Mike White knows that opportunities are becoming scarce.
The Gators men’s basketball coach noted the resolve his team has shown lately, responding to a three-game skid with back-to-back wins over Vanderbilt and Alabama.
But it doesn’t stop there.
“I like that we’re coming off a game that we played very well, of course,” White said of Florida’s 71-53 win over the Crimson Tide. “Played very well to win in Tuscaloosa, and so it’s a good sign. Hopefully there’s another one of those in us or a few of those in us, preferably every game.”
The Gators only have six more chances in the regular season to replicate the success they had against Alabama, and they’ll start with tonight’s matchup against No. 13 LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Tigers have won 14 of their last 15 games, and they took down then-No. 5 Kentucky and Georgia on the road last week.
LSU’s offensive efficiency and ability to dominate the offensive boards stood out to White as two of the biggest challenges it presents.
“They can score it in the interior, they can pound it to a couple of guys,” he said. “...They’ve got guys that can make shots, they’ve got complimentary wings, they’re deep. They’re really good.”
Guard Tremont Waters leads the Tigers’ offensive attack with 15.9 points and six assists per game, and he’s made a team-high 44 three-pointers this season.
LSU has three other players who average double-figure scoring: forward Naz Reid (13.8) and guards Skylar Mays (13) and Javonte Smart (10.4).
Florida might match up well if it employs the same half-court press that suffocated the Alabama offense, however.
The Gators will also need to get the ball to their best shooters in Noah Locke and KeVaughn Allen. The Tigers aren’t great at defending the three-ball, allowing their opponents to shoot nearly 34.5 percent from deep this season.
Locke and Allen shoot 41 percent and 34 percent, respectively, from beyond the arc, and Florida is 5-0 when it shoots 40 percent or better from three-point range.
White said Locke has played with an injury for over a month, and he has gone two straight games scoring less than five points.
But freshman guard Andrew Nembhard and forward Keyontae Johnson have increased their production in his place and may have to continue in Baton Rouge if Locke still isn’t fully healthy.
“Everybody on the team probably has to take a step up if Noah’s down,” Nembhard said. “He’s a real good player for us and has been the whole season. I think everybody will have to pick up the slack for him.”
It won’t just be the shooting that the Gators will focus on to have success against LSU.
It’ll take things like communication down the stretch, keeping key defensive pieces like center Kevarrius Hayes and forward Dontay Bassett out of foul trouble, getting production from the bench and dominating the glass.
“Our attention to detail has got to be terrific because these guys, they’re really good,” White said. “I mean they’re a top-15 team for a reason, and only getting better.”
Follow Alanis Thames on Twitter @alanisthames and contact her at athames@alligator.org.
Florida guard KeVaughn Allen scored just six points against Vanderbilt on Wednesday.
