Gators Control Vanderbilt For Third Win In A Row

Momentum might be slowly building for the Gators as they were able to get their third win in a row on Saturday dispatching the Vanderbilt Commodores 61-42. At halftime game was actually swinging in Vanderbilt’s favor as they went on a run to make the game 31-28 Florida, but coming out of the break the Gators caught fire and went on a 12-0 run. They never relented and ended up with the comfortable victory, something they needed to help the confidence of the team still trying to learn to play without star center Colin Castleton who was once again out with a shoulder injury. It wasn’t the prettiest game offensively for Florida but they were able to clamp down defensively in a way that never allowed the Commodores to get anything going in the second frame.

Slowing Down Scotty

Scotty Pippen is one of the most talented scorers in the country but the Gators were able to keep him clamped down as he finished with only 6 points on 1-10 shooting. Florida definitely caught a break with him picking up two soft fouls early that sent him to the bench and completely ruined his rhythm, but even as he got back into the game in the second half the Gators were able to keep him out of the paint and not allow him to control the game. Last year Pippen absolutely torched the Gators for 23, 32, and 18 points in the three matchups between the two, so slowing him down was a huge development and a big reason why the Gators were able to win this game. 

Continued Production

After falling in the rotation after some tough turnover games Tyree Appleby got back into a major role against Mississippi State and was once again one of Florida’s best players leading the Gators with 11 points, 3 assists, and 4 steals off the bench. What made Appleby so dangerous was hitting big threes off the dribble, something that he does as well as anyone in the country when he’s on. Some of those shots were huge to allow the Gators to take the lead that they never relented and he’s making it clear that Florida’s best offense comes with him on the floor. Defensively he was a pest all game long and his 4 steals turned into easy fast break buckets on the other end in a game where the Gators weren’t exactly crisp offensively and needed those points. Even though Appleby is playing so well, he may continue to play off the bench as he gives the Gators a huge spark that no one else could provide in that role. 

Winning Ugly

Unfortunately for the Gators, who are still looking for consistent offensive production, things weren’t exactly clicking on that end as they shot 38% from the field and 25% from three. However, they were able to win ugly, which is something this team will need to do if they’re going to reach their ceiling. They had 16 offensive rebounds with Jason Jitoboh contributing 5 and that led to 20 second chance points, just a hair under a third of their entire offensive output. They also had 9 steals and protected the ball for only 8 turnovers, little things that helped them win in a game where they didn’t have their best stuff going. Sure, the goal would be that the Gators get a whole bunch prettier offensively and improve their efficiency and that still could happen, but it’s likely they’ll have more games where they aren’t able to get good shots and when that happens they’ll have to win ugly and that’s what they did Saturday.

Final Thoughts 

Vanderbilt had their back against the wall down a key player in Rodney Chapman and the Gators were definitely favored to win and the Gators did just that with very little drama, and that’s something they deserve some credit for. You probably would have liked them to be a bit more crisp offensively but ultimately this team took care of business in a game they were expected to win, and you can’t ask for much more. Florida was also able to limit the minutes of some of their key players, something that’s important since the Gators have a quick turnaround next playing Ole Miss on Monday and then Tennessee on Wednesday.