Know Your Enemy: What Florida Must Do Tuesday Night to End LSU's Perfect Start to SEC Play
LSU is set to host one of its most important SEC games on the schedule as the undefeated conference leaders prepare to take on a Florida team that was a preseason top-10 and is now starting to play as such.
Florida comes in winners of five of its last six including a dominant 69-47 win over No. 16 Auburn, a team that three days ago, was a top-five team in the country.
We've written about what LSU must do to come out with a victory in the PMAC but don't know much about the recent success of the Gators. We asked Graham Marsh over at SI's Gator Maven what Florida has excelled at in recent weeks and what it must do to come out with a win.
Tell us a little about some of the inconsistencies Florida had to adjust as a preseason top-10 team. Was it more about players learning each other’s tendencies or was it more systemic?
Honestly, Florida's problems have been a mixture of both. Coach Mike White's rotations have been questionable at times, and players don't always seem to develop under him maybe as quickly as you'd expect. However, it has not been entirely on him. Florida has had some awful shooting nights so far throughout the season, even when guys are getting good looks.
It seems like this team has shown some great improvements over the last few weeks. Florida leads the conference in scoring through five games. What has been the biggest contributor to this improvement?
Perhaps it is less about what has made Florida play better recently, and more about who. Freshman Omar Payne has played significantly more in recent contests, and he has been a breath of life for this team. He was the key reason that the Gators beat No. 4 Auburn last Saturday. On an astonishing 100% shooting, he scored 19 points and hauled in 11 rebounds, recording his first career double-double.
Point guard Andrew Nembhard has also played better basketball as of late. He is a traditional, pass-first point guard in an era of score-first ball-handlers. His ability to get his teammates involved has been solid all year, but he has been more aggressive scoring the basketball as of late, which has opened up passing lanes even more for him to distribute.
Kerry Blackshear is a mammoth of a man and it shows on the boards. Outside of Blackshear, who are some players to watch Tuesday night?
The main player to watch is Payne. He has recently been so effective, and he adds size to this small Gators team at 6-foot-10 when he is in the game alongside Blackshear. The two of them play well together because they have fairly different styles. Blackshear is a technician with a sound low-post game and excellent inside-out passing ability. Payne is a high-energy hustler who can mix it up in the paint with anyone and goes hard for every loose ball.
Also watch out for McDonald's All-American guard/forward Scottie Lewis. He is an NBA-caliber defender right now as a true freshman, but his offense has seemed to lack so far this year. His skills have needed time to catch up with his athleticism but it appears that that is finally starting to happen.
What are some advantages Florida has in this game over LSU in your mind and why?
The biggest advantage Florida has to me is the Gators can throw things at Skylar Mays defensively that he has not seen all season. Between Nembhard and Lewis, you have a really good defender that can be on him at all times. The defensive end of the floor has always been where White hangs his hat as a coach, and against such an electric player like Mays, it helps to have more than one capable body to throw at him. Not many SEC teams have a player that can guard Mays at all, but UF has two.
Prediction?
I like LSU in this one in a close battle, 72-68. While the Gators have been on a recent uptick, dominating No. 4 Auburn and Ole Miss at home and beating a good South Carolina team on the road, I think LSU is simply going to be too efficient shooting the ball on its home floor. I would probably flip the prediction if it were in Gainesville, but since it is in Baton Rouge, give me the Tigers in a close one. Although UF is absolutely capable of winning if a few things go its way.
