Florida got some stellar offensive production from players not named Colin Castleton on Thursday but ultimately it wasn’t enough to overcome a poor defensive showing as the Gators dropped the pivotal opening game of the PK85 Tournament to the Xavier Musketeers 90-83. Because of the loss, instead of a marquee matchup with Duke the Gators will now play Oregon State who is coming off a 3-28 season and is currently ranked 223rd in KenPom. Defense had been an issue for the Gators entering this game and Xavier head coach Sean Miller, an outstanding offense mind, knew just how to pick it apart. There were some bright spots offensively from a few players the Gators needed to get going, but the defense is an issue they’ll need to do some serious work on.
Struggling Defense By The Numbers
Florida allowed Xavier to shoot 56% from the field, 50% from three, and 70% from the charity stripe, getting beat by just about every action that the Musketeers tried to utilize. Featuring a pair of bigs in Jack Nunge and Zach Freemantle the Musketeers were constantly setting flex screens to get these two deep post touches and they did successfully pretty much every time making for easy layups or kickouts to wide open shooters when the defense had to collapse. Colby Jones finished with 22 points which largely came on wide open shots when the ball was reversed to him and Souley Boum, who started his career at San Francisco when Todd Golden was on staff, had 22 points and 6 assists dominating the game from the guard spot.
Commanding Minutes
After a huge second half against Florida State that allowed the Gators to come back and ultimately win, guard Trey Bonham earned a starting spot on Thursday and made sure it counted, finishing the game with 23 points and 2 assists. Florida’s roster has a lot of good pieces but lacks a player who can break down a defender one on one with the exception of Bonham and he used his speed and craftiness to get to the paint at will and either draw fouls or finish layups. Florida’s offense looks completely different with Bonham in the game and he will likely continue to start with a performance like this.
Most Valuable Gator
While Bonham led the Gators in scoring, the best performance overall probably came from Will Richard who was excellent on the offensive end with 18 points while being the one bright spot on the defensive end with 3 steals. He has been a welcomed roster addition who brings value on both ends and as the Gators look for positives to take away from a game like this one, Richard stands out.
Did Not Play–Coach’s Decision
After not playing in the second half against Florida State sophomore Kowacie Reeves didn’t see the floor whatsoever in this one making it 60 straight minutes of Florida basketball that he has been benched. Nothing is known at the moment regarding why that’s the case, perhaps maybe some poor shot selection in the first half against Florida State, but it’s certainly curious given the high expectations many had for Reeves entering the season.
Final Thoughts
Xavier was definitely the better basketball team on Thursday but it doesn’t make the loss hurt any less for the Gators who will now have to play an Oregon State team that will not offer them a chance at a quality win but could certainly give them a bad loss. Florida is a team that entered the season thinking defense would be a strength but that hasn’t been the case and they’ll have to find a way to defend much better with a very quick turnaround.