Golden says "we can't relax" as No. 15 Gators face LSU at the O-Dome

Rueben Chinyelu was selected SEC Player of the Week (Photo by Chris Spears)

Perceptions have certainly changed since the Gators lost on the road at Missouri in the first Southeastern Conference game. Four straight wins including three over ranked teams will do that for you. Florida is now sitting on top of the Southeastern Conference standings, ranked 16^th in both polls and looking like the contender everybody thought the Gators were when the season began back in November.

Dangerous times if you ask Todd Golden.

“We can't relax,” Golden said Monday before the Gators (13-5, 4-1 SEC) began prepping for tonight’s matchup with LSU (13-5, 1-4 SEC) at the O-Dome (7 p.m., ESPN2). “You know, I think for the first time all year, we're in a position where we're finally starting to get praised. People are saying, hey, team of the week, Florida. Hey, this team might be, you know, championship level. Like, we just can't feed into that.

“We have to still have the mentality that we had after we were 5-4, when we lost to Missouri, where everybody was like, man, this lower team is not very good. And if we approach it that way, and go out and try to impact the game with our physicality and our execution, and take pride in those things, we'll be in good shape. If we relax, we're not. So that's what we talked about yesterday, and we'll talk about it again today.”

Despite four SEC losses and the absence of stud point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., whose leg injury has sidelined him the last five games, LSU can’t be taken for granted. The Tigers have size, talent and they’ve played everybody tough. They beat Missouri by eight Saturday, should have beaten Kentucky and Texas A&M, and were in it with Vanderbilt until they gave out of gas.

With Thomas at the point, LSU was one of the highest scoring teams in the nation. Without him, the ball doesn’t move nearly as well and point production has dipped considerably. Tonight, LSU will once again try to get the offense rolling with 6-6 Rashad King at the point. He’s started the last two games, scoring 12 with one assist in the loss to Kentucky, and going for seven points and four assists in the win over Missouri. King isn’t a natural point, so expect the Gators to try to pressure him into mistakes.

LSU has a strong inside presence with bigs Marquel Sutton and Mike Nwoko, but they rely heavily on 3-point shooter Max Mackinnon (42.5 percent) to stretch opposing defenses to open up inside.

Golden knows the Gators are more than capable of taking out LSU for a fifth straight win, but he also knows they can’t afford to take the Tigers lightly or have a letdown in intensity. Critical for the Gators will be to keep the same mindset that has propelled them to the last four games.

“This is a spot where we're finally starting to get some appreciation and some recognition, and we cannot allow it to change our approach,” Golden said. “We've been pretty good with our back against the wall these last couple weeks, and we can't rest or be satisfied for a second because this LSU team is really good, and if we are that way, it's not going to go the way we hope it does.”

CHINYELU SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Rueben Chinyelu, who scored 39 points and grabbed 22 rebounds in wins over Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, was named SEC Player of the Week. Chinyelu was 14-20 from the field overall and 11-11 from the foul line while dominating the low blocks in both games. Against Oklahoma he scored 19 while pulling down 12 rebounds. He scored 20 against Vanderbilt with 10 rebounds. He also contributed to the two most important defensive plays of the game in the final 20 seconds when the Gators were leading by just two points.

For the season, Chinyelu is averaging 11.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. He leads the SEC in rebounding and ranks 8^th in the nation. His 10 double-doubles lead the. SEC and are tied for 9^th nationally.

Game notes: All five Gator starters average double figures: Tommy Haugh 17.4; Alex Condon 14.4; Rueben Chinyelu 11.8; Xaivian Lee 11.7 and Boogie Fland 11.5 … The Gators lead the nation in rebounding (46.33 per game), offensive rebounds (16.78) and rebounding margin (+15 per game) … In the kenpom.com analytics, the Gators rank No. 11 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency.  

Anticipated starting lineups

No. 16 FLORIDA (13-5, 4-1 SEC): Alex Condon (6-11, 236, JR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-11, 265, JR); Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, JR); Boogie Fland (6-3, 185, SO); Xaivian Lee (6-4, 185, SR)

LSU (13-5, 1-4 SEC): Marquel Sutton (6-9, 225, SR); Mike Nwoko (6-10, 261, JR); Max Mackinnon (6-6, 195, SR); Pablo Tamba (6-7, 206, SR); Rashad King (6-6, 217, SR)

Associated Press top 25: 1. Arizona 18-0; 2. UConn 18-1; 3. Michigan 16-1; 4. Purdue 17-1; 5. Duke 17-1; 6. Houston 17-1; 7. Nebraska 18-0; 8. Gonzaga 19-1; 9. Iowa State 16-2; 10. Michigan State 16-2; 11. Illinois 15-3; 12. Texas Tech 14-4; 13. BYU 16-2; 14. Virginia 16-2; 15. Vanderbilt 16-2; 16. FLORIDA 13-5; 17. Alabama 13-5; 18. Clemson 16-3; 19. Kansas 13-5; 20. Arkansas 13-5; 21. Georgia 15-3; 22.North Carolina 14-4; 23. Louisville 13-5; 24. Saint Louis 17-1; 25. Miami (OH) 19-0

Coaches top 25: 1. Arizona 18-0; 2. Michigan 16-1; 3; UConn 18-1; 4. Purdue 17-1; 5. Duke 17-1; 6. Houston 17-1; 7. Nebraska 18-0; 8. Gonzaga 19-1; 9. Iowa State 16-2; 10. Michigan State 16-2; 11. Illinois 15-3; 12.Texas Tech 14-4; 13. BYU 16-2; 14. Vanderbilt 16-2; 15. Virginia 16-2; 16. FLORIDA 13-5; 17. Alabama 13-5; 18. Clemson 16-3; 19. Kansas 13-5; 20. Arkansas 13-5; 21. Louisville 13-5; 22. Georgia 15-3; 23. Saint Louis 17-1; 24. North Carolina 14-4; 25. St. John’s 13-5

SEC teams in kenpom.com analytical rankings: 9. FLORIDA 13-5; 12. Vanderbilt 16-2; 17. Alabama 13-5; 22. Tennessee 13-5; 23. Arkansas 13-5; 24. Kentucky 12-6; 28. Georgia 15-3; 33. Auburn 11-7; 38. Texas A&M 14-4; 40. Texas 11-7; 44. LSU 13-5; 55. Missouri 13-5; 58. Oklahoma 11-7; 59. Ole Miss 11-7; 77. South Carolina 10-8; 83. Mississippi State 10-8;

Tonight’s games

LSU (13-5, 1-4 SEC) at No. 15 FLORIDA (13-5, 4-1 SEC)

No. 15 Vanderbilt (16-2, 3-2 SEC) at No. 20 Arkansas (13-5, 3-2 SEC)

No. 21 Georgia (15-3, 3-2 SEC) at Missouri (13-5, 3-2 SEC)

Auburn (11-7, 2-3 SEC) at Ole Miss (11-7, 3-2 SEC)

Oklahoma (11-7, 1-4 SEC) at South Carolina (10-8, 1-4 SEC)

Wednesday’s games

Texas (11-7, 2-3 SEC) at Kentucky (12-6, 3-2 SEC)

Mississippi State (10-8, 2-3 SEC) at Texas A&M (14-4, 4-1 SEC)