Hello, my wonderful friends!
Hey, it’s the end of January–you know what to expect in your inbox on Thursdays!
It’s time for a few more thoughts I’m having on Florida basketball. Let’s get it.
Florida’s most difficult stretch of the season is upon them.
Getting to play South Carolina and win convincingly is a time for a breath of fresh air because what is now awaiting the Gators is a gauntlet. On Saturday they play Kansas State in the Big 12-SEC Challenge, followed by games against Tennessee (the best defensive team in the country), Kentucky (which will be at Rupp), and Alabama (who is currently the best team in not only the SEC but the country in the eyes of most people).
While this is terrifying, it is also a chance for the Gators to get some wins that they desperately need.
Right now the Gators only have one quadrant-1 win, and it’s a precarious one–the road win against Mississippi State. I say precarious because I am not totally sure it’s going to hold as a quadrant-1 win by the time the season is up, so you could still make a comfortable argument that the Gators don’t have a quality win. Luckily they have opportunities for four quadrant-1 wins in the next two weeks, but it won’t be easy.
Saturday will be an emotional game.
If you haven’t heard, former Gator Keyontae Johnson transferred to Kansas State this offseason to continue to chase his basketball dreams after a medical incident ended his time at Florida.
He has been playing outstanding basketball this year for the Wildcats, leading a team that has been one of the biggest surprises in college basketball and has remained in the top-rankings of the country in recent weeks.
It’s incredible to see Johnson playing so well, but it’s going to make for an emotional scene on Saturday. The game will be played at Kansas State which will make things a little bit less emotional than if it were in the O’Dome, but still–it will be a special moment for the Gators to take on Johnson, even though he can’t be in the orange and blue.
The Myreon Jones rebrand has been outstanding.
Last year Myreon Jones was a player who needed his three-point shot to be a positive player but he has completely flipped that this year and despite the fact that his shot hasn’t been outstanding he has been a positive player, largely due to his playmaking and his help side defense.
Jones finished Wednesday’s game against South Carolina with 8 assists, a career high. He came off of ball screens and pindowns with a purpose, reading the defense and finding his open teammates for wide open dunks and layups. Defensively he was a menace in the gaps, helping down on drives and coming up with big steals and deflections.
If you are reading this you are probably a hardcore basketball fan here at Gator Country so you will know that I haven’t been high on his game during his time at Florida, but Jones’ 180 as a player means that I have to do a 180 about my view of him. He is playing tremendous basketball and he deserves a ton of credit.
Niels Lane has some horrible luck.
After not seeing the floor for nearly two months it was great to see Niels Lane get his name called on Wednesday–though his time was rather short lived. He picked up some ticky tack fouls that were a cause for frustration, and then to make matters worse insult was added to injury when he was struck in the face and then was still somehow given a technical foul that he likely didn’t deserve. Ultimately he fouled out with only 5 minutes of game time which is devastating for a player that’s fighting to get a spot in the rotation.
Likely the only reason he got a taste of action was because Alex Fudge was out with a concussion, and it’s unknown if he’ll be available on Saturday against Kansas State. Florida was forced to play smaller without him, and while it worked against South Carolina the Gators might not be so lucky in their next few games.
That’s all, see you next week!