Not sure I agree - Why? UF shot what - 18% from three, CC was completely shut down offensively, and Auburn was just horrible. IF UF was going to steal a game from a ranked opponent this was it. Auburn played down to the Gators level. Oh well, file it under close but no cigar. I'm worried this club will have a growing list of these type of games in the SEC with UF on the short end of the scoreboard stick. Auburn better clean their game up too, they were pathetic.
Just posting my thoughts after the game referencing the season after a tough loss. Sorry if that rubbed you the wrong way. My bad.
I got a chance to watch the game on demand. I thought we are playing MUCH better defensively. Reeves seems to have found his mojo. That is definitely a good sign. I am not sure whether playing everyone on the perimeter on offense is a new philosophy or if it was the way Golden thought we could win this game. I think what it did was to open up the cuts to the basket. Reeves and Fudge took advantage. I do agree with posters that it seems to take CC out of any real offensive rhythm, and he is pressing or just not capable of making moves that far out. Kugel seems to be the next who needs to get religion, Golden style. We shall see where it leads. Something HAS to break in a good way with Lofton. He HAS to be effective and besides strolling up the court and initiating the offense he just isn't. He doesn't look like he doesn't belong, he looks like he doesn't get what we are doing. Plan B is a fun-to-watch Bonham but he won't win many games playing as a true PG against the better backcourt teams IMO. Richard seems to have caught whatever offense bug that has been going around. He to me was as much the reason why we lost this game as any player. He is an x-factor player and he definitely was on the wrong side of the ledger. I hate to think we are going to have to rely on Jones to take over his spot. He shot it like he is capable and he can easily brick it also. I prefer to give him a chance and if the answer is "not tonight" then back to the bench. Felder is turned off emotionally. He isn't a middling transfer, he came from the ACC. JJ is doing his best and it gives CC a break. Maybe a few magic moments like his block but not much else. I have to believe going full platoon is the only way to overcome the team's shortcomings. And your time on the court is based on how YOUR group is playing and not how you are winning the one-on-one battles. Maybe one is a zone team and the other man-to-man. Put JJ and Felder together and let them play off each other. And let them foul out if that gives them time on the court. Time to change things up.
He is more valuable to the team on the floor with Castleton than on the bench waiting to give him a breather. Castleton will not have to work as hard if Jitoboh is in the low post also. No team can keep both players from getting high-percentage shots. They are too big. And while neither has a reliable outside shot, putting Castleton at the free throw line, and Jitoboh down low forces bigger defenders to come out of the paint to cover the foul line free throw that Castleton will get if no one covers him. He is shooting 72% from the free-throw line. Even if he shoots 15 percentage points lower than his free throw percentage or 57% from the free throw line area, He will be 10 percentage points higher than his current field goal percentage which is almost exclusively derived from inside the paint.
We have a 6'11" junior who weighs 300 and who played 7 minutes. When you don't use your assets, you can't expect positive results. If he is guaranteed 20 minutes a game, we will see 5-7 points, at least 4 rebounds, and 1 block. Using the Auburn game, I would have given him at least 5 of Castleton's minutes (assuming they aren't playing together), and 8 of Jones' minutes.
The 6'-11" part I like. The 300-pound part is the problem. Honestly, he's still a foul-and-turnover machine because of poor foot speed and reaction time.