After having one of their worst performances against Missouri the Florida Gators came out with a chip on their shoulder at home Saturday against the Texas Longhorns taking a lead midway through the first half and running away with it in the second for a final score of 84-60. Texas landed the first punch and had a slight lead due to the outstanding isolation play of freshman Tre Johnson but the Gators kept pushing through it and had a 15-0 run that lasted over six minutes to take command of the game. From there Florida never relented and Texas didn’t have the firepower to get back into the game and it was all Gators in front of an energized crowd. Since the Gators dropped a game against Missouri they were expected to win they couldn’t afford to drop one to Texas but that was never really in doubt and Florida’s staff will be happy with the team’s response. With the win the Gators improve to 16-2 on the season and 3-2 in the SEC with some more winnable games on the horizon.
Build For League Play
It might not always be pretty but Alijah Martin’s style of play is smash mouth, in-your-face basketball and while that might not be the style that’s needed in all leagues in America it’s certainly one that’s worked in SEC play. Martin has really elevated his level of activity since the Gators got into league games and he continued on that trajectory once again leading the Gators with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, most of which came off physical plays at the rim. Not only was he muscling through defenders at will for layups but he was often doing so while taking a hack on the arm which didn’t deter him enough to miss the shot but gave him and-1 opportunities that he largely cashed in on, also giving him a chance to flex in front of a rowdy Gainesville crowd. With some transfers you don’t know how the step up in level will translate from a physicality standpoint but that isn’t the case with Martin who is one of the positionally strongest players in the SEC and he had that on display against Texas.
Responsible D
Texas’ style of play is extremely isolation heavy with players like Tre Johnson, Arthur Kaluma, Jordan Pope, and Tramon Mark who all want to hunt mismatches and go one on one. Early in the game they were able to get some points this way which could have psyched the Gators out, as there are few feelings for a defender as embarrassing as having a team point you out as the weak link defensively, attack you, and score. However, the Gators stuck to their principles and didn’t overreact when giving up points and ultimately the shots stopped falling for the Longhorns and when they did the Gators took the game and ran with it. Texas finished the game shooting 36% from the field and turned the ball over 14 times (an extremely high number for the Longhorns who don’t turn it over much) which speaks to the defensive effort of the Gators that was much improved from the game with Missouri.
Controlling The Paint
During Florida’s stretch of successful basketball this season their bigs have played a huge role on both ends of the floor. On offense it’s dominating the offense glass, finishing lobs, and sealing off driving lanes for guards, and on the defensive end it’s using length to deter any shots at the rim. For the first time this season Florida was outplayed in the frontcourt by Missouri which was a sobering development given that the Tigers’ frontcourt isn’t all that heralded. Well, Florida’s bigs had a big bounce back against Texas and controlled the paint on both sides with the Gators winning the points in the paint battle 44-20, a huge reason why Florida was able to win so comfortably. Alex Condon was particularly strong with 11 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block, and that performance was particularly good to see as it seems like the Gators are always at their best when the Australian post player is at his best.
Final Thoughts
Florida has expectations of competing for a league title and if they’re going to do that they need to dominate games like Texas at home. Since they let the game with Missouri slip this game had heightened importance and Florida was up to the challenge, controlling pretty much every element of the game for all but the first couple of minutes. The Gators will have a chance to keep things rolling in their next contest against South Carolina, a team currently on a 5-game losing streak.