Osbourne played some thug ball. When we were in our run at the 7 min mark, they tried the long pass to mid-court that McKissic picked off. As he fed the corner for a three, with Castleton facing our shooter in the paint, Osbourne launched (almost left his feet) a forearm into Castleton's upper back. Head snapped back. A couple of possessions later, another dirty play.
Good to see Castleton rebound like he did today. Must be one of the things he was told to focus on in his NBA feedback. 15 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots is one heck of a game. Great to see the Gators get the win over FSU, it has been way too long coming.
I liked the defensive grit on this team. I think the basketball IQ has gone up quite a bit from previous years. No sitting around without an idea of what to do on offense. Basketball IQ is important to the success of a team? Who'da thunk it!
Enjoyed watching that. Followed the post on my phone after I left to go to my mom's for her 92nd birthday and watched the second half there. Defensive game was great and the shooting from the outside got much better later in the game.
Back home from the game. I was sitting close to Scottie Lewis who clearly was enjoying the game. Did he get any camera time? Superb D. Playing against the Gators must feel like getting a root canal. Castleton was a BEAST! Amazing stat: 6 blocks and only one foul.
Well done to all the players and staff. That was a complete victory all around. Now the games in Ft Myers and the road trip to Oklahoma take on even more meaning to see if this team can stay consistent. That's one good thing usually about senior leadership is consistency. This game answered many questions what the makeup of this team would be, tough on D, scrappy on the offensive end, and very guard intensive. Now we have to see who develops on the bench if CC or Duruji get in foul trouble. Hopefully CMW has gotten over the hold the ball at the 8 minute mark approach to has learned to pick up the pressure on both ends of the court going down the stretch.
Happy Happy 92nd Birthday to your Mom, @GolphinGator ! Outstanding! My Mom, 98, is still living in her own home here in town. I had to go over just before the game and get her TV cable box going again. I just re-booted it and it was fine. She sent this email to me after the game: "Go Gators. Good game." I know I don't have to tell you that we are so lucky we still have our Mom's with us! Please give yours a big birthday hug from all of us!
Thank you and I agree we are blessed. Mine is of course a big Gator fan also and retired after 35 years at UF. She still has 4 football season tickets that her and dad had since at least late 60's.
Fun to watch the highlights and think about what were my emotions at each spot. We did a good bit of driving the lane today. Even Castleton, taking it to the hole from 22 feet out. About a third of the time -- disastrously. But if that becomes a legit thing, that's just a LOT of pressure on a defense.
We need to get Jitoboh to watch how to defend s Yeah, that's an iffy thing to do against average defenses. Usually a turnover against a defense like FSU's.
Great win and hopefully a sign of things to come this season. With our toughness and defense, we have the potential to still be competitive even if our shots and free throws aren't falling like most of the first half. If we can have a few good shooting performances, like the second half, we could be dangerous in the SEC. Now, it will be interesting to see if we can bring the same intensity on the road for the Ft. Myers tournament and Oklahoma.
I believe these guys are more similar to the type of players that White recruited & won with prior to getting the job at UF.
After 2005 we lost Roberson, Walsh, and Lee and everyone thought it was over. But once I saw the '04's first game I knew we could be good and mostly because of the D. After last season we lost Mann and Lewis. Two huge hits. Not saying we have that magic in a bottle, but these guys this year can really get after it on the defensive end like those guys could. Not predicting a repeat of things past, but we have the makings of a solid team.
