Gators Continue to Grow in Maturity and Decision-Making

photo credit Floridagators.com

The work in progress that is the evolution of Florida (15-6, 5-3 SEC) basketball was on display for the whole world to see at Rupp Arena in Lexington Wednesday night. The difference between the team that lost winnable neutral site games against Virginia (3 points) and Baylor (4 points) and a 2-pointer at home against Kentucky can be traced to poise at the foul line and the maturity to make exceptional decisions at crunch time.

The Gators are only a 69 percent team at the foul line for the season, but they’re a combined 52-62 in the last three, all wins of the white knuckles variety, the last two in overtime. Against Kentucky in Rupp, with the state of Kentucky’s asylums given a day pass to attend a basketball game, the decibel level in the final 44.5 seconds was ear shattering, yet the Gators hit 5-6 to silence the crowd. The Gators finished the game 18-22 at the line, vastly better than their 18-29 effort against Kentucky in Gainesville. The Wildcats, who should be a better free throw shooting team at home, were a very poor 11-17.

This was a game of great decision-making by the Gators. In stark contrast to the overtime win over Georgia in which the Gators turned the ball over 19 times, there were only nine turnovers Wednesday night. The Wildcats rely on turnovers and bad decisions to get out on the break where they are one of the fastest, if not the fastest team in the country. The Wildcats managed only seven points off Florida’s miscues.

Four decisions in the final 25 seconds of regulation lend credence to the maturity angle.

With 22 seconds to go and Kentucky leading 83-79, Tyrese Samuel got a feed in the low blocks but his shot was rejected by 7-1 Ugonna Onyenso. Somehow the ball wound up in Samuel's hands. Decision time. If he had gone straight up, chances are Onyenso would have gotten his ninth blocked shot, so he awkwardly got the ball into Riley Kugel’s hands. Kugel backed off along the baseline, drew Tre Mitchell away from the paint toward the corner and then put the ball on the deck. Instead of putting the ball up which nearly everyone in Rupp expected, he dumped it off to Samuel who softly got the ball in the net.

This was one of two excellent decisions by Kugel, one at the end of regulation, the other in overtime that were converted into scores by the Gators. In the overtime, Kugel took a pass from Clayton, jab stepped Adou Thiero which caused Sheppard to back off Clayton just a step or two. Kugel delivered the pass into the corner and Clayton buried the three to give the Gators the lead for good at 89-87 with 1:42 to go.

When the Wildcats’ Rob Dillingham missed the second of two free throws with 13.5 seconds to go in regulation, Walter Clayton Jr. grabbed the rebound. Rather than push the ball up the court, he put the ball in the hands of Zyon Pullin, who dribbled about five feet past the foul line, drawing three Kentucky defenders to him. Rather than kill his dribble flat-footed, Pullin went airborne, kicked the ball back to the left wing where he found Clayton waiting at the 3-point line. Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard had retreated too far below the foul line so he sprinted to try to get back into defensive position. When Sheppard left his feet, Clayton paused for a moment, let Sheppard fly by, then drilled the open 3-pointer to tie the game at 84-84 and send it to overtime. An excellent decision by Clayton to give the ball up after the rebound and another great decision by Pullin to find Clayton for the open 3-pointer with 3-seconds left.

Once in overtime, Pullin showed his basketball IQ. With the Gators ahead 94-90 and only seconds remaining, Reeves rushed a 3-pointer from the corner which Sheppard rebounded. Before he could either back off to shoot a 3-pointer or find another shooter, Pullin fouled him. Two free throws instead of a chance to launch a game-tying 3-pointer. Sheppard had to make the first free throw, try to miss the second and hope the Wildcats could tap the ball out for a catch and shoot 3-pointer. Sheppard made the first shot, but Clayton crossed into the lane, grabbed the rebound and iced the clock.

There were plenty more good decisions made in this game, but when the game was on the line the Gators made all the right decisions and all the right plays. There is a fine line between game-winning plays and end of the game mistakes. More often than not, the difference is in the decisions. Earlier in the year, the Gators might not have made the right decisions. Winners of their last four, this Florida team is playing like a mature team building momentum for the postseason.

The Gators head to Texas A&M for a Saturday matchup with the Aggies. Win it and UF finds itself 6-3 in SEC play at the mid-point of the conference schedule.

SEC BASKETBALL STATE OF THE LEAGUE

General consensus is the SEC will get a minimum of seven teams in the NCAA Tournament although eight or even nine isn’t beyond the realm of possibility. The way the league is shaping up for the stretch run, a 9-9 record in SEC play seems to be the ticket that gets punched into the tournament. Here is where all 14 teams stand as the SEC hits the mid-point this weekend.

No. 24. Alabama (15-6, 7-1 SEC): The Tide averages just a shade under 90 points per game while launching 29 3-pointers. Because they’re so difficult to prepare for, the Tide will be in the hunt for the regular season championship until the very end.

Arkansas (11-10, 2-6 SEC): For want of a point guard … The Hogs probably wonder how good they could be if they had a real distributor at the point. They need eight wins to make the tournament with a schedule that will be tough to get more than six.

No. 16 Auburn (17-4, 6-2 SEC): Bruce Pearl has one of the best bigs in the league in Johni Broome but they can be had if their 3-point shooters are launching SCUDs. Nobody has a tougher schedule down the stretch, but the Tigers are built to contend.  

FLORIDA (15-6, 5-3 SEC): Now that the Gators have shown they can (a) win on the road and (b) close out close games, they’re a team nobody wants to play. If they can beat the Aggies Saturday, they will be 6-3 at the midpoint of the conference schedule and an odds-on favorite to make the tournament.

