It has been a weird season so far for Florida basketball in the early stages of its national title defense. On Tuesday night, the Gator managed to fend off the pesky FSU Seminoles, 78-76, but once again showed some chinks in their armor.
The perimeter shooting woes continued for Todd Golden’s gang, but Florida’s front three continues to prove that it is a dominant force to be reckoned with. In the end, the Orange and Blue won the battle of attrition, but it was a much closer ending than most — including the oddsmakers — had expected.
You might say it was way too close.
So what should we take away from Tuesday night’s somehow disappointing win? Here are three key things to think about after the final horn.
Florida comes out flat in first half against FSU, slump continues
The Gators once again struggled from beyond the arc and the Seminoles wisely doubled down on defending down low, preventing Alex Condon from contributing much on the offensive end, finishing with just four points at the end of the half.
FSU threw everything they had at Florida during those first 20 minutes, running full-court presses and following that up with hard zone presses in the halfcourt. Golden’s gang seemed discombobulated with the unorthodox pressure they faced, be it hard doubles down low or attacking the perimeter.
However, it is easy to play zones when your opponent cannot hit the outside shot. Florida hit just two of 14 attempts from downtown (14%) and just 38% from the field overall. The Gators also coughed up 11 turnovers, many attributable to FSU mixing things up.
At least the inside game was still solid, with UF outrebounding FSU, 28-15. Nine of those were offensive rebounds, but that also means they came off nine missed shots. Sort of a bittersweet stat, really, given the three-point deficit at halftime.
Gators take over halfway through the second half
The two teams traded punches for the first 10-plus minutes of the second half, grinding each other down until one squad finally cracked — Florida reached the bonus mark at the 12:38 mark when Robert McCray fouled Fland.
The Gators finally retook the lead at the 9:38 mark and would not relinquish it the rest of the way. Condon never quite emerged from his cocoon during the second 20-minute period, scoring just five more points while hauling down six boards, proving that FSU’s tactic of pressuring him with the ball was effective.
At least the rebounding game is still elite. Florida finished with a 58-36 advantage, including a 17-8 advantage on the offensive glass. As mentioned before, when you are heaving bricks from deep, those O-rebounds do not look so shiny — especially when FSU outscored the Gators on second-half chances, 9-8.
Haugh was a baller, Chinyelu dominant in double-doubles
Enough with the negativity.
Thomas Haugh’s first-half performance was something to behold as he practically carried the team on his shoulders for the first 20 minutes. His 11 points and two rebounds in 18 minutes paced his teammates, injecting a level of energy that was much needed after that weak exit out of the gate.
Haugh went on to score a team-best 20 points — second-best to McCray’s 29-point outburst — and notched a double-double with 13 boards in 38 total minutes played. The lanky young man has grown into a legitimate leader right before our eyes.
Special mention to Reuben Chinyelu, who notched the Gators’ second double-double with his 10-point, 16-rebound effort — the latter stat leading all players. Even more impressive, he put those numbers up in just 24 minutes of play but was only 5-for-12 shooting.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida basketball: Key takeaways from Gators’ win vs FSU Seminoles
