MBB OGT: #3 FLORIDA at the LegHumpers -- February 25, 2025 -- 7 PM [SECN]

OMG guys, can't fault the Gator guys on the road. We played fairly decent; uga played well beyond their abilities. Still 26 pts down, we came back to go 2 pts up in the final minutes. No shame in that. Even a Mike White finds a blind acorn from time to time.

No need to worry. If we beat Alabama, we will be a 1 seed. No biggie if we don't because we would likely to be headed to Duke's bracket as a 2 seed, which imo, is better than a 1 seed.

I feel we would absolutely crush a 1 seed Duke and their little pre-school players with our hard-core senior guards and our deep front court with their blue collar lunch-box mentality.

If we don't get the 1 seed, bring on Dukie with their inexperienced baby players. We will crush them with our battle-hardened guys!

 

Lsu was "pretty " enough cause we won by double digits

 

Still, even down 26 I was confident these guys would make it a game. That’s saying something. They played really well in the 2nd half, besides leaving a bunch of points at the FT line. When we actually took the lead I kind of thought we had it in the bag! Unfortunately the last minute resembled that first 15.

 

When Blue came into the game right before that 3, I turned to my girl and said we need to guard Blue or he'll hit a 3. That's exactly what happened...

 

That game is an outlier statistically speaking...

 

This game was primarily lost at the foul line. 18/29 for 62% ain't gonna cut it...

 

Clayton with 5 TO's. That can't happen. With Condon back, it will be interesting to see how Golden plays with the lineups. The 1st 15 minutes was attrocious and that can't happen again. Some very unclutch FT shooting was a killer but especially by Martin late in the game when we needed it most. If he makes 2 FT's and Florida goes up 3, it may have changed the game. Easily the worst loss of the season.

A&M is now a must win on Saturday to even keep the 2 seed imo. A loss & Florida will be 5-5 vs Quad 1 teams & that would probably drop Florida assuming Florida splits the last 2 games. Can't allow that to happen. I think if Florida wins out at home, they'll get at least a 2 seed. Obviously win the last 3, get a 1 seed but still if Florida goes 2-1, a run to the Finals could catapult Florida back into the 1 seed depending on Tennessee.

 

Have to get off the bus ready to play. Solid adjustments being made at halftime for sure - need to make some of those adjustments on the fly in the first half when things are stagnant.

 

I liked what I saw from Handlogten. I thought we should have attacked the rim more with the bigs and let Handy clean up on the glass. But it is irrelevant. Under no circumstance can you let Georgia get a 26 point lead on you. What is that? Where was the coach during that run to start the game? Yes, it is great we made a comeback. We all know Mike White is going to let you back in the game if you give him a lead. But what is wrong with this team that they get in that much of a hole against an average team like Georgia? I wonder if Georgia has led by more than 20 on any team this year.

I also thought after Blue Cain hit that 3 (courtesy of Condon covering out of position, Clayton helping Condon and being out of posiiton, leaving Will Richard to have to come around a moving screen by Godfrey to get to Cain), that Coach should have called a timeout down 1 with under a minute to set up a good play. Instead, Clayton makes a ridiculous attempt at an alley oop in traffic, and that was that.

We are clearly the superior team, so I put this one on the coach for not having them prepared defensively. Can't give up 88 points to Georgia. You are going to have off shooting nights and missed free throws, but you can't leave your defense in Gainesville for an entire half.

 

My take?

 

Generally, we've been a pretty good free-throwing team. Above the national average, anyway. Last night it cost us the game.

 

We should have called a timeout early in the game. It's times like that that CBD would call one and read 'em the riot act, even breaking his clipboard over his knee on occasion.

 

The polls were right. You have to earn it.

 

CTG should have made them watch Georgia at Auburn before they loaded the plane to Athens. Georgia played very well against Auburn and time and time again they were close to overtaking them. Home cooking probably had a lot to do with that close in for Auburn. I was thinking befor the game, start slow on the road, home cooking 8n the second half, they could clip us. Oh well, we will see if we are a top five team very quickly.

 

Can anyone post Will’s dunk? I was at the game and the whole arena was impressed.

 

You are right, except 3 out of the 4 losses (all close games) the FT % dipped dramatically, especially clutch FT down the stretch

6 point loss vs Kentucky (22/35, 62.9%)

1 point loss vs Missouri (21/31, 67.7%)

5 point loss vs Georgia (18/29, 62.1%)

This has been the achilles heel of this team trying to win close, grinding, or come from behind games. This is the ONLY component of this team that worries me going into the tournament.

Per 2024-25 Men's Basketball Cumulative Statistics - Florida Gators

The season average is 71% (including those 3 woeful losses)

 

Yes, exactly, but people keep bringing up the "two halves" to win games and I was just using it as an example, plus it was one we fell behind in in the first half like others have been talking about. It was a two for one

 

Not sure who was supposed to cover Cain, but I'm betting it was Richard and the play they had drawn up was for Richard to be held, with the ref watching intently. It was more than a moving sreen and WR was held the entire time

 

I 100% agree with this and said the same thing last night. When he drove it for a slam, I knew that switch came on for him. I feel likes he’s a very unselfish player the majority of the time until he feels the need to take it over.

 

we'd eat those fancy 5-stars for lunch