TAMPA – Rick Jackson started off the game hot, and Wesley Johnson helped cool the Gators’ hopes of a top-10 upset.
The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Jackson had his way with Florida’s big men before halftime, shooting 7 of 11 from the field for 16 points, and Johnson stepped up with 13 second-half points to push the No. 7 Orange past the No. 10 Gators 85-73 on Thursday night.
Syracuse (9-0) had four players score in double digits and three players grab at least 10 rebounds, handing Florida (8-1) its first loss of the season and exposing a glaring weakness down low for UF.
“As much as we’re focusing on blocking out and rebounding, the reality is we don’t have the most physical frontcourt,” UF coach Billy Donovan said. “We just don’t have that. We don’t have anyone that looks like (Syracuse center Arinze) Onuaku or Rick Jackson.”
Jackson had more offensive rebounds in the first half than the entire Gators team, grabbing seven alone to UF’s combined six, and the Orange grabbed 16 offensive boards on the night while the Gators pulled down only 18 boards on the defensive glass, giving Syracuse plenty of opportunities for second-chance points.
“We gave up a lot of points, but I thought our defense was fine. We stopped them and they missed shots, but we gave up the offensive rebounds and they were able to put them back in. They really weren’t beating us on the first shot that often – it was the second shot,” Donovan said.
While the Gators shut down Jackson after halftime – he had only three points and four rebounds in 14 minutes – Johnson and the rest of the Orange took over.
The 6-foot-7 forward hit 5 of 6 field goals in the second half and pulled down seven rebounds, keeping the Gators at bay whenever they pulled to within striking distance.
Hitting three 3-pointers within just over a minute, Florida held a two-point lead when Syracuse guard Andy Rautins hit a long 3 from the wing, and Johnson drained a shot from beyond the arc with Chandler Parsons’ hand in his face to put Syracuse back up by four.
Kenny Boynton, who led UF with 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting, said the team’s biggest problem on the night was its lack of execution – not its game plan.
“We had a great scouting report, but I feel like nothing coach told us to do, we did,” Boynton said. “As a team, we weren’t mentally together. We did a drill in practice in which we were supposed to box out long rebounds, and they got long rebounds all night.
“I feel like they just did what they wanted with us.”
The Gators knew the Orange’s 2-3 zone defense would require a lot of ball movement on the perimeter, but Florida was seemingly unable to get the ball down low – and even less capable of holding onto it, as UF’s starting frontcourt combined for 18 points and eight turnovers.
“I know it’s tough for them,” UF sophomore point guard Erving Walker said. “Onuaku and Jackson, they’re not no small guys, so I know that’s a tough feat.”
The Gators will have eight days off to work on fixing the flaws exposed by the Orange on Thursday night, as their next game is Saturday, Dec. 19 against Richmond in Sunrise.
“These early games like this, when you play against really good teams, the things you don’t do well in a particular game generally get really, really exposed or come to light,” Donovan said.
