The Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 82-74 to improve to 18-11 and .500 in SEC conference play. The Gators now have two games remaining before the SEC tournament and March Madness begins.
Against the Bulldogs, Florida was able to get contributions from some of its average players; consistent play will be needed for the Gators to make a deep run in March. Here’s a recap of Florida’s win over Georgia.
Florida Dominates Offensively
After losing Tuesday’s game against Arkansas, the Gators really bounced back on the offensive end. The usual suspects of Colin Castleton and Tyree Appleby combined for 34 points, but they got help from the other starters shooting the ball. In fact, Phlandrous Fleming Jr. had one of his best games with 27 points. The starting guards collectively had 12 threes, and Myreon Jones also contributed 13 points.
While Castleton didn’t exactly have a big game, he was aggressive on the glass with a total of 12 rebounds. He finds a way to impact the game outside of scoring the ball, and he even had the second-most assists behind Appleby in this game. Four of Florida’s starters finished the contest with at least 10 points in scoring, and that type of offensive production is needed to compete with the best teams.
Georgia Impresses On Offense
Regardless of the loss, the Bulldogs had a decent game on the offensive side as well; they just couldn’t stop the Gators defensively. Kario Oquendo finished with 20 points in this game, and he was really the only Georgia player to make shots behind the arch. Nonetheless, Georgia finished nearly 40% from three, but Florida out-gained Georgia at 45%.
Both teams shot around 50% from the field as well; it was more a matter of great offense than weak defense being played. However, the Gators will need to continue to improve on the defensive end, and they can’t allow three players on the opposing team to score in double-digits. When they play next week against Kentucky, these little details will be crucial for Florida to win in its last home game.
Concluding Thoughts
As of now, the Gators could finish 20-18 before heading into tournament play. A victory over Kentucky will be a great confidence boost for Florida, but it won’t matter if the Gators don’t succeed in March. This has been a rollercoaster season thus far, and that will likely continue as March Madness looms.
(Featured image via Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)