The Gators are on their bye week, but that hardly means rest and relaxation.
This will be Florida’s only week off during Southeastern Conference play, and it won’t have a game until Sunday on the road at Ole Miss.
While the weeklong hiatus allows UF (11-9, 4-3 SEC) to hone in on its next opponent, the bye week doesn’t really deviate from the norm.
A sign that conference play is intensifying as March sits on the horizon.
“I think this is the week where you can separate yourselves as one of the top four teams in the SEC in terms of getting in extra work,” senior guard Steffi Sorensen said. “We’ll do whatever it takes as far as this week, even though we don’t have a game, we’ll still be focused and trying to get better.”
While players get a chance to rest their legs and regroup without having to worry about a mid-week game, their brains may get the heavier workout processing information about the Rebels.
“The main focus is Ole Miss,” sophomore forward Ndidi Madu said, “but we’re going to use some time for us and then make Ole Miss our primary focus.”
That means the Gators will look internally to clean up their game — limiting turnovers, practicing jump shots and free throws — before turning their attention to breaking down the Rebels.
The last weeklong break UF had was during Christmas, after which the Gators won four-straight games, including their first two SEC games.
UF has cooled down since then (2-3), and it will look to rediscover that focus during its bye week
Game planning for Ole Miss will be made easier because there’s no game this week.
No quick turnaround between opponents gives the Gators ample time to digest all the information they can gather on their conference foe.
Players said a week off is nice to heal up, but players love to play, not practice, and a weeklong absence will make the Gators hearts that much fonder of Oxford, Miss.
“Everyone’s going to be so amped to play after a week of practice,” Sorensen said. “Everyone wants to play a game.”
