There were plenty of trap game opportunities in this one as a veteran Stony Brook team full of seniors came into Gainesville for a Wednesday matinee but Florida didn’t falter at all, jumping out to an early lead and holding on for a 87-62 win. There wasn’t much drama in this one as the Gators overwhelmed the Seawolves early and never let up, which is exactly what you’d like to see from a Florida perspective. This game closes out Florida’s non-conference slate (at least until playing Oklahoma State midseason in the Big 12-SEC Challenge) and they open conference play next week against Ole Miss
Phlandrous Fire
Arguably the most consistent player on the Gators, Phlandrous Fleming has continued to impress whether off the bench or as a starter. When it was announced Myreon Jones would miss this one (due to health and safety protocols) Fleming was given the start and he put his stamp on the game. Fleming led the Gators with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in a stat sheet stuffing performance where he impacted every element of the game. When Florida’s roster is back to full strength it will be interesting to see what the Gators do with the Charleston Southern transfer who has commanded a huge role on this team.
Athleticism Often Wins
Florida was clearly the physically dominant team over a small, light Stony Brook roster and it was clearly the difference on Wednesday. 6’11” Colin Castleton was often guarded by a 6’7” center, and 6’7” Anthony Duruji was often checked by a 6’3” guard. Florida was able to dominate in the open floor and on the glass (40 to 21 in the rebound category) and that’s what the Gators need to do against teams that aren’t as gifted. Will the Gators have this big of an advantage in size and athleticism in the SEC? No, but there are still some teams they will have some level of an advantage over, and in those matchups they’ll need to win the rebound category once again and dominate the paint like we saw against Stony Brook.
Bigs Off The Bench
Jason Jitoboh had one of his best games as a Gator contributing 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists, dominating down low against a shorter Stony Brook front line. Jitoboh had a clear size advantage but it wasn’t just his strength that did the trick as he also showed quick feet defensively and soft hands offensively to catch passes and finish. CJ Felder also showed out off the bench with 10 points with 2 made threes, making for a dominant frontcourt off the bench alongside Jitoboh. Coach White has shown that he likes to play Felder and Jitoboh out there together, but if both continue to play so well he might need to try to get one of them next to Colin Castleton for some stretches.
Final Thoughts
Florida’s non-conference schedule has had some ups and downs but in a situation where they could have played poorly against a veteran Stony Brook team they instead played fantastic team basketball with a ton of energy. Is this a game the Gators should have won in a blowout? Probably, but they did exactly what they should have without slipping up on either end. They now head to the holiday break with some positive momentum before starting SEC play.