Although they were able to fight back from a double digit deficit with a 14-2 run in the second half it wasn’t enough for the Florida Gators as they lost to the Texas A&M Aggies by a score of 56-55. As you can tell from the final score this game was an absolute rock fight with neither team able to get any offensive rhythm, a style that favored the home Aggies. With the Gators up by 2 with 32 seconds remaining, Phlandrous Fleming took a bad angle to close out on a Wade Taylor three-point shot, fouling him and sending him to the line. After he converted on all three the Gators were down by 1 with 19 seconds remaining and got a decent look with Phlandrous Fleming pulling on a mid-range jumper. He missed, and though Niels Lane fought for the offensive rebound it was off his fingertips and the Aggies came away with the win. This was a game that the Gators really needed to win to better their chance at an NCAA Tournament berth and the loss puts even more pressure on them for their remaining schedule. In beating the Gators, Texas A&M snapped an 8-game losing streak.
Crashing The Glass
After grabbing only 5 offensive rebounds against Kentucky, Mike White challenged his Gators to be much better on the offensive glass. Fortunately, the undersized Aggies entered the game as the 347th ranked defensive rebounding team in the country and Florida was able to take advantage, getting 20 offensive rebounds. Colin Castleton predictably led the way in the category with 7 while Phlandrous Fleming (4), Niels Lane (3), and CJ Felder (3) also were able to help out. Unfortunately, the Gators, who have struggled all season on the defensive glass, had that continue on Tuesday giving up 17 offensive rebounds to the Aggies including 4 to 6’2” guard Tyrece Radford. Even though both of these teams were able to get a ton of extra possessions, neither was able to take advantage and put up points. It was far from a picturesque basketball game which is exactly how Texas A&M wants to make it and that’s a big reason why they ended up with the win.
Going Cold
Defensively, Florida was really good on Tuesday outside of their issues on the defensive glass. They held Texas A&M to 34% field goal shooting and only 11% from three while forcing 14 turnovers. If you would have heard those defensive numbers for the Gators on their own you would have thought they certainly would have won the game, but it wasn’t enough. That’s because once again Florida’s offense went cold (including one drought that lasted over 7 minutes in the first half) which didn’t allow them to capitalize on a good defensive night. Florida shot 29% from the field and 24% from three and had 14 turnovers for good measure. Colin Castleton (15 points on 5-10 shooting) and CJ Felder (7 points on 3-4 shooting) had efficient nights but other than those two the Gators struggled. Phlandrous Fleming (2-11) Tyree Appleby (1-8), Myreon Jones (3-11), and Kowacie Reeves (0-6) all had rough moments and that was ultimately why they had only 55 points on a night where they got 20 extra possessions due to offensive rebounds. Florida defended well enough to win on most nights, but 29% won’t get it done against pretty much any opponent in the SEC.
Bright Spot
Sophomore wing Niels Lane continues to play more crucial minutes and while that has been largely because of his defense he also showed some of his offensive chops finishing with 6 points and 3 assists. Lane has a great first step and used it to attack closeouts and knife into the paint, something that other Gators were struggling to do. He’s still limited as a shooter but he’s a willing passer and capable driver and if he continues to defend and rebound while adding in the occasional offense he’ll be an important player.
Final Thoughts
This was another painful loss in a season that seems to have had plenty of them. The Gators haven’t shown they can be really good on either side of the floor this season so even on nights where they defend really well like they did against the Aggies they are still vulnerable to losing due to their offense, and sadly we have seen the inverse happen as well. Florida is slowly running out of chances to right the ship and make the NCAA Tournament and from now on every single game is a massive one.