Coach Billy Donovan wants his players to take open shots, regardless of whether their attempts are inside or beyond the arc.
But Donovan said the Gators were too reliant on three-pointers in Florida’s 63-60 road loss to Missouri on Tuesday night.
Florida attempted 33 of its 54 shots from three-point range, draining only 10. The Gators could not establish a post presence against the Tigers. Instead, Florida took a season-high 61.1 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc.
“We took too many threes,” Donovan said.
“I didn’t think we had good enough balance. When we’ve attacked the paint, whether it’s the pass or the post up or a drive, our offense is a lot better. And I thought we had too many possessions where we didn’t really look to do that enough.”
In the contest’s final 6 minutes, Florida went 1 of 7 from three as Mizzou stormed back from a 13-point deficit.
Forward Erik Murphy and guard Kenny Boynton each went 2 of 9 from beyond the three-point line.
On two-point field goal attempts, Murphy and center Patric Young combined for four points on 2-of-6 shooting.
Missouri outscored Florida 24-16 in the paint.
“We tried to move the ball around, tried to get the open shots, but I think we did a little too much of staying on the perimeter,” guard Scottie Wilbekin said. “We didn’t attack as much as we should’ve or get the ball in the post.”
Florida was similarly unbalanced on offense in its 80-69 loss to Arkansas on Feb. 5, taking 27 of its 56 shots from beyond the arc.
No. 5 Florida (21-4, 11-2 Southeastern Conference) will host Arkansas on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the O’Connell Center.
The Razorbacks (16-9, 7-5 SEC) are 15-1 at home but 2-8 on the road and at neutral sites.
They have won four of their past five games, including a 73-71 victory against Missouri on Saturday in Bud Walton Arena and a 62-60 win against Georgia on Thursday night in Fayetteville.
Unlike Florida, Arkansas has maintained a balanced approach on offense since the first meeting between both teams.
“They’re playing better,” Donovan said.
“We don’t look a whole lot at if you’re playing here at home or on the road. Sometimes people look at trends, but trends aren’t guaranteed or something that’s always going to happen. If you look at them, the one thing you want to look at is that they’ve progressed.”
Despite losing to the Razorbacks earlier in the month, the Gators will not approach Saturday night’s matchup with a vindictive mindset.
They are done dwelling on the Feb. 5 loss.
“I have never been a big believer in payback. What do you get back?” Donovan said.
“It’s not like if we all of a sudden win the game, (and) we get the Fayetteville game back. It doesn’t work like that. That game is a loss. This is the next most important thing.”
Yeguete ahead of schedule: Junior forward Will Yeguete could return as soon as Florida’s March 6 game against Vanderbilt, Donovan said Thursday. The contest in the O’Connell is the Gators’ final home date this season.
Since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on Feb. 8 to remove bone chips in his right knee, Yeguete has missed four games. Team doctors originally set the timetable for his return at 4-6 weeks.
Yeguete has begun to participate in light running drills during practice.
“He’s moving quicker than I think the doctors thought,” Donovan said. “It’s going to be totally up to them.”
Junior guard Scottie Wilbekin attempts a layup during Florida’s 69-52 win against Kentucky on Feb. 12 in the O’Connell Center. Wilbekin said the Gators need to increase their offensive presence in the paint.
