It took until game 11 but the Gators finally have a winning record in the SEC, holding on to beat the Georgia Bulldogs 72-63 to improve to 6-5 in league play. Led by a flurry of three-point makes the Gators jumped out to a first half lead that swelled to as much as 16 and they were able to hold on for a relatively stress free win. Georgia entered Wednesday’s game last in the SEC at 1-9 and the fact they were able to hang with the Gators perhaps wasn’t the most encouraging sign but ultimately Florida took care of business in a game they absolutely couldn’t afford to lose. Georgia, in the 200’s in the NCAA’s NET rankings, is considered a quadrant-4 game for the Gators and therefore it won’t help their NCAA Tournament resume much, but it certainly won’t hurt it.
Coming Alive
The biggest story of the night for Florida was an explosive 23 point performance off the bench by Myreon Jones who is finally starting to show the three-point shooting that he was known for in his time at Penn State. Jones was ice cold for much of the season putting his role with the Gators into question but recently he has been shooting the cover off the ball and Wednesday’s game against the Bulldogs was the best game yet. His 7-11 mark from three was a career high in three-pointers made and it propelled Florida’s offense into building up a lead that they were able to hold on to. Three-point shooting hasn’t been a strength for the Gators this season so Jones’ makes were a godsend the last couple of games. He has been notoriously streaky throughout his career and perhaps after starting the season so cold he’s due for a couple of heaters in a row.
Protecting The Paint
Florida’s length bothered Georgia around the rim all night leading to the Bulldogs going only 13-24 on layups with many misses they’d love to have back. Some were wide open bunnies that they somehow found a way to miss but Florida’s defensive length was also a problem. Colin Castleton predictably led the way in the rim protection category with four blocks while CJ Felder and Phlandrous Fleming bothered a bunch of attempts that led to misses. Jones also found a way to block two shots but they weren’t in the rim protection category, they were actually three-pointers from the outside that could have been six points that he was able to erase.
Avoiding Disaster
With under ten minutes remaining the Gators had a 13-point lead but a steady Georgia comeback finished off with a Kario Oquendo layup cut it down to three with under three minutes remaining. For a minute it looked like the Gators might have another blown lead on their hand but Tyree Appleby, who actually struggled for most of the game, took over and had some huge shots and free throws. Even though he missed shots and turned the ball over for 35 minutes he was there when the Gators desperately needed him to hit the biggest three of the game and ice the final minutes with clutch free throws. He’s a big-time performer and if not for the ice in his veins the Gators could have suffered a devastating loss.
Final Thoughts
Florida was projected by all the metrics to handle this game easily and on one hand they kind of did for thirty minutes but on the other hand they allowed Georgia to come back and almost win the game. It’s also worth noting that point guard Aaron Cook, 6’11” center Braelen Bridges, and leading scorer Kario Oquendo all struggled with foul trouble, and had they been able to play more minutes this game’s outcome could be scary. Generally Florida’s offense was adequate but it was their defense that let them down during the Georgia comeback with the Bulldogs getting into the paint at will. Cook (14 points) and Oquendo (22 points) were having their way with Florida’s perimeter defense, something that has been an issue for the Gators all season long. However, even though it wasn’t pretty the Gators ultimately got the job done and are steadily climbing up the SEC standings and have a chance at finishing in the top five of the league.