Georgia (14-7, 4-4 SEC): The Bulldogs have lost three of their last four and seem to be running out of gas. Mike White needs to score an upset over South Carolina Saturday to get the ship righted. It’s going to be a struggle to get to nine wins.

No. 10 Kentucky (15-5, 5-3 SEC): The Wildcats have Final Four talent but they don’t always play that way. They’ll make the tournament as a top four seed thanks to excellent shooters and three 7-footers.

LSU (11-9, 3-4 SEC): The next three games are brutal – at Tennessee, Alabama and at Florida – and unless the Tigers go 3-0 they will be playing for the NIT.

Mississippi State (14-7, 3-5 SEC): The last four games are brutal – Kentucky, at Auburn, at Texas A&M and South Carolina. The Bulldogs have to get to seven wins minimum before those last four, otherwise they might be looking at the NIT.

Missouri (8-13, 0-8 SEC): The Tigers are good enough to play everybody close. Figure they’ll steal one or two before the season is over. They may spoil someone’s season.

Ole Miss (18-3, 5-3 SEC): The Rebels are formidable at home and with five home games remaining, it would take a total collapse for them not to make the tournament.

Chris Beard is a legitimate candidate for SEC Coach of the Year.

South Carolina (18-3, 6-2 SEC): Is there a more surprising team than the Gamecocks? They’ve got the shooters in Meechie Johnson and Myles Stute plus the beast in the middle in B.J. Mack. Three wins gets them to nine and in the tournament. Can they stay the course and contend to the very end? The schedule is favorable.

No. 5 Tennessee (15-5, 5-2 SEC): The loss to South Carolina at home quieted a lot of the Final Four talk. The Vols will make the NCAA Tournament, no doubt about it, but if they drop a second straight, this one on the road at Rupp, it might be difficult to get the mojo back. Dalton Knecht can score like crazy, but how much help can they give him?

Texas A&M (12-8, 3-4 SEC): It’s a long hard road for the Aggies to make the tournament field because other than Wade Taylor IV, they’re offensively challenged. Getting to 9-9 in league play is a daunting task since the Aggies have a roadies at Alabama and Ole Miss, a pair of games with the Vols, and homers with South Carolina and Mississippi State. The Aggies have the look of an NIT team.

Vanderbilt (5-15, 0-7 SEC): Getting anywhere close to .500 by season’s end would be an accomplishment.

Saturday’s games: FLORIDA (15-6, 5-3 SEC) at Texas A&M (12-8, 3-4 SEC); No. 5 Tennessee (15-5, 5-2 SEC) at No. 10 Kentucky (15-5, 5-3 SEC); No. 16 Auburn (17-4, 6-2 SEC) at Ole Miss (18-3, 5-3 SEC); Mississippi State (14-7, 3-5 SEC) at No. 24 Alabama (15-6, 7-1 SEC); South Carolina (18-3, 6-2 SEC) at Georgia (14-7, 4-4 SEC); Arkansas (11-10, 2-6 SEC) at LSU (11-9, 3-4 SEC); Missouri (8-13, 0-8 SEC) at Vanderbilt (5-15, 0-7 SEC

SEC in NCAA Net Rankings: 5. Tennessee; 7. Alabama; 8. Auburn; 25. Kentucky; 36. FLORIDA; 37. Mississippi State; 41. South Carolina; 46. Texas A&M; 57. Ole Miss; 82. Georgia; 95. LSU; 123. Arkansas; 131. Missouri; 238. Vanderbilt

SEC in kenpom.com analytics: 5. Auburn; 6. Tennessee; 8. Alabama; 23. Kentucky; 31. FLORIDA; 33. Mississippi State; 46. South Carolina; 47. Texas A&M; 61. Ole Miss; 69. Georgia; 85. LSU; 106. Arkansas; 116. Missouri; 193. Vanderbilt

CBS SPORTS LISTS DAN MULLEN AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE BC JOB

Jeff Hafley’s rather abrupt decision to leave Boston College for the defensive coordinator’s job with the Green Bay Packers has Will Backus of CBS Sports listing former Florida head coach Dan Mullen as a leading candidate.  Mullen has spent the last two seasons working the studio and the booth with ESPN and while he’s shown no inclination to get back on the sidelines, Boston College might intrigue him. He’s a native of nearby New Hampshire, BC relies on the kind of talent that typically gets overlooked much the same as Mississippi State where Mullen excelled and he won’t be overwhelmed by high expectations.

Writes Backus, “He was fired [at Florida] in 2021 amid a 5-6 season and often draws criticism for his recruiting efforts, or lack thereof, but that wouldn't be an issue at Boston College. The Eagles don't necessarily have the resources to recruit like an SEC powerhouse, so the onus is on player development, the area in which Mullen excels.”

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Lawsuits have been filed by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia against the NCAA over the legality of its guidelines for NIL. At the heart of the Virginia and Tennessee v. the NCAA, is the premise that the NCAA has violated antitrust laws by restricting what collegiate athletes can earn via NIL regulation.  

In that the NCAA penalized Florida State for NIL violations and is investigating Florida, this could be a case that Florida attorney general Ashley Moody joins.

The NCAA has two other lawsuits it must contend with. House v. NCAA is asking for $4 billion in damages. Johnson v. NCAA contends that athletes should be paid employees who are owed back pay.

Given the NCAA’s rotten record in court, one or all these suits combined could bring the organization to its knees. The NCAA vows to fight on, however, in large part to protect the cash cow that is collegiate sports. Sportico reported Thursday that the NCAA pulled in $1.3 billion in revenue in 2023 with assets of $870 billion.