Takeaways from Gators Statement Victories Over LSU and Missouri
The second week of January was a resume-building affair for the Florida Gators.
Starting with a victory over a tough LSU team on the road despite an abysmal first-half shooting performance, the Gators played to their defensive identity to down the Tigers in Baton Rouge by double digits. Florida then returned home with a two-game win streak in hand with an opportunity to solidify its standing as a team on the rise in the SEC as hosts to the No. 20 Missouri Tigers.
The Gators did just that — continuing to excel as a defensive unit despite an 11-0 run by Mizzou to open the game — to turn in the first-ranked win under head coach Todd Golden and reel off their third straight victory.
Before we look forward to another challenging task in Mississippi State on Wednesday, All Gators reflects on a statement-making week with three takeaways from the wins over LSU and Missouri.
The Gators' defense is elite
Last week, I wrote that the defense could keep the Gators in games. This week, I'm ready to elevate that statement. This defense can elevate the Gators to win games.
Any concerns regarding the sustainability of Florida's defensive play in the early portion of league play are gone.
The Golden-led defense is legit and here to stay. That fact was on display in both of the Gators' appearances this past week as the nation's No. 14 ranked defense in adjusted efficiency margin allowed 56 and 64 points, respectively.
Despite LSU's reliance on their three-point shooting to determine offensive success, Florida forced the Tigers off their spots and limited the impact they could make with consistency. The man-to-man ball pressure the Gators applied, mixed with a healthy dose of zone at various portions of the game made life difficult for Matt McMahon's squad to find any success scoring the basketball.
However, arguably the most impressive defensive outing of the entire season came against Missouri, as Florida played sound, fundamental defense to restrict one of the nation's most efficient offenses.
Closing out on shots, protecting the rim and getting back to stop the ball in the fast break
Missouri — also the Tigers — came into Gainesville ranked No. 5 in adjusted offensive efficiency margin this season. Dennis Gates' squad averaged over 85 points per game and was led by a trio of guards to present the transition scoring concerns that have plagued Florida at times this season.
However, the Gators — despite sputtering to open the content, falling down 11-0 in the first five minutes — continued their defensive dominance by limiting the Tigers to 17 points in the rest of the first half.
They held the Tigers to 41.7% from the floor and 16.7% from beyond the arc. Mizzou's 64 points scored is tied for its lowest total of the season (which game just a game prior against Texas A&M).
The Tigers' efficiency rating fell four spots to No. 9 following the contest.
By doing so, the Gators overcame 19 total turnovers (14 in the first half) to pull off an unexpected upset over the No. 20 Tigers. It reigned as the first-ranked win by Golden in Gainesville and extended Florida's win streak to three.
The resilient and stout effort sent a message to the rest of the SEC as UF climbs the ladder in the conference while confirming their identity as a team.
Now, the aspect of Florida's game that presented some early season concern continues to thrive as the unit trends upward under the new regime.
More importantly, the current defensive form allows the Gators to contend with any opponent they face, whether it be an SEC bottom-feeder or a top contender in the NCAA as a whole.
Todd Golden's willingness to defer to the hot hand is refreshing
Just a short time ago, Gators head coach Todd Golden was under fire for his evident struggles operating the rotation.
The most significant cause for concern was the omission of Kowacie Reeves Jr. from the first or even second team during Florida's appearance in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament earlier this season.
However, he showed a glimpse of letting the hot hand work when he switched the lineup heading into the second half against FSU to include guard Trey Bonham — who has seen little time to that point in the year. The move sparked a ferocious 17-point comeback out of halftime to boost the Gators on both ends of the court to conquer the Seminoles.
As a result, he made the personnel grouping permanent, showcasing his utilization of analytics by incorporating lineup plus/minuses and efficiency metrics.
That change did spark the Reeves debacle, but Golden has worked over that hurdle for a healthy balance of players and play times, albeit a casualty arose in forward CJ Felder — a starter to begin the year who is now on a temporary leave of absence from the program — as his role lessened significantly.
The Golden style incorporates a mixture of natural rotation for bench players to serve in relief of starters — most commonly in the case of Jason Jitoboh for Colin Castelton — and a strategic grouping of players based on the current flow of the game.
The latter has resulted in multiple wins of late, given the uptick in time for guard Myreon Jones (who we will talk about more in-depth as a catalyst for the team's success at the moment in the next takeaway) and freshman Riley Kugel's star role in the upset over Missouri.
We've also seen an increase in forward Alex Fudge's play, Golden's decision to slide Will Richard or Reeves to the four to get both high-level scorers on the floor while operating a two-guard look that has created significant offensive success and other temporary fixes to pull out victories.
So far, it's working.
His deference to the hot hand has paid dividends for Florida to this point in league play. They're amidst a three-game win streak with no sign of slowing down after multiple inspired performances.
Despite initial learning curves, the Florida team and its leader are hitting their stride at the right time.
Myreon Jones is currently a catalyst to Florida's success
Myreon Jones' road at Florida has been rocky. As a former precision shooter at Penn State, Jones has failed to possess the elite three-point shooting prowess he was expected to provide the Gators lineup when Mike White brought him to Gainesville two offseasons ago.
However, Golden's confidence in Jones has been evident while he worked through the kinks that plagued him through nearly his entire stint with the orange and blue. He said this offseason that it reinstalled his own confidence in himself.
Despite an equally poor start to the year shooting the ball, Jones has recently elevated the Gators with the steadiness he brings on both ends of the floor.
He's finally realizing his potential as a valuable three-and-D contributor.
The unexpected turning point came when league play commenced against Auburn, where Jones posted 10 points, two steals, a rebound and an assist in 28 minutes as the Gators hung tight in one of the SEC's most daunting environments.
During the three-game win streak, the 6-foot-3, 177-pound guard is averaging just over 30 minutes per game while posting 9.7 points on 51.7% from three, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
He's not lighting up the stat sheet, but he's providing the Gators with consistent, all-around production off the bench. He's operating as a tertiary ball handler to the usual tandem of Bonham and Kyle Lofton and treating the basketball with care when granted those opportunities while also showcasing his ability to create a spark by hitting shots when they're most needed.
On the opposite end, he's forcing opposing guards to do the exact opposite with opportunistic defensive efforts with an increased impact, particularly in help defense.
The two-way production peaked on Saturday as UF took down the Missouri Tigers, best exemplified by a late-game triple followed by drawing a charge on the opposite end to extend the Gators to seven with 4:30 remaining.
His veteran presence as a fifth-year senior is shining through on the hardwood. The services he provides off the bench as a scorer, rebounder, facilitator, ball handler and defender will be paramount as Florida looks to build a resume toward an NCAA Tournament berth this season.
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