Golden on Bediako playing for Alabama: "We won't change a lot"
Although there is no such thing as a perfectly played game, Florida’s effort against South Carolina was so good at both ends of the court that even Todd Golden was surprised.
“Yeah, it was pretty close,” Golden said on Gator Talk with Sean Kelly. “I think we did a really good job from start to finish, you know, defending, rebounding, taking the ball, making shots. And, you know, I thought the first half was reminiscent to our effort on the road at Oklahoma, where we got off to a great start and got up by as many as 24 in the first half, up by 22 at halftime, I believe. But in that game, we did not play with the same mentality in the second half. We allowed them to make threes. They scored over 50 points in the second half, still a very comfortable victory. But we weren't satisfied with the complete picture of that game. Whereas, you know, when we played South Carolina, I thought that was a great 40-minute effort.”
In beating South Carolina, the Gators shot 62.3 percent overall from the field and 42.9 percent (9-21) from the 3-point line. The Gators held South Carolina to 25.9 percent from the field overall and just 15 percent from the 3-point line. The Gators outrebounded South Carolina 45-24. Florida leads the nation in rebounding (46.1 per game), offensive rebounds (16.71) and rebounding margin (+15 per game).
Sunday opponent Alabama (14-6, 4-3 SEC) is certainly a step up in competition compared to South Carolina, but Golden wants the same kind of intensity out of the Gators (15-6, 6-2 SEC) for this 1 p.m. Sunday showdown at the O-Dome. This will be a contrast in styles as Alabama wants to turn the game into a 3-point shooting contest while the Gators prefer to pound away in the paint.
Alabama takes more threes per game (35.6) than anyone in the country and the Tide is second in makes (12.4). Guards Labaron Philo (22 points per game, 37 percent on 3-pointers) and Aden Holloway (16.9 points, 45.4 percent on threes) are extremely difficult to defend but now Nate Oats has added 7-footer Charles Bediako to the mix. Bediako has played two games for Alabama since getting a court order that allows him to go straight from the G-League where he was on a 2-way NBA contract to college basketball. He makes Alabama bigger and tougher to handle.
When Bediako first made the move, Golden told Gator Talk, “The reality is, I don’t agree with it and I don’t think he should be playing. I also don’t fault Nate Oats because this is a very competitive space, and it’s our job to win games and do everything we can to be the best program in our specific league … We are going to beat them anyway. If he plays we’ll beat them anyways.”
Golden didn’t spend much time talking about Bediako with Kelly Thursday night.
“Honestly, we won't talk about it a whole lot,” Golden said. “We won't change a whole lot. We'll include him on personnel. We've got to make sure we do a good job preventing his rim rolls and do a good job keeping him off the glass and then making sure we take care of him when we're on offense, not allowing him to just sit there in the paint and clean up uh the rim so as you said it makes them a better team we're mindful of that and we're going to go compete.”
SEC teams in Joe Lunardi (ESPN bracketology)
WEST: 1. Arizona; 2. Michigan State; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Texas Tech (SEC team: 7. Auburn)
EAST: 1. Duke; 2. Illinois; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Kansas (Other SEC teams: 5. Arkansas; 8. Kentucky)
SOUTH: 1. UConn; 2. Nebraska; 3. Houston; 4. BYU (SEC teams: 5. Alabama; 9. Georgia; 11. Texas (play-in game)
MIDWEST: 1. Michigan; 2. Iowa State; 3. Purdue; 4. Vanderbilt (Other SEC teams: Tennessee 6; Texas A&M 8)
SEC teams in CBS Sports bracketology
WEST: 1. Arizona; 2. UConn; 3. Michigan State; 4. FLORIDA (Other SEC teams: 5. Arkansas; 7. Auburn; 9. Georgia
EAST: 1. Duke; 2. Iowa State; 3. Purdue; 4. Texas Tech (SEC teams: 6. Tennessee; 8. Texas A&M)
