Three Takeaways: Early Firepower Hoists Florida Gators to Win Over Auburn
An offensive re-emergence of sorts on the road.
The firepower that the Florida Gators have displayed when at peak performance throughout the 2020-21 season was showcased to the nation on ESPN's Big Tuesday.
Hosted by Burns Pearl and the Auburn Tigers, Mike White’s squad found themselves scoring the basketball at a high volume — and doing so efficiently — for the first time since their big win over West Virginia at the end of January.
Shooting 44.4 percent from the field on the evening and 35 percent from three throughout the game, the Gators managed to tally a whopping 44 points in the first half to take their biggest lead halftime lead (22) on the year.
As a result, Florida was able to regain much-needed momentum and come away victorious, 74 to 57. UF now stands at 12-6 (8-5 SEC) with just two games left to go in the regular season.
Here are three takeaways from the Gators trouncing of the Tigers.
Tre Mann and Scottie Lewis dominated the Tigers defense
Halftime Score:
Auburn Tigers, 22.
Tre Mann and Scottie Lewis, 30.
An unlikely combination of players scorers for the Gators on the night got the job done in a big way to give Florida the spark they needed to get back to scoring the basketball effectively.
With Tre Mann accounting for 19 points 8-for-14 from the floor, 13 rebounds and three assists to record the first double-double of his career, the talented guard — who has been inconsistent in the last three contest, averaging just 12 points per game — produced at a high level to eclipse his season average (14.4) by five.
To little surprise as one of the Gators' best scoring options, Mann’s first-half domination — in which he scored 16 points — reigned as a near-deciding factor for UFs win on Tuesday night.
However, with a lack of production from the likes of Noah Locke, Anthony Duruji and —uncharacteristically — Colin Castleton, small forward Scottie Lewis proclaimed himself as the second option.
Looking like a square peg trying to be fit into a round hole since his return from leave due to health and safety reasons, Lewis produced his best game of the season.
Kickstarting an early run by the Gators offense immediately upon entry off the bench, Lewis continued to score at will for most of the night, tallying 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting in 29 minutes.
With the Gators' offense averaging 76.3 points per game, the 74-point outing continues to show steady improvements to reclaiming the momentum they had just before their second Covid-19 outbreak of the year halted their play.
If Mann and Lewis can maintain the scoring hot streaks they saw on Tuesday night, and have Castleton regain control, Florida could manage to be in a favorable position when the SEC tournament tips off.
Florida took advantage defensively in the absence of Auburn’s Sharife Cooper
Just before game time at Auburn Arena, the breaking announcement that the 11th-ranked NBA draft prospect would be inactive for the Tigers was released.
With Sharife Cooper out of the contest, Auburn would be subject to replacing 20.2 points (3rd in the SEC), 8.1 points (1st in the SEC) and 4.3 rebounds under short notice.
With a multitude of the Tigers' offense revolving around Cooper, Auburn’s discombobulation on that end led to the unit scoring just over one point per minute in the first half of the contest.
Accounting for 21 total turnovers and an uninspiring 35.3 percent shooting from the field, Auburn fell victim to the Gators' relentless pursuit of the basketball.
Securing 11 total steals and 3 blocks on the night, Florida took advantage of Cooper’s absence to hold an SEC opponent to the second-lowest score on the year, behind Tennessee’s 49 in mid-January.
The Gators successfully kept control of the basketball despite relentless second-half pressure
In the games Florida has seen first-half success on the offensive end, the inability to hold onto the large leads they have built themselves early on.
With comeback attempts made by the likes of Georgia — both times they have played this season — Vanderbilt and others, the Gators have allowed a number of games that should be double-digit victories to become within reach down the stretch.
These undue nail bitters have become a reoccurrence over the past several weeks, leading to a concern that Florida will not be able to close out the tougher opponents.
However, if the contest against Auburn provides anything, UF has provided they can hold onto a double-digit lead throughout. Up by 22 coming out of the half, Florida successfully warded off any comeback attempt the Tigers attempted to put together, fighting through the pesky Auburn full-court press for the longevity of the period.
In the end, the Gators triumphed by 17, providing momentum for their final two matchups of the regular season.
Florida will stay on the road against Kentucky on Saturday and will close out non-tournament action against Missouri next Tuesday in Gainesville.
