Picked to finish last in the Southeastern Conference, the Gators are exceeding the expectations pundits placed on them before the season. But despite the early success, there is still some cause for concern.
After beating South Carolina 65-63 on Sunday, the Gators (12-5, 2-1 SEC) are sitting strong through three conference games. And quality wins over Charlotte, Old Dominion and Arkansas provide hope for Florida fans that a return to prominence is imminent.
But losses at Brown, Hampton and Auburn, and lackluster efforts in wins against UNF and Navy, raise questions about the Gators’ ability to persevere through a strenuous SEC schedule.
Ball control continues to be an issue for the inexperienced and up-tempo Gators. Entering the conference schedule, Florida averaged 16.8 turnovers per game. Through three SEC games, UF is averaging 19 turnovers and has yet to force more than it allows.
In wins against Arkansas and South Carolina, Florida committed 40 total turnovers and forced just 25.
While giveaways can be a necessary evil of the fast-paced offense Florida likes to use, the Gators’ ability to run an effective offense and compete in the SEC rests squarely on the continued growth of point guards Jaterra Bonds and Lanita Bartley.
Both have shown promise, only to be coupled with costly mistakes in pivotal moments.
Bonds, a freshman playing more minutes than any of the other five newcomers, has a team-high 47 turnovers on the season. And fellow newcomer Bartley is just behind with 37.
But Bartley’s last-second, game-winning steal and score against South Carolina is a perfect example of what the frenetic pace coach Amanda Butler desires can lead to.
“For the game-winning play to come on defense is something we talk about all the time,” Butler said following the game. “We dwell on it. We practice making plays on defense to lead us offensively.”
Averaging 67.1 points per game, the Gators do not have the offensive prowess to recover from mistakes and large deficits against high-scoring teams. Florida has scored 80 points or more just twice this season (in routs of Harvard and Alabama State) and prefer a lockdown defense to a dynamic offense.
Keeping the game close and capitalizing on mistakes has been the team’s hallmark and will likely be the strategy when No. 5 Tennessee comes to Gainesville on Thursday.
Tennessee, outscoring opponents by 25-plus points on average, can put up 80 points with ease and boasts a positive turnover margin of 4.2.
The Volunteers have shown they can be susceptible to mistakes of their own, committing 29 turnovers twice this season — in a 63-50 win against Louisville in the season opener and a 69-58 loss to Georgetown six games later.
Although protecting the ball is a necessity, don’t expect Florida to come out playing on its heels.
“How can we hold a balanced and offensively potent team down to the 50s and 60s?” Butler said. “It’s going to be a huge challenge. We’ve got to make it ugly.”