SOUTH: 1. Nebraska; 2. Illinois; 3. Vanderbilt; 4. BYU (Other SEC teams: 5. Alabama)
MIDWEST: 1. Michigan; 2. Houston; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Virginia (SEC teams: 7. Kentucky)
SEC teams in kenpom.com analytical rankings: 8. FLORIDA 15-6; 12. Vanderbilt 18-3; 17. Alabama 14-6; 21. Tennessee 14-6; 22. Arkansas 16-5; 26. Auburn 14-7; 32. Kentucky 14-7; 33. Texas A&M 16-4; 34. Georgia 16-5; 35. Texas 12-9; 51. LSU 13-8; 61. Oklahoma 11-10; 62. Missouri 14-7; 73. Ole Miss 11-9; 82. Mississippi State 11-10; 87. South Carolina 11-10
Saturday’s games
Texas A&M (16-4, 6-1 SEC) at Georgia (16-5, 4-4 SEC)
Texas (12-9, 3-5 SEC) at Oklahoma (11-10, 1-7 SEC)
Mississippi State (11-10, 3-5 SEC) at Missouri (14-7, 4-4 SEC)
LSU (13-8, 1-7 SEC) at South Carolina (11-10, 2-6 SEC)
Kentucky (14-7, 5-3 SEC) at No. 15 Arkansas (16-5, 6-2 SEC)
No. 18 Vanderbilt (18-3, 5-3 SEC) at Ole Miss (11-9, 3-4 SEC)
Tennessee (14-6, 4-3 SEC) at Auburn (14-7, 5-3 SEC)
Sunday’s game
No. 23 Alabama (14-6, 4-3 SEC) at No. 19 FLORIDA (15-6, 6-2 SEC)
WORST TO FIRST IN THE SEC
16. Oklahoma (11-10, 1-7 SEC): There is a new AD at Oklahoma, one that didn’t hire Porter Moser. If Moser doesn’t turn things around and win this year there is a very good chance he will walk the plank.
15. South Carolina (11-10, 2-6 SEC): The coaching seat of Lamont Paris is blowtorch hot right now. Imagine how hot it will be if he loses to LSU Saturday.
14. LSU (13-8, 1-7 SEC): The natives are getting restless for a winning season. If LSU hadn’t paid so much money to fire football coach Brian Kelly and then hire Lane Kiffin, they would probably fire Matt McMahon. In all likelihood he gets another year due to the football economics.
13. Mississippi State (11-10, 3-5 SEC): If Chris Jans can muster up enough wins to make the NIT, the folks in Starkville won’t be too upset.
12. Ole Miss (11-9, 3-4 SEC): Chris Beard isn’t in trouble, but wins are going to be hard to come by. The NIT would be a raging success all things considered.
11. Missouri (14-7, 4-4 SEC): If the Tigers can get to 20 regular season wins, they will have a very good chance to make the NCAA Tournament.
10. Texas (12-9, 3-5 SEC): The next five games are winnable. Sean Miller needs to win them all and then go 2-3 in the last five to make the NCAA Tournament.
9. Kentucky (14-7, 5-3 SEC): The Wildcats are in deepest and darkest. Two point guards done for the year. Jayden Quaintance battling a knee injury that won’t go away. Injuries will keep Mark Pope around one more year, but if things aren’t immensely better next year we’ll be looking for a conclave and puffs of smoke to name a successor.
8. Georgia (16-5, 4-4 SEC): Break even in the last 10 games and the Bulldogs are in the NCAA Tournament. Get to 22 in the regular season and they could be a top six seed.
7. Alabama (14-6, 4-3 SEC): The Tide will find out just how much help Charles Bediako will be Sunday in Gainesville.
6. Tennessee (14-6, 4-3 SEC): It is anybody’s guess which Tennessee team will show up, the one the Gators blew out or the one that toughed out a win in overtime at Georgia?
5. Auburn (14-7, 5-3 SEC): The next four games will make or break the Tigers – at Tennessee, home with Bama and Vandy, on the road to Arkansas.
4. Vanderbilt (18-3, 5-3 SEC): The Commodores handled Kentucky without Duke Miles, but how will they handle the next few games without him?
3. Texas A&M (17-4, 7-1 SEC): The next five games – four ranked teams among them – will go a long way toward determining the Aggies and the NCAA fare. It starts today at Georgia and Wednesday at Alabama.
2. Arkansas (16-5, 6-2 SEC): The Hogs are almost unbeatable at home. Kentucky comes to Fayette Nam and it should be a feeding frenzy.
1. FLORIDA (15-6, 6-2 SEC): If the win at South Carolina is how the Gators are going to play the rest of the season, there isn’t anyone in the SEC that can touch Florida.
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