By: Eric Fawcett -- December 14, 2024 Florida’s demolition tour continued Saturday as they again hammered a non-conference opponent this time taking down the Arizona State Sun Devils 83-66. While the score was somewhat lopsided it didn’t even tell the whole story as the Gators spent much of the second half with the margin near 30 with the Sun Devils clawing back in garbage time to keep the deficit under 20. With the win the Gators improved to 10-0 on the year, Florida’s first time with that record since the 1951-52 season. Additionally, this was yet another double-digit win, with the Gators yet to win a game by only single digits. Florida’s Dominance Continues With Blowout Win Over Arizona State | GatorCountry.com
Next! Bring on the Tar Heels! A week ago or so I saw NC was ranked all the way down at # 20 and immediately thought, "wow, they must have lost 4 or 5 games to be ranked that low. " They had only lost 3 games to that point so they should still be in the top ten! Jk...
Imagine if we had shot better. I think UF knew in the first 5 minutes ASU couldn’t hang with our roster. I don’t know if ASU is notsogood or we made them look that way, doesn’t matter. This team plays with energy and intensity most of the time!
I certainly don't want to get ahead of enjoying this team game-by-game . . . but, historically, teams that do well in March Madness have experienced guards and do even better with an inside threat and we have several of both. I know the SEC schedule will be brutal for almost every team but iron sharpens iron. Yesterday was impressive to me.
Having 2 veteran guards is rare. We have 3 and a really good one off the bench that should be playing like a vet by the end of the year.
Exactly! This looks like an incredible team with unlimited potential. They do pretty much everything very well. This team reminds me of Spurrier's teams when we were so dominant. Kind of feeling things out for awhile, then a blowout and the game is quickly in hand. How would you like to be Bobby Hurley yesterday to have witnessed his team trail 42-33 to down by 19 in a matter of minutes? I walked away very briefly, and when I came back the Gators were up by 19. I was like, "Holy Shit!"
Same here. It’s crazy. Of course, we will struggle in some conference games but hopefully won’t get taken to the woodshed. Even then, the team will learn no game is guaranteed, have to play hard every night!
Exactly, and 3 veteran guards that all have good size, shoot lights out (at times), play solid D and can hit FTs.
Yes, probably true but some of the top SEC teams are going to be beat and sometimes badly. Every now and again, one team shoots poorly or defends poorly. You really have to be mentally tough to excel in our conference, like the 04’s and the Wilbekin team(s). Right now, I’m hoping for an undefeated season and Golden can have his name on the court too!
Hopefully if we hit a game where we can't score inside and our 3 starting guards are all cold, Aberdeen or Klavzar rip the nets up. Or at the least we play superb defense.
Sure feels that way, doesn't it. I do remember getting beat badly in a game and Billy benched the entire starting 5 except Mike Miller to send a message. Hopefully we don't end up there. Difference is this team also has a lot of experience and maturity. Clayton and Co seem like they're on a mission.
When you can’t hit a shot or free throws or throw the ball away, you can always play defense like there’s no tomorrow. Limiting your opponents offense can sometimes jump start your offense. I think TG emphasizes this defensive effort and overall hustle. He jumps out of his seat when he sees a Gator hustle and give extra effort on the defensive side. I think this team plays good defense most of the time; they locked down Az St effectively in the last game. There is no excuse for every Gator not to bring their A game on the defensive end. Martin is a tremendous defender who is relentless in his efforts. I’ve also seen some improvement in Haugh and Richard’s defense this year.
