The Gators drop to 12-9 (5-3 SEC) after falling 64-50 to No.5 ranked Kansas State inside the Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday night.
The Wildcats, led by former Gator Keyontae Johnson, jumped out to an early lead and controlled it for 40 minutes. David N’Guessan’s layup extended Kansas State’s lead to 11 just over ten minutes into the first half; Florida trailed by 10+ for the remainder of the game.
Florida’s slow start offensively proved costly once again. The Gators made just six field goals in the first 20 minutes, shooting 20.7% from the field, finding themselves trailing 37-16 at halftime.
Colin Castleton was eliminated from the gameplan in the 1st half, scoring just two points in 17 minutes. The 6-11 forward finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Like they have all season, Todd Golden’s squad played better in the 2nd half, however, it still wasn’t ideal from an offensive perspective. Florida outscored Kansas State 34-27 after halftime.
Florida’s 50 points against Kansas State marks their season low.
The Gators’ defense continued to dominate, holding the Wildcats to shoot just 37.7% from the field and 23.5% from three-point range. Unfortunately, Florida’s defensive effort wasn’t enough to overcome shooting 31% from the field and 18.2% from beyond the arc.
Rebounding was a major concern for Todd Golden’s staff entering tonight’s Big12 vs SEC matchup and rightfully so. Florida was outrebounded 49-36, getting beat handily on both the offensive and defensive glass.
Florida’s stretch of games doesn’t get any easier as the Gators take on No.4 ranked Tennessee on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm.
If the Gators want to be competitive over the next three games, they’ll need to find a way to score the ball more consistently and clean up their work on the glass.