With his team in the midst of a 20-10 run late in the second half, Justin Leon sprinted hard down the court.
Chris Chiozza stood with his shoulders square at the basket, toes at the free-throw line.
Texas A&M delivered the loss that killed Florida’s NCAA Tournament hopes last season.
No. 17 Florida is playing its best basketball of the year. With five straight SEC wins — three of them by more than 30 points — and a statement win over then-No. 8 Kentucky, the Gators have placed themselves in a tie atop the conference standings. But who deserves the most credit for Florida’s improvement? Assistant sports editor Matt Brannon and sports writers Ray Boone and Ian Cohen debate who’s been the Gators’ MVP — the most valuable person.
With just over a minute left in the game, Chris Chiozza stood behind the three-point line with the ball in his hands. He gently rocked the ball back and forth, lulling his defender to sleep.
If you were there, listening to John Calipari speak, if you heard the pure annoyance, the dulled frustration in his voice, you would have realized it.
It was the end of a long film session.
Before the sold-out crowd cried out, before the Kentucky defender regained his balance, before the ball went in the basket, UF point guard Kasey Hill was already drifting back on defense.
Kasey Hill lost his bragging rights on Saturday, but you likely won’t hear him complain.
Kasey Hill rocked the ball back and forth as he stared down Wenyen Gabriel. Hill crossed over and stepped back as he launched a high-arching jumper over the outstretched fingertips of Kentucky’s 6-foot-9 forward.
As soon as Florida stepped onto the court against Missouri on Thursday night, the game was already decided. The Tigers, in the midst of a 12-game losing streak, weren’t ready to play.
The net didn’t move.
Mike White doesn’t want to think about the Kentucky Wildcats.
American philosopher and author Norman Vincent Peale once said, “There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.”
Devin Robinson missed an open shot, picked up his second foul and took a seat on the bench.
With nearly seven minutes left in the game, Eric Hester stood deep beyond the right wing with the ball in his hands.
Florida’s 35-point blowout win at LSU on Wednesday snapped a losing streak, jazzed the locker room and re-introduced No. 25 UF’s overlooked weapons on offense.
Chris Chiozza searched the sky.
Mike White tossed his blue suit jacket to the floor and walked to the center of his team’s huddle before his players had fully assembled. Outsized by all but two of them, the second-year Florida basketball coach wasn’t intimidated.
The Gators dropped two conference games back-to-back last week. And sluggish, flaccid second-half starts were the problem.
Solutions by The State News
