Florida’s SEC basketball season had the chance to start with a major road victory but ultimately they couldn’t pull it out, falling to the home Auburn Tigers by a 61-58 score. The Gators had the opportunity to win the game with what could have been the final shot, but a disjointed possession resulted in a Colin Castleton turnover and ultimately an Auburn win. Coach Golden will be completely satisfied with the effort, but the Gators still have work to do in order to iron things out and reach their potential.
Spark Off The Bench
Florida’s leading scorer was Kowacie Reeves who has embraced a bench role after losing the starting spot he began the season with. Despite having a few games where he didn’t play at all and then a bench spot to return to Reeves hasn’t shown any disappointment and has worked hard every time he has seen the court. He finished this game with 15 points coming off the pine, a huge spark for an offense that couldn’t get much going. Usually Reeves gets his offense with the three-point shot but 6 of his 7 field goals came inside of the arc which is a good sign for his ever expanding offensive game.
Offense Needs Work
Arguably the biggest issue so far this season, the Gators once again had a forgetful night offensively. They shot 40% from the field and 16% from three and while some might say it was just an off-shooting night, the Gators weren’t able to produce quality shots. Auburn’s front line is as good as any in the SEC and they were able to largely keep Colin Castleton in check and he finished with 6 points on 1-6 shooting. Florida’s lack of potency offensively was especially noticeable at the end of the game as they couldn’t get any clean looks in one on one situations, something you need to be able to do if you want to win close games. In fairness to the Gators the Auburn defense has been stout all year long and is arguably one of the best in the country and it was a tough matchup for Florida who is still looking for how they want to score.
Former Target
Adding insult to injury in this game was the play of Johni Broome who chose the Tigers over the Gators when making his transfer portal decision this offseason. He was Auburn’s best player finishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists while providing outstanding defense keeping Colin Castleton from getting to his spots. Broome has excellent size but can also move on the perimeter and his blend of muscle and quick feet allow the Auburn defense to be exactly what head coach Bruce Pearl wants. Seeing his success at Auburn, the Gators will continue to pursue similar players in the portal.
Final Thoughts
This game could have been very ugly for the Gators but they kept themselves in it with their defense and had an opportunity to win the game in the final possession, which is about all you can ask for on the road in a tough environment. There are no moral victories, especially for the Gators when they haven’t been able to post a quality win so far this season, but they have to be happy with the effort they showed and how much they battled. However, they need to figure out how to harness that effort and talent with a scheme that will allow them to create quality shots on the offensive end. The Gators will now have a week to prepare for Texas A&M.