Was The Sloppy Win A Cautionary Tale For Florida?
- carltonreese1306
- 10 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Carlton Reese
NASHVILLE—What are we to make of Friday’s quarterfinal 71-63 Gator victory over the Kentucky Wildcats? What was likely Florida’s poorest all-around performance in over six weeks is, at the same time, both disconcerting and encouraging. Any time a team shoots 38 percent from the field and just 3-for-20 from 3-point range while committing 18 turnovers and still beats a team like Kentucky in the never-a-doubt fashion is perplexing, but a signal to the world of just how good Florida is.
Let’s be honest, the last month and a half Florida has been flawless to the point of spoiling fans and media alike. The Gators look like a team that can do no wrong and the domination spells another waltz to a title. But in Nashville, we all witnessed some chinks in the armor thought ironed out long ago. To be concerned by what we saw is completely rational, especially when we’re talking about the chances of a team to win it all.
Disconcerting was the poor performance, showing how mortal the Gators are. The win over Kentucky required a bit of luck in that the Wildcats shot poorly themselves. Florida defended well to help make most every shot difficult, but Kentucky’s sharpshooters couldn’t hit even when they were left wide open. On an average night, Kentucky shoots much better and Florida is in trouble.
Counting on the opponent to have an off-night shooting will not work in the coming weeks, especially amid sloppy passing and ball handling. Whatever was ailing Florida Friday had better be cleared up, else Tennessee or Vandy send the Gators home from Nashville Saturday. Not every game is sheer domination – off-nights are bound to happen, but they need to take place in February and not March.
Encouraging is the victory despite the ugliness. Like last year in the NCAA Tournament run where Florida overcame some sleepwalking moments to win anyway, this year’s team seems to have a knack for pushing through its own lackluster job and find a way to win. That is the beauty of being a juggernaut in rebounding and defensive intensity while having weapons at every position capable of taking over a game when deficiencies pop up elsewhere.
How many times does a team play so far below its potential and still beat Kentucky handily? Florida’s done it three times this season, having built big leads every time only to see a late Wildcats push make a final score that belied the ease of the victory. Keep in mind the Gators went wire-to-wire with the lead in every game against Kentucky – that’s not something that happens by fluke.
“I would have preferred to win this game by 20, but we’ll take this 8-point win,” Todd Golden remarked, echoing what every Gator fan was thinking. That’s where Golden has the program: Wondering why an 8-point win over the Kentucky Wildcats wasn’t a 20-point thrashing, as though Merrimack was the opponent. It’s not ego or bravado – it’s high expectations which are a hallmark of any championship team.
No doubt Golden warned his players in the locker room following Friday’s game that if they don’t tighten a few screws, this thing could fall apart well ahead of schedule. He may have even used some harsh language in the process. History tells us the message was heard loud and clear by these players who have complete trust in the methods that earned a national title last year and a run of 17 wins in 18 games.
Florida’s front court advantage was too much for Kentucky as it has been for everyone else. A 50-29 rebounding advantage tends to make up for poor shooting and turnovers, but Kentucky is not built to match up in this way. Teams down the road will present much stronger front court challenges to Florida and the Gators won’t have the leeway of 15 percent shooting and 18 turnovers.
Disconcerting or encouraging? Two different things can be true at the same time, and Florida’s win over Kentucky is proof. Simultaneously, the Gators showed they can be very pedestrian and ripe for defeat while also scaring the living hell out of everyone who just saw them easily beat Kentucky when they played one of their worst games of the season.
If Florida loses, the pundits will point back to the Kentucky game as a cautionary tale left unheeded, which would be a bit unfair. Florida is great, but not perfect – even Tiger Woods missed a four-foot putt on occasion – and all expectations should be grounded in that knowledge. Because Florida has so many ways to beat its opponents into submission, one never sees the Gators panic when adversity strikes, which keeps them at a minimum.
When Kentucky crawled back to within six points with 1:29 remaining, there was Thomas Haugh draining a tough turnaround jumper to squelch momentum. Then there was Xaivian Lee with 50 seconds left and Kentucky within five, stepping back and sinking a 3-pointer at the end of a tough possession. That shot ended all Kentucky’s hopes and reminded everyone of all those big moments in last year’s championship run where whenever something good absolutely had to happen for Florida, it did… every time.
Haugh admitted afterward he had a bad game, but that did not faze him from taking the tough shot that had to go down late in the game. No memory. Lee was in danger of missing a tough shot that Kentucky could have capitalized on to make it a one-score game, but he was not fazed, either.
These Gators know that when someone needs to rise to the occasion with the pressure at its hottest, any one of eight players can be called upon to be a hero. Last year it was Walter Clayton burying off-balance shots with defenders draped on him when it mattered most, or Alijah Martin making a steal and dunk to suck the life out of the other team. This year, we’re seeing it again: a hero can come from anywhere at any time even on a bad night. It’s a nice luxury to have and an ingredient that wins championships.
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