As the Gators enter a demanding final stretch, the starting five at least know they have some support.
Last year, Florida struggled to put more than five quality options on the floor, but the 2010-11 team features a bench deep enough to keep its starters fresh as the Southeastern Conference schedule grinds on.
This added depth will be critical as Florida approaches the taxing conclusion to its season — a run of nine games in which six are against teams in the RPI top 50.
Florida (16-5, 5-2 SEC) begins that stretch of difficult competition against No. 23 Vanderbilt (15-5, 3-3 SEC) tonight at 9 in the O’Connell Center.
“Coach trusts us and he knows what he’s going to get when he puts us in the game,” freshman center Patric Young said.
Last season, Florida struggled with fatigue. The starters were forced to carry an unreasonably heavy load, as only eight players appeared in 12 or more games and only six averaged at least 13 minutes per contest.
So far this season, the Gators have 10 players who have played at least 12 games, with eight averaging at least 13 minutes.
“We’re a better team than we were a year ago because we’ve been able to put those guys in the game, and they’ve been reliable,” coach Billy Donovan said.
The improvement of Florida’s team is due not only to the freshmen’s ability to provide minutes, but also to their production in those minutes.
Guard Scottie Wilbekin has been an effective sub for starters Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton, as the freshman leads the team in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Sophomore Erik Murphy provides a sixth scoring option, while freshman Will Yeguete leads the team in rebounds per minute.
The bench has also been a home to defensive stoppers, as athletic freshmen Young and Casey Prather have provided strong minutes of their own.
“I think we’re coming along pretty well, especially compared to the beginning of the year,” Young said. “We were just scared about doing something wrong, and we’re not really worried about that anymore.”
The bench has been a constant source of energy this season and played a vital role in a 13-1 second-half run against Mississippi State on Saturday.
A lineup of Murphy, Prather, Wilbekin, Yeguete and Walker turned a nine-point deficit into a three-point lead, keeping the Gators in a game they would eventually lose.
“I was pretty encouraged by that, seeing that those guys were out there doing their thing and bringing us back in the game,” Young said.
The Gators’ reserves outscored the Bulldogs’ bench 17-0 in the game, as each of the five backups who played recorded a basket.
The group also notched 15 rebounds, three steals and two assists, providing a silver lining to an otherwise cloudy performance.
“If there was one bright spot in the game, it was that we got some good minutes out of those guys,” Donovan said. “Then, being able to come back and perform and give us that kind of boost off the bench tomorrow is going to be just as important.”
