The UF men’s basketball team likely had plenty on its mind after dropping its sixth-straight game to the Florida State Seminoles on Sunday. It was unlikely that any of it was positive.
The No. 15 Gators, who started the season as one of the nation’s most hyped-up teams at No. 6, faced what graduate transfer forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. referred to as a “wake-up call” with a rough 63-51 loss against the Seminoles. On Thursday, Florida will try to put the past behind it as it plays the last game of its homestand against the Towson Tigers at 7 p.m., where the Gators need to fix the problems that have plagued them before they hit the road for the first time this weekend.
Everything but net
The Gators have laid a lot of eggs over the past two weeks, but they’re still looking for a basket to put them in.
Over the past two games, UF has shot a paltry 36 percent from the field. The long, drawn out “For three!” call over the O’Connell Center speakers after a Gator drains a trey is well known to fans throughout Gainesville, but in UF’s first two regular season games, those fans have only heard it seven times total: The Gators are currently shooting 19 percent from the three-point line.
Florida currently sits at 62.5 points per game for its scoring offense. It’ll have to find a way to put the ball in the basket, and coach Mike White said after the FSU game that lagging behind offensively to start the first half led to desperation from the UF offense.
“Getting off to the horrid start we got off to offensively, it certainly doesn’t help the cause,” White said. “We didn’t go through a lot of reads there after we got off to a tough start.”
Unfortunately for Florida, offense isn’t its only problem.
Communication on defense has been an area that coach White—and numerous players—have pinned down as one that needs improvement. White stressed after the FSU game that the defense gave up numerous wide-open shots due to a lack of communication, and the players agreed.
“It was a different level of noise in the building, so obviously it was something we had to adjust to,” sophomore guard Andrew Nembhard said after the FSU game. “I think we just have to talk more, talk louder.”
Earning their stripes
A winning streak can be over in a golden flash.
Towson dropped its first game of the season to the Kent State Golden Flashes on Monday after starting the year 2-0, losing a closely contested game 84-80. The Tigers have put up impressive numbers so far, but their schedule hasn’t been the most rigorous: Their two wins come in the form of a 72-58 victory over A-10 school George Washington, and their second was an evisceration of Division III Bryn Athyn 100-31.
Guard Brian Fobbs — who put up 20 against Kent State — will be the player UF will most need to contain, as he has 42 points, 15 rebounds and six assists on the year.
Fobbs pairs nicely with guard Jason Gibson, who has 41 points and eight assists on the year. Defensively, the Tigers are likely to hinge on forward Charles Thompson, who has 15 defensive rebounds, five blocks and four steals so far this season.
Follow River Wells on Twitter @riverhwells. Contact him at rwells@alligator.org
