The Gators were able to battle back from an early deficit but ultimately came up short, losing to the Texas A&M aggies at home by a score of 66-63. Florida had their opportunities at the end of the game to tie or take the lead but their late game offense betrayed them, coming up empty with sweeping floaters clanging off the rim. Now 0-2 in SEC play the Gators will have some work to do to get to where they want to be in the league, and that starts on Saturday when they take on former coach Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs.
Scoring Droughts
Right now Florida’s biggest issue is on the offensive end as they entered Wednesday’s game ranked 79th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency metric. Once again the offense was an issue as they couldn’t get anything going against a Texas A&M defense that hasn’t even been good this year. The Aggies entered Wednesday’s game as the 117th ranked defense in the country, though you wouldn’t have known it with how they plugged up the paint and didn’t allow anything easy, particularly for Colin Castleton who they focused on shutting down. You saw the Gators trying out some different looks offensively from what we have seen in recent weeks but it didn’t show to be instantly successful and it was a big reason why they are now 0-2 in SEC play.
On The Bright Side
The Aggies have been stellar on the offensive end in recent games but the Gators, who have been playing increasingly better defense, were able to slow down their attack. Texas A&M finished the game shooting only 38% from the field, a testament to how disruptive the Gators were. This started with the wing trio of Kyle Lofton, Trey Bonham, and Will Richard who were active in passing lanes and digging down on drives, while Colin Castleton was the stout interior defender that contested anything that got to the rim. The Gators are starting to form a bit of an identity and it’s that of a defensive team–and it’s good to see them embracing that side of the floor with how things have gone on the other side.
Staying Hot
Florida’s best player was once again Trey Bonham who finished with 21 points on 8-13 shooting on a night where he was just about the only Gator to have any rhythm offensively. Even though the Gators on a whole got stuck in the mud Bonham never lacked for energy and his constant electricity on the offensive end turned into some slick drives to the rim and of course, his patented three-point shot off the dribble. The Gators have been desperate for someone who can create a shot and right now Bonham is providing that offensive juice. It seems the coaching staff is still most comfortable with Kyle Lofton as the primary ball handler, but you have to wonder if Bonham will rip that role away at some point if he continues to pour in points.
Final Thoughts
Going into the season Texas A&M was a team thought to be in about the same range as Florida in the SEC hierarchy so losing to them is not a great sign for the Gators who once again have had the chance at a decent win evade them. We are now 14 games through the season and the Gators’ best win is a road victory at Florida State who is 244th in the NET rankings. Yes, there are plenty of opportunities ahead, but given Florida’s struggles against good teams, it’s getting harder and harder to see a scenario where the Gators finish in the top half of the SEC. Georgia was picked to finish at the basement of the SEC and they just beat Auburn who came off of a win against the Gators, so Florida will have to be on high alert for their next game coming to them on Saturday.