Florida, who seems like they always find themselves in close games, did that once again on Saturday as they found themselves in a dogfight in Missouri where they couldn’t quite find enough buckets losing 76-74. In a lot of ways this was a similar script to all Florida’s losses this season–they defended well enough, they played with physicality, and they dragged the game into the mud, only to find themselves not quite good enough offensively to get the win. To Florida’s credit, this could have easily been a game where they lost by multiple possessions but their unquestionable spirit kept them in the game, and after two missed free throws from Missouri’s Mark Mitchell the Gators had a chance to win but the prayer from Boogie Fland didn’t fall and it made for a Tigers win. With the loss the Gators start SEC play 0-1, and fall to 0-4 in SEC openers in the Todd Golden era.
Same Story
Stop me if you’ve heard this again, but the Gators lost another tight game in which they couldn’t make shots from deep. Playing against a Missouri team who protects the paint at a high level and gives up a ton of threes the Gators were 7-27 for 26%, and while it looked for a while like they were actually going to have a solid shooting game down the stretch it was airball after airball and clank after clank, and it almost seemed poetic that the shot to win was a three from Boogie Fland who missed, finishing the game 0-6 from behind the arc. One bright spot from a three-point shooting standpoint was Xaivian Lee who finished 3-7, and the Gators hope they can keep him going at a higher level. Another storyline that repeated was the Gators once again struggling to convert against zone coverage, something that has been a story all year and word is making its way around the SEC, so you can bet Florida will be seeing more of it until they can solve their problems.
Bullies Got Bullied
Up until the Missouri game Florida has been the physical aggressor in pretty much every matchup, dominating on the glass and in the paint with the muscle of their frontcourt. Missouri boasts a ton of big bodies who might not be as mobile as Florida but might be more stout, and for the first time it looked like the Gators lost the battle around the rim. The offensive rebounding category was still won by the Gators but it was just 13-11, and Missouri played them to essentially even on the glass. When it came to finishing at the rim and drawing fouls it was advantage Tigers as the Missouri frontcourt players actually pushed around the taller Gators and finished around them with stretch. Head coach Dennis Gates also made sure to use his jumbo shooting guard Jacob Crews to get post up opportunities against Xaivian Lee and Urban Klazvar, furthering the physical advantage the Tigers had. It isn’t likely that many teams will be able to match Florida’s physicality like Missouri did, but this is a cautionary tale in that the Gators might not do enough well outside of their physicality to beat good teams, at least at this moment, and it’s clear they’ve got some work to do.
Fearless Leader
All in all it might have been a frustrating night for the Gators but Thomas Haugh was never going to back down and his effort and playmaking inspired his Florida teammates and while he’d prefer the win over a strong statistical night, he was rewarded with 24 points and 7 rebounds. While he ended up missing some big threes late that he’d like to have back, his ability to finish athletically around the rim and drive with authority were massive on a night where the Gators were struggling to get into the paint and convert from there and every bucket from Haugh seemed massive. Going into SEC play he was a contender for player of the year in the conference and he showed why despite the Florida loss.
Final Thoughts
As a reminder, Missouri played their previous game all the way back on December 22nd and it was clear they used their lengthy preparation time to have an excellent plan against the Gators. Their offense was calculated to pick on Florida’s weak points, their defense was well suited to protecting the paint and daring Florida’s crooked shooters try to to make shots, and their special situations were crisp. There may not be another game (until perhaps the NCAA Tournament) where the Gators see a team as prepared for them as Missouri was in this instance, and that should be factored in when evaluating this game. Missouri’s ability to compete with the Gators physically and the way Florida wasn’t able to punish the Tigers’ immobile frontcourt players offensively are some definite negatives, and clearly the team has a lot to work on still after a challenging non-conference schedule. Florida now has a quick turnaround before playing Georgia on Tuesday.