Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators
- Evaluating the Class of 2024: Lagway led the way
- Evaluating the Class of 2024 Transfers: Receivers earn an A
- Class of 2025 Recruiting Superlatives
- Grading the Gators: Class of 2025 Signees
- UF players to keep an eye on as Transfer Portal window opens
- 35-Game Report Card: Napier’s numbers are still lacking
- Former Florida Player Feedback: 10 Observations
Florida Basketball finished its pre-conference games undefeated. With dominant victories and great team play, here are three observations, two questions, and one prediction for the Gators as conference play quickly approaches.
Three Observations
1) The Gators are foundationally stronger across every position this year. Last season, there were question marks about how Florida needed more bigs and that guard play wasn’t as smooth as it could be. This year, with additions like Rueben Chinyelu in the paint and Alijah Martin in the backcourt, Florida has fixed those bumps in the lineup. Both Cinyelu and Martin bring different aspects to their respective positions on the court.
Chinyelu is a rebounding machine that can complement Alex Condodn’s finesse while in the paint. He brings an intensity that’s contagious to the rest of the team and brings that intensity to every action he performs on the court. Once Micah Handlogten returns to play, the Gators will have three starting bigs to play around with.
Martin brings a new wave of swagger to an already great backcourt with Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard. The play style and creativity of Martin unlock a new dimension offensively for Todd Golden, tactically, as well as gives defenses nightmare matchups when all three of the guards are on the court. All three guards can take over a game if needed, which is something we have seen already.
2) This team plays for each other. It’s very common in college basketball for teams to have one or two players who want to control the game and score at every moment. With Florida, the entire team wants to win, no matter how it gets done.. This team shares the ball unlike any Florida team I have seen in recent years and genuinely celebrates each other’s successes.
There are feelings of brotherhood and an intense desire to win coming from this basketball team and it has Florida fans excited for basketball again. Todd Golden has created a winning culture and the players have bought into it. Whatever and whomever it takes to get there, the players only care about getting the result they want.
3) Unlike last year, this team gets a lead and builds on it. There were multiple times last season when the Gators found themselves losing in the fourth quarter when they had a lead over 10 points previously in the game. This year, that has been non-existent.
The Gators have been relentless on the court this year. It seems that their leads get bigger instead of getting smaller. Throughout the pre-conference slate of games, there have been 15-point leads turned to 30-point leads and 20-point leads turned to 40-point leads. It has shown fans and the rest of the teams in the country that this Gators team means business and won’t stop until that buzzer buzzes at 0.0.
Two Questions
1) Can the Gators still dominate against SEC teams? Out of the Gator’s first 13 wins, 12 of them were by more than 10 points, with UNC being the only team to lose by single digits. With UNC being the only notable game during the pre-conference run, it leaves the question as to whether or not this form will carry into conference play. The Gators have a tough game against No. 10 Kentucky on Saturday, Jan 4; which is then followed by a game against (as of now) No. 1 Tennessee on Tuesday, Jan 7. These first two games will show where this team really is and hopefully, the Gators prove themselves.
2) How will the Gators react when they’re down? Throughout the pre-conference slate, the Gators were very rarely on the losing side of the score bug. The Gators saw a little bit of worry during the UNC game as they were down as the fourth quarter was coming to an end, but besides that game, the Gators have gotten the lead and maintained it.
It will be interesting to see how this team will react when down by more than 10 points against an SEC team. This team is explosive and hasn’t really been tested yet in this scenario and I’m very interested to see the character and fight of this team when things aren’t going as well as they can be.
One Prediction
1) The Gators will make and win the SEC Tournament. There is a buzz around this team and the fans, coaches, and most importantly, the players, believe that they can beat anybody. The fundamentals, philosophy, and an unselfish style of play that the Gators have instilled this season make them one of, if not, the most complete teams in the country. Todd Golden has created a well-oiled machine and they are blowing teams out because of it.
The Gators have everything they need to push for an SEC Tournament victory and make it deep into the tournament in March. The Gators are one of the strongest teams in the SEC already and they aren’t even at full strength. We have yet to see a 100% healthy lineup with Micah Handlogten still waiting to make his return. Once Golden gets all of his chess pieces, this team could be very hard to defeat and will more than likely make it far in both tournaments.
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