Midway through the nonconference schedule of the Florida Gators women’s basketball team, things are starting to click. Sitting comfortably at 5-1, Florida’s lone loss came against St. John’s on the road. With tough victories over quality opponents Georgetown and Virginia Tech, Florida’s hustle and effort highlighted an improved team – one that wants to not just outscore its opponent, but also ensure the other team finds it as difficult as possible to get the ball in the basket.
With an increased emphasis on the defensive end, dubbed "Hector" by the team and strength and conditioning coordinator Tyler Stuart, the Gators have taken pride in their ability to force its opponent into turnovers.
Strengths: Evidenced by Florida’s 73-44 win over the Hokies on Monday night, the Gators have relied on an aggressive yet fluid full court man-to-man defense to force its opponent into turnovers.
The suffocating defense has Florida averaging 13.3 steals per game, which the Gators have relied on to run a fast break offense. Florida came into Monday’s contest averaging 82.8 points per game, yet allowing its opponent to average 65.8 points against them.
The full court press the Gators have shown has been stifling at times. With the forwards often playing in the back court, guards Carlie Needles and Cassie Peoples have been tasked with staying in front of the opposition’s point guard. Needles and Peoples have shown a tendency to follow the basketball and get steals, often resulting in fast break points on the other end. Peoples leads the team in steals, averaging 3.2 per game, and Needles follows close behind with 2.4 per game.
Weaknesses: Even though Florida has had difficulty in starting the game with a considerable sense of pace, the team has relied upon the full court press to instill a sense of urgency and vigor in its offense. Florida has often found itself unable to move the ball efficiently in the post, which has resulted in turnovers underneath the opponent’s basket. In these cases, the team has shown a tendency to not retreat on defense, as the Gators would prefer to stay in front of their opponent and press the entire length of the court. An early weakness of the team has been an inability to run the offense through the post, which has limited the offense to plays involving swinging the ball between slashing guards around the three point line.
Key player: After leading scorer Ronni Williams missed time with a sprained ankle she suffered in a loss at St. John’s, freshman Haley Lorenzen was inserted into the starting lineup, adding a considerable size advantage that has given the Gators a center presence they’ve sorely missed at times. With Kayla Lewis and Williams playing similar forward roles, the team has been hesitant to play the duo with Lorenzen. However, with the strides Peoples and Needles have shown throughout the early going, Butler may choose to alter the lineup to add more height, allowing Williams to play a guard/forward hybrid position.
Outlook: With two road games in the next week, including one against rival Florida State on Sunday, Butler may continue to tinker with the lineup before the competition heats up heading into Southeastern Conference play. The SEC is as deep as ever, with five teams ranked in the AP Top 25, and the height advantage will matter more come January.
The Gators were often undersized in the post last season, but that’s no longer an issue. If the team continues to move the ball well in the post like it has in its last two games, Florida could be a surprise SEC contender in what may be the strongest conference in basketball. But just like Butler has stressed to the team, success comes through application of the work the team puts in on the court.
Follow Graham Hall on Twitter @Graham311
Cassie Peoples drives into the paint during Florida's win against Virginia Tech on Monday in the O'Connell Center.
