Typing as I listen…. The first couldn’t have gone much worse…we were really on our heels. Kn the second half we did great job turning them over. We tightened it up quick and then stayed on em. Tre Bonham did an awesome job to start the second half. (audio issues cut off the broadcast here.)
my broadcast kept going. Though I didn’t hear it all. What I did pick up was this little bit… “….any thoughts?” coach Golden “yeah, fsu sucks. See you in Portland”
I certainly agree on Bonham. He was the sparkplug in the second half. Much better than last game. Progress.
What I would like to have heard about: Using different combinations that we haven't seen before Castleton and Jitoboh together if only for a few minutes Lofton and Bonham together for extended minutes, essentially two point guards Reeves and Kugel playing 19 minutes combined in the first half, then both sitting in the second half
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall... Chris Harry's write-up: "It was pretty high-energy in there," fifth-year senior forward Colin Castleton said of UF locker room at the break and, specifically, the mood and words of Coach Todd Golden. "I can't repeat everything that was said, but we understood the assignment coming into the second half." Golden called for a redo. He ordered up full-court pressure and told his players to make the Seminoles — not the best shooting or ball-handling team — work for everything and make them uncomfortable.
Another thing I like about last night... Under CMW, when we had a nine- or ten-point lead with seven or eight minutes left, we would deflate the tires and try to wait out the clock. We would run it down to 2 seconds on the shot clock and then throw up a prayer. CTG didn't do that last night. Kept attacking on offense. Me like.
Most teams can score 10 to 15 points in seven or eight minutes without much difficulty so deflating the tires then is a bit premature. I just hated seeing the rhythm of the game that got the lead fade away. If the team can play D and shoot free throws, three minutes seems just about right.
Me first half: What in the xxxx? Me in the 2nd half: Woop, woop way to get after it. I was happy to see us come around in the 2nd half. The fact we still have the 1st half performance in our DNA is still concerning. At this juncture I will say, we shouldn’t rely so much on the 3 pt shot as a major point of attack to generate points. I’m pretty comfortable saying, we don’t have a legitimate three point shooter in our first seven. One of them will occasionally get in rhythm and make a few, but there’s not a real 3 point shooter in that group.
that comeback was wild and I loved every minute of it. Our intensity and effort improved first half to second in a big way. I'm not a big Bonham fan yet, but he played well with KL and his energy was a big part of the win. gotta confess I was pretty worried at the end of the first, but I also thought the Noles were hitting a lot of shots there that wouldn't be sustainable in the second half if we played just an average level of defense. Truly a Jekyll and Hyde performance from our guys but hopefully it helps flip a switch for the rest of the year.
What I loved was Golden’s willingness to adapt. He had a plan in place on D that they were beating, so he want off script, changed his lineup, and extended pressure (something he admitted he doesn’t like to do). To do so successfully at his age given his experience, not to mention against a rival in his first road game, has to be a good omen for his ceiling as a coach. It also has to give some credence with the kids, who know he can figure things out on the fly.
I agree on all counts. I was frustrated by our defensive insistence versus fau, but felt much differently last night. Perhaps more than anything, I appreciated his use of the bench - both to bring in energy, and to sit guys not getting it done. That’s a tough thing to do, and something White never embraced.
I also really liked the fire Golden showed after Fudge technical. Golden is absolutely a players coach- which is largely an attribute. But there is a danger in making yourself peer-level to your players, and it can manifest in a lack of discipline. Golden was livid and it was evident. I was a bit concerned immediately after the tech, as it was our second such player technical in four games…. but it hardly looked like Golden let it slide.
What a great mini-emergence for Bonham. Against Kennesaw, he just didn't look ready. He made the most of this opportunity and it will be big for his confidence.
Yep, a learning moment for Fudge for sure. Let's hope he maintains a different sense of composure going forward. But lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, that other dunk from the baseline!
FSU as a team had been shooting threes at a 40% rate and in the second half against us they cratered. A lot of our victory was on FSU choking. We did defend the three point line better (we couldn't have done worse compared to the first half) but FSU shooters were not comfortable and missed more than they should have. I'll take that.
Super strange game. In the first half, FSU took a ton of twos and very few threes, but hit both at a decent clip, while we had a high volume of threes with poor percentages outside the arc. Then those exact stats reversed themselves in the second half. Normally a high volume of threes actually works in your favor, but it hurt both teams in this game. First half Florida: 44% on 17 twos, 8% on 12 threes FSU: 48% on 25 twos, 50% on 6 threes Second half Florida: 53% on 26 twos, 40% on 5 threes FSU: 50% on 20 twos, 0% on 10 threes
