With a dramatic finish that saw the game decided on a last-second deflection the Florida Gators fell just short of the Duke Blue Devils, losing on the round in the ACC-SEC Challenge by a score of 67-66. Florida had a slim chance to win at the buzzer, inbounding from their own baseline with just 1.4 seconds remaining, but the inbounds pass from Thomas Haugh was tipped and the Blue Devils were able to hold on for the win. It didn’t always look like this game was going to go down to the buzzer and it actually looked like Duke might run away with it as they led by as many as 15 at one point. Florida showed a ton of tenacity to come back and give themselves a chance to win, but ultimately they weren’t able to execute well enough offensively to get scores against a tremendous Duke D.
Scoring Woes
To preface, it needs to be noted that Duke is one of the best defensive teams in the country boasting a ton of length and athleticism to complement a tight, coordinated scheme. So, for a Florida team that hasn’t been able to string together any offensive momentum–this was going to be a tough hill to climb. They ended up shooting 37% from the field while adding 13 turnovers, also hitting just 25% of their threes. This is seemingly becoming a talking point in most games, and the Gators are still looking for answers. There was a clear move down the stretch as when the game got close Xaivian Lee, who finished the game 1-10 from the field, was sat down while Urban Klavzar, who had 6 points and 2 assists, got to play in crunch time. While it’s tough to say for sure, it even looks like Florida’s final play of the game was for Klavzar to get the heave for the win. Whatever the case may be, Florida’s offense needs changes after another bland showing.
Frontcourt Letdown
Going into the season, it looked like Florida’s frontcourt was going to be the strength of the team given all the returners from a unit that was excellent last year. Of course, with the struggles of the backcourt, the post players have to be even better to give the Gators the best chance at winning. They were definitely outplayed against Duke who has one of the best players in the country in freshman Cam Boozer who finished with 29 points, and it appeared at several points during the game that Todd Golden wasn’t pleased with the execution, or lack thereof, when it came to Florida’s scout. Whatever the case may be, the game was far too easy for Boozer and he was a big reason that Duke was the winning team. Patrick Ngongba also had his way with 11 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds, also showing some cracks in Florida’s frontcourt defense.
On the Bright Side
While this was a tough loss for the Gators given their chances at winning, there were some clear positives. Playing in front of a host of NBA scouts Thomas Haugh played tremendous with 24 points and some excellent play on defense, showcasing why he is one of the best forwards in the country. Boogie Fland was also able to get some confidence in the second half hitting some big shots to finish with 16 points while providing some great moments on the defensive side. Florida could not be more desperate for one of their guard transfers to play at an elite level, so the flashes from Fland were like water in the desert. Also, while Florida didn’t always contain Duke’s frontcourt, they did have a generally solid defensive performance and holding this Duke team to 67 points was no easy task.
Final Thoughts
Some of the bright spots were just mentioned, and it’s important to take some of those positives alongside one of the biggest reasons for optimism–Duke was heavily favored to win and was projected to win by multiple possessions, and in a lot of ways this was a good showing for the Gators. You might say “there are no moral victories” and you could be right–but in college basketball there are predictive metrics like the NET and KenPom, and a showing like this will actually still help them (Florida moved UP three spots in KenPom following the loss, since they lost by far less than the projection). The Gators still have some massive issues, largely centered around backcourt play, but it is saying something that the Gators can have so many issues and still play one of the best teams in the country to a one-point game.