It came down to the final minute where a well-executed trip forced a turnover that gave the Gators a chance at the tie but ultimately they weren’t successful on the sideline out of bounds play and they ended up falling to the UConn Huskies 77-73 in the Jimmy V Classic. After falling behind in the first half Florida was able to claw back into the game, but going against a UConn team that is better than anyone at slowing the game down and out-executing in the half court, it was the Huskies that had a key advantage. Much like in the final minutes of the Duke game, Florida simply wasn’t able to execute as well as their opponent which resulted in a loss, but they’ll be happy with their ability to be in a close game with a strong opponent. With the loss, the Gators fall to 5-4 on the season.
Giving Them A Chance
There were times when Florida’s defense broke down against the constant off-ball screening and movement of one of the most complex offenses in the country with UConn, but overall they guarded well enough to keep themselves in the game. The Huskies entered Tuesday’s game as the #7 team in KenPom and while the game was technically at a neutral court in New York, Huskies fans are famous for making the short trip to The Big Apple to make it functionally a home game–despite a great showing from Florida fans. This was a game that could have gotten out of hand for the Gators if not for their tough defense that saw them battling through screens and contesting shots with their length at the last moment, and also controlling the paint with their multiple 6’9”+ bodies. Once again we are seeing that Florida’s defense and rebounding (the Gators were +12 on the glass) gives them a high floor that has kept them in every game, even if they haven’t come away victorious.
Signs Of Life
One positive from this game will be the play of Xaivian Lee who played arguably his best as a Gator so far finishing with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Given Lee’s struggles so far this season it was great to see him step up against such a quality opponent in one of basketball’s most famous venues in Madison Square Gardens, and you hope he can keep the confidence and build on this performance. This was a night where the Gators were desperate for any kind of spark and Lee was able to give it with his herky-jerky style that got defenders off-balance and allowed him to get in the lane, drawing multiple fouls that allowed him to get easy points at the rim. Shooting 1-7 from three it certainly wasn’t all good for Lee, but his ability to get into the paint was a sight for sore eyes.
Continued Struggles
Given Florida’s level of play on the defensive end and their excellent work on the glass the Gators could have easily won this game if not for an offense that continues to struggle to create open looks and put players in advantageous positions to score. UConn is a stout defensive team that has made pretty much all of their opponents look embattled offensively, and for a Florida team that hasn’t been good with the ball all season long they weren’t up to the challenge of solving such a well put-together defense. Florida shot 42% from the field with 12 turnovers and never really looked like they were putting the UConn defense in conflict, instead relying on individual plays from Xaivian Lee, Alex Condon, and Thomas Haugh to put points on the board. Perhaps the biggest microcosm of the offensive struggles was one of the biggest plays of the game where the Gators had a sideline out of bounds with a chance to tie with under a minute left, and the Gators ran an extremely predictable play that UConn read perfectly, and Florida wasn’t even able to get the ball in which resulted in a 5-second call. Moving forward, the offense will be the biggest question mark and area for improvement.
Final Thoughts
Florida just played as difficult as a two-game stretch as they’ll have all year, and they lost both games in similar fashion–it was clear they could rebound and defend well enough to win, but there just isn’t anywhere near enough potency offensively. There are personnel problems, there are some fit issues, and there are some schematic deficiencies, and the Gators will have to look at how to overcome these issues if they want to be a team that can make a deep run this season. On the positive side, Florida played hard in a very difficult semi-road setting and stayed great tenacity in the final minutes, and the scoring from Lee could be something to build on. The Gators will now have to prepare for a sneaky tough game against a talented George Washington squad.