During the past two weeks, Scottie Wilbekin has been everything the No. 2 Gators have needed him to be — and then some.
For his performances in wins last week against Tennessee and Kentucky, during which he totaled 44 points, Wilbekin was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday.
“Yeah, they (individual honors) don’t really mean anything,” the senior point guard said. “It’s nice to be acknowledged, but I’ve still got to put in work and we’ve still got practice today, so it’s not really going to affect anything.”
Wilbekin’s focus on constantly trying to improve has been apparent in his recent play.
In UF’s past four games, the senior point guard has been on a tear, averaging 19.8 points per contest on 43.6 percent shooting and a 42.1 percent clip from three-point range.
During the stretch, he also notched a combined 15 assists and seven steals.
His most notable performance during the stretch came in the Gators’ 69-59 victory against the Wildcats in Rupp Arena on Saturday.
Logging a team-high 36 minutes, Wilbekin scored a career-high 23 points on 5-of-10 shooting and sunk 2 of 3 attempts from behind the arc.
But the bulk of Wilbekin’s scoring throughout the past two weeks has come at the charity stripe late in games.
The dependable senior has earned the reputation of a closer, making 80.4 percent of his free throws during the span.
He went 9 of 10 from the foul line in the final 8:14 of action against Kentucky.
In the previous game in Knoxville, Tenn., the 6-foot-2 Gainesville native knocked down 5 of his 6 free-throw attempts in the last 52 seconds of regulation to seal a 67-58 Florida win on Feb. 11.
The senior said taking “way more” shots at the foul line during recent practices compared to the beginning of the 2013-14 campaign has helped his accuracy.
In his first five games back after serving a five-game suspension at the start of the year for violating team rules, Wilbekin shot just 46.7 percent from the charity stripe.
“(I am) just getting up a bunch of free throws outside of practice,” Wilbekin said. “I was shooting really bad in the beginning of the year, so I put some work into it.”
But the Gators have seen Wilbekin develop as a floor general.
Heading into last week averaging almost two turnovers per game, Wilbekin went without a turnover against Tennessee and Kentucky and notched a combined eight assists.
“(I am) just trying to be smart with passes, trying not to do too much,” Wilbekin said. “Not trying to make the hero play.”
With the Gators owning a 12-0 SEC record and the No. 2 spot in this week’s AP poll, coach Billy Donovan is happy his senior point guard stayed the course and did not transfer after his offseason issues.
“We probably would not be in first place and undefeated in the SEC if he didn’t change,” Donovan said.
“If he left, we probably wouldn’t be undefeated in the SEC. So, it was really a two-fold for me. For our team to be better and for him to be better, he needed to change.”
Hill doubtful: After exiting in the second half of Florida’s win at Kentucky with a groin injury, Kasey Hill is doubtful for Wednesday’s home contest against Auburn.
The freshman point guard missed Monday’s practice and will be re-evaluated today, Donovan said.
“My guess right now, and I’ll probably have a better idea [today], but I would say he is probably doubtful, not going to play on Wednesday,” Donovan said Monday.
Without Hill, Florida will have three players — forward Dorian Finney-Smith, shooting guard Michael Frazier II and guard/forward DeVon Walker alternate at the backup point guard when Wilbekin rests.
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Scottie Wilbekin (5) drives against Tennessee guard Jordan McRae (52) in the first half of Florida’s 67-58 win on Feb. 11 in Knoxville, Tenn. Wilbekin was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday.
