Mike White chose to play Oquendo off the bench–something that has never happened before. This is Oquendo’s second season at Georgia after transferring from junior college and he had started every game in a Bulldogs uniform–all 56 of them. That’s until Georgia’s last game where White sent him to the bench, though it didn’t keep him from putting points on the board. He ended with an efficient 14 points in 18 minutes, leading to some Georgia fans angry at the fact he didn’t play more. It’s unknown if this was punitive or simply White trying to shake things up after a frustrating SEC season, but it’s something to watch for on Tuesday night.
Right now the Gators are in desperate need of a positive performance to get things back on track in an attempt to finish the season strong. With the NCAA Tournament a distant thought and without Colin Castleton on the floor it may be difficult for the Gators to stay focused and motivated and that will be tested on Tuesday against the Bulldogs.
Florida and Georgia will tip off on February 28th at 7 PM ET and the game will be televised on SEC Network.