At 6-foot-9, 247 pounds, a player as big as Patric Young should be hard to miss on a basketball court, especially when he is wide open.
But occasionally during Florida’s 20-point victory against Texas A&M on Saturday, it seemed to Gators coach Billy Donovan that his starting center had become invisible to his five-man rotation of high-scoring guards.
Though the Aggies were known for their stout perimeter defense, Young received the ball inside for just two shot attempts in 20 minutes of playing time. The Gators, meanwhile, hoisted 31 of their 52 total shots from 3-point range.
“There were times that he was open that our guys just missed him,” Donovan said. “In watching film after the game, I think they recognized how open he is.”
Two days later, in the opening six possessions of No. 13 Florida’s 82-54 win against Mississippi Valley State; it was clear the Gators’ eye for Young had improved.
Young, a sophomore, scored on all three of his early touches and added an assist under four minutes in to fellow big man Erik Murphy as Florida (9-2) overwhelmed the Delta Devils (1-9) inside and jumped out to a 21-4 advantage in the O’Connell Center.
“I think that might be the best we’ve played all year, that first six minutes” Young said. “If a team just watched that segment of us on film, and that’s all they had, I think they’d be pretty intimidated.”
The Gators pushed all five of their starters into double figures, as Young finished with 12 points and the 6-foot-10 Murphy, a forward, added 11. Both players grabbed eight boards and helped Florida maintain a 44-32 rebounding advantage.
Guards Kenny Boynton, a junior, and Brad Beal, a freshman, had 16 and 13 points, respectively, while senior Erving Walker led all scorers with 19 points.
Young scored perhaps his most emphatic two points of the night when the 5-foot-8 Walker sent a lob pass from just inside half court into his hands for a dunk, which stretched Florida’s lead to 30 points with less than 17 minutes left in the game.
"We always want to play like that,” Walker said. “The more guys can score, the less teams can key on one person and it just makes it easier for everyone. That's the type of team we are. We like to pass and share the ball."
The Gators’ lineup was thinned by injuries heading into Monday night, as junior guard Mike Rosario suffered a strained back and sophomore forward Cody Larson sat out due to strep throat.
Despite playing without Rosario – who owns UF’s third best 3-point percentage – Florida had its most efficient night from behind the arc since playing Ohio State in the second game of the season. The Gators hit 10 of 21 threes on Monday, while against the Buckeyes, they were 11 for 21.
Donovan credited the improved shooting to his guards establishing Young’s presence – instead of the 3-point shot – first in the opening half. Over half of Florida’s 46 points in the first 20 minutes came in the paint or free throws. After Young scored his six, quick points, Beal, Walker and Boynton went on to each shoot better than 50 percent from three.
“I think to start the game, our guys did that,” Donovan said. “They really made good decisions and threw the ball inside to [Patric] and got him some touches early and at least opened some things on the perimeter for us.”
Contact John Boothe at jboothe@alligator.org.
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