Takeaways from the Gators' Offensive-Powered Victory Over Kennesaw State
Photo: Colin Castleton; Credit: University of Florida Athletic Association
Florida secured win two of the Todd Golden era on Friday night as the Gators hosted a game Kennesaw State Owls squad inside Eaxctech Arena.
While the contest wasn't nearly as lopsided as the one against Stony Brook on Monday, Florida held on to their double-digit lead for much of the second half — despite the talented backcourt that we hinted could give the Gators issues in the rundown section of our preview story — to preserve a win over Kennesaw State. Star center Colin Castleton compiled a career-high 33 points to elevate UF to their offensively efficient evening.
All Gators provides three takeaways from Florida's 88-78 victory over the visiting Owls.
An efficient shooting night is a sign of things to come offensively
The Gators lit up the scoreboard on Friday night by attacking the Kennesaw State Owls inside. Posting 48 points in the paint and 88 total, Florida imposed their will inside the three-point line on Amir Abdur-Rahim's squad to reign victorious.
What impressed the most about the outing, however, wasn't the point total necessarily. Instead, the Gators' efficiency in scoring the basketball popped off the stat sheet following the contest's conclusion.
They shot at a remarkably high clip for the collegiate level by knocking down 53% of their field goals and 36% from beyond the arc.
The consistent production allowed Florida to overcome their lack of bench production — which we discuss in the next takeaway — and showed the promise that UF will look to find good shots this season.
Castleton carried the load for the Gators on the night by accounting for a career-high 33 points. While most of his points came from the inside, the Gators big man once again showcased his talents as more than a traditional big man with ball-handling skills, court vision and extended range from years past.
Starting the game off with a dime from the low post to Will Richard, who cut from the opposite corner on the baseline, Castleton showed early signs of being the difference maker in this contest as he lured other defenders into the post. However, when the Owls neglected the double-team game, Castleton demonstrated his polished footwork along with frequent ball fakes to get opposing defenders off the ground before finishing at the cup.
It led to his dominance in the post on the night.
He even found himself scoring in transition on occasion, going coast-to-coast to bolster Florida's fast-break scoring attack. Notably, when the big man dribbled the ball up the court in transition, he showed a rare ability to maintain control of the basketball and his body.
On one instance, he executed a sudden jump stop to establish his balance just before he entered the lane off the right wing to avoid Kennesaw State's attempt to draw a charge. He used a soft touch to go up and over said defender.
Richard added 15 points to serve as Florida's second-leading scorer again on night two of the Gators' 2022-23 campaign. His contributions, much like the rest of the squad came at or around the bucket, giving Golden, Kevin Hovde and Co. the rim twos they search for in shot selection.
That allowed Florida to have a night where they only shot 11 total threes, connecting on four, and still came out as double-digit victors. Kowacie Reeves Jr. played a major role in that endeavor as he hit his two second-half threes to maintain or extend the eventual margin of defeat for KSU.
Florida's evening scoring was one of the first signs of the transformation from Mike White to Golden basketball. It showed the offense is no longer reliant on the three-ball, although it can surely still serve as a complement to the attack.
Moreover, as Florida progresses throughout the season, the unit will be conscientious of the shots they take to ensure they maximize their points per possession.
Is the lack of scoring impact from the Gators' bench a concern?
To keep it simple: Not right now, but it could be. Allow me to explain.
Not everything from the Gators' performance was encouraging. While the offense ticked at a high level from inside, and they effectively fended off the Owls throughout the entirety of the second half, Florida still had notable issues that affected the eventual margin of victory.
While the defense would usually be the area we broke down here as a unit that lapsed throughout the night to allow 78 points to an ASUN Conference opponent, the rare backcourt explosiveness of the Owls on that end doesn't necessarily project to be an issue moving forward.
However, Florida's depth — which received raving reviews during the preseason — earns the look instead after a rather quiet night relative to expectations from the five players who operated in rotation.
Following starting point guard Kyle Lofton's night ending after he was called for a fourth foul and a technical foul for his reaction to the frustrating string of whistles against the Gators, Myreon Jones stepped in to assume point guard duties for the remainder of the contest.
He controlled the game well, recording no turnovers, two assists and five rebounds in 22 minutes for the Gators. Where he failed to contribute relative to expectations was on the scoreboard outside of two free throws.
The other members from the sideline followed suit as the Gators recorded just 13 total bench points on the night, with Alex Fudge leading the group of rotational players with six points. The Owls' bench posted 25 to outduel the Gators in the battle of the benches.
Riley Kugel found a lane to the bucket to punch one into the bucket in the first half and added three free throws to post five points of his own to that total. However, two poorly judged dunk/layup attempts overshadowed the one bucket he did add. He finished the contest one-for-four from the field.
Jason Jitoboh and Trey Bonham — each playing under 7 minutes — failed to record a bucket.
The group did come up big on the defensive end multiple times as Kugel, Fudge and Jitoboh combined for four of the Gators' 10 total blocks on the evening.
The lack of bench impact on the scoreboard played a major role in the Owls' ability to hang around the eight-to-12-point mark in the second half. With added contributions from those operating in rotation, the Gators have the ability to separate themselves in the second half to a significant victory that comes closer to the 20.5-point advantage Florida boasted heading into the contest.
Instead, limited shot attempts and missed chances at the bucket plagued their performance. Fourtanelty, for Florida, it didn't alter the outcome the way it could later in the year.
This issue isn't likely to linger for Florida, especially after an outing that saw their leading scorer in Fudge come off the bench and the entire unit's deference to Castleton, who dominated Kennesaw State inside as UF posted 88. However, the night potentially expressed volatility from the Gators' reserves.
Whether the production — or lack thereof — came by design to feed the working aspects of the offense or the lack of rhythm to knock down the shots they did take, Florida's ten-deep rotation operating as a top-heavy group on the scoreboard is an aspect of the game to following moving forward.
In the future, 13 bench points on a rough defensive night against a power six squad could prove detrimental to Florida's success.
Gators went back and forth with the Owls but never faltered
In years past, the Gators have been subject to poor losses against teams that may not match their skill level on paper.
Usually, this was caused by extended scoring droughts and late runs by opposing teams to inch closer to Florida to the point it became a too-close-for-comfort game in the final minutes.
On Friday, there were times when the past seemed to be rearing its ugly head. Kennesaw State proved game for the Gators and refused to bow out of the contest despite Florida holding a double-digit lead at most points throughout the second half.
When the Owls cut the lead into single digits, those who have watched Florida recently likely started to feel angst regarding their propensity to allow opposing teams to surge.
However, while momentum swung in the Owls' favor on a few occasions in the second half, the moments of faltering never arose. Florida always had an answer. (Usually, his name was Colin Castleton, but that's already been discussed ad nauseam.)
The ability to fend off KSU from making any substantiated run during what felt to be the second half in its entirety was a significant step forward from recent years. There was no extended scoring drought, no discouragement after back-to-back opposing team buckets and no conservative play.
There was no crumble.
Does that mean the days of a blown lead are over? Not necessarily. But, it does mean there has been a quick progression under Golden to rid that aspect of Florida's operation.
We got a refreshing first look at that on Friday.
The Gators will face another team of Owls on Monday night as they host FAU in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center at 7 p.m. ET. That will conclude the Gators' three-consecutive home contest to begin the year as they travel to Tallahassee to take on a desperate FSU team that begins its year with losses to Stetson and UCF.
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