While Vermont and Florida Gulf Coast, whom Florida defeated Wednesday and Friday respectively, put up solid first half fights, they aren’t exactly offensive juggernauts.
Now, the Gators (5-1) are preparing for a tough December schedule before conference play begins that will put Florida’s defense to the test.
That schedule begins tonight with Richmond.
Florida hosts the Spiders (4-2) in the O’Connell Center tonight at 7 in what coach Mike White called a tough test for his Gators team.
On Sunday, White compared Richmond to the Purdue team that beat Florida 85-70 on Nov. 22, a team that can hurt you offensively from anywhere on the floor.
Those 85 points are the most Florida has surrendered so far this season.
Besides that loss, the Gators have limited opponents to just 54 points per game. White doesn’t want tonight’s score to be another statistic outlier.
"They have a bunch of guys that can make threes. They’re averaging 86 points a game, they’re really good offensively, one of the better teams in the country offensively," White said of Richmond.
"They’re just a handful offensively."
The Spiders are coming off a 94-90 win over No. 14 California on Friday night in Las Vegas.
Senior forward Terry Allen scored 34 points and added 13 rebounds in that victory and is leading Richmond in scoring with 22.2 points per game.
Florida hopes to slow down the Spiders’ offense by bringing a lot of defensive energy to the game from the opening tip, something White has been preaching all season.
In the Gators’ recent games, White said he didn’t see that energy emerge until the second half, but Florida can’t fall behind to an offense like Richmond’s.
"Very displeased at halftime (against FGCU). I was proud of the way that our guys came out and defended in the second half, we were really good defensively in the second half. Our guys, it’s been communicated to them, they understand that to beat good teams, it’s got to be like that for 40 minutes," White said of his team’s defensive energy.
"We’re very capable, there’s no excuses not to come out with unbelievable energy from the tip. Every game is an opportunity for us to improve, and I certainly hope we get that second half effort at the tip against Richmond, because that’s what it will take to defend a high level offensive team."
Junior guard Kasey Hill pointed out that this year’s lack of energy feels like the opposite of last year, when he said the team struggled in the second half rather than the first.
He said he has no idea why Florida has tended to start a little flat in recent games, but that it may just be a lack of focus.
"Last year we were so worried about trying to come out so good," Hill said, "and this year we should be worried about the same thing but doing it for both halves, and we just haven’t got to that point yet, but we can get there."
The energy may be lacking, but Florida’s ability to force turnovers on defense and take better care of the basketball on offense has steadily improved in the Gators’ last three games.
In its first three contests, Florida had 22 combined steals and turned the ball over 44 times.
But in its last three games, the number of steals has gone up to 29 and the turnovers down to 21.
"We’re taking much better care of the basketball, our decisions offensively have been much better as of late," White said.
"We’ve progressed in those areas … we still have a ways to go offensively, of course, but in those areas we’re much better than we were."
Follow Alex Maminakis on Twitter @alexmaminakis
UF point guard Kasey Hill goes up for a layup during Florida's 104-54 win against North Carolina A&T on Nov. 16, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.
