When the Gators were struggling during the early months of the season, the primary culprit was turnovers.
Florida committed an alarming 14.3 giveaways per game in the nonconference portion of its season, which often led to muddled half-court sets.
UF seemed to have the issue resolved in the first nine games of Southeastern Conference play, turning it over just 9.9 times per contest.
But over the past two games, the old flaw has shown itself yet again.
The No. 14 Gators (20-5, 9-2 SEC) combined for 33 turnovers in wins over South Carolina and Tennessee and will look to return to form against LSU (10-16, 2-9 SEC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Baton Rouge, La.
“I think it was basically just us,” sophomore guard Kenny Boynton said after UF’s 61-60 win over Tennessee. “We just made bad decisions.”
In addition to poor decision-making, Boynton cited Florida’s inability to execute many of its normal pick plays.
Junior guard Erving Walker attributed the turnovers to the Gamecocks’ “scrappy” nature and Tennessee’s unique style of play, pointing to opposing defenses as more of a factor than anything the Gators were doing offensively.
If the problem is simply a matter of working a few kinks out, then it arose at a good time for Florida.
The team is nearing the end of an eight-day layoff — its longest since Christmas. This gave coach Billy Donovan and the Gators time to “focus on ourselves” early in the week, when Donovan said they would normally be scouting their midweek opponent.
“It’s nothing we won’t get fixed,” Walker said Saturday.
Correcting the turnover issue figures to be critical for UF, as the Gators are 11-0 when they force more turnovers than they make and just 9-5 otherwise.
Walker and senior forward Chandler Parsons each cut their turnover averages in conference play by one per game, down from a combined 5.6 during the nonconference season. But the duo combined for 12 giveaways against the Gamecocks and Volunteers.
Another Gator stepping up to take some of the blame is freshman guard Scottie Wilbekin, who has turned the ball over more times in his last eight games than he did in his first 17.
“It’s on me. I need to take better care of the ball,” Wilbekin said. “I’ve just got to get my focus back.”
INJURY UPDATE: Parsons was held out of practice Thursday with a deep bruise in his left thigh and will be reevaluated today, a UF spokesperson said.
He is considered day-to-day, and his status for LSU is unknown.
