Experience was supposed to help push the Gators over the top.
Returning 10 players and five seniors from last year’s 20-win squad, Florida was prepared to compete for its first Southeastern Conference crown in school history, at least on paper.
However, in order to make a run at the top spot in the SEC, the Gators had to overcome their main problem from last season: losing close games.
Florida had nine defeats by single digits during the 2010-11 campaign, including five blown double-digit leads in the second half.
“We were an NCAA Tournament team last year if you take away the games we just blew,” redshirt senior guard Jordan Jones said during the preseason.
“We can’t have an NCAA Tournament bid taken away from us this year. It’s our last chance, so I think with five seniors, it gets the message across to the entire team.”
While the Gators have been able to maintain late leads this season, their struggles in tight games continue.
Last season’s problem was starting well and finishing poorly, but Florida’s biggest flaw this season has been stumbling out of the gate.
“(The problems) aren’t coming in the late-game situations, they’re coming earlier in the game,” coach Amanda Butler said. “In late-game (scenarios), we’re putting ourselves back in position to win.”
First-half offensive woes have crippled the Gators throughout the 2011-12 season, particularly in SEC play.
In four league losses, Florida has averaged 20.25 points and 13 turnovers in the first half.
Conversely, the Gators have posted average marks of 34 points and 6.3 giveaways before halftime in three SEC victories.
“Offensively, we just can’t give the ball back; our defense is playing as well as it possibly can,” Butler said. “You’ve got to put the ball in the hole and get the reward for playing such tough, stingy defense.”
Butler notes that duplicating game pressure in practice is difficult, so she seeks other methods of combating Florida’s issues in tight contests.
“We work on special situations where we have the lead and we work on — in five minutes — of keeping that lead,” senior guard Deana Allen said.
“Sometimes, we go for five minutes where we’re down and we try to catch back up. It’s still something that we’re trying to perfect and get good at.”
One issue that has plagued Florida throughout this season has been inconsistent production from its senior class.
Jones ranks second on the team with 12.6 points per game, and Allen is the Gators’ second-leading rebounder, pulling down 5.9 boards per contest.
However, the rest of the group has left something to be desired.
Center Azania Stewart and guard Lanita Bartley both saw their production dip once SEC play began and have lost their starting roles.
Forward Ndidi Madu has shown flashes of brilliance since replacing Stewart, but her overall performance has been inconsistent as well.
“The seniors are sitting in a different place than anyone else on the team,” Butler said. “Those guys have got to take over this season.”
Meanwhile, other players have stepped up to fill the leadership void.
Junior forward Jennifer George leads the team with 13.5 points and 9.8 rebounds while sophomore guard Jaterra Bonds ranks third in scoring with 9.4 points per contest.
But when George struggles like she did in the LSU game and Bonds shoots as poorly as she did against Michigan, Florida needs the reinforcements of a solid senior corps.
Reaching the Big Dance is something the Gators aspire to accomplish, but Butler says they need to regain their confidence in order to move forward.
“The seniors really have got to push harder, find another level of intensity, find another level of performance, and demand that from their teammates,” Butler said.
“If they collectively make that decision to just really dig in … then you’ll see some close wins as opposed to some close losses.”
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
