Florida's win last night on the road in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was much-needed and helped to provide a bright spot during what has been a disappointing season thus far. Florida moved to 11-9 overall and 4-3 in the SEC. Florida's record highlights the inconsistency that has plagued this year's team all season. For instance, they began conference play with three straight wins, then proceeded to drop three in a row. Coach Billy Donovan has been critical of his team's inability to play a complete game. Donovan said, “It's not just one thing. It's just the consistency and the discipline to do it for 40 minutes. We do it sometimes, but we don't do it enough. Over a course of 40 minutes, with those kind of breakdowns, inevitably you're in a really, really tight game like we were [on Saturday].”* The Gators lost to Ole Miss, 72-71, on Saturday.
But the inconsistency goes deeper than inconsistency on the court. It has started with Donovan and his staff's lack of ability to land a legitimate big man. And by "big man" I mean a player over 6'10" and weighing 230+ pounds; someone who primarily plays in the post. The last player to fit that criteria was Marreese Speights, who played for UF from 2006-2008 and now is in his sixth year in the NBA (currently plays for the Golden State Warriors). Florida does have John Egbunu (6'11", 266 pounds) sitting out this season as a redshirt after transferring from the University of South Florida. In addition, Schuyler Rimmer (6'10", 250 pounds) recently transferred to UF from Stanford and will be eligible following the Fall 2015 semester. The Gators have signed four recruits for next season, but no one over 6'9". Certainly with Florida's history in the last 10-15 years, recruits should be flocking to Gainesville. Donovan and his staff need to do a better job in that regard.
The suspensions of Chris Walker, Jon Horford, Zach Hodskins, and Brandone Francis have been alarming. Walker was suspended for the first two regular season games for a violation of team rules. Horford and Hodskins were suspended for the South Carolina game on January 7 for violations of team rules. Francis, a freshman, was ruled academically ineligible for the entire season. Injuries have been too many to count, which hurts team chemistry. I still believe that the team's chemistry issues stem from the lack of leadership. I would have expected Michael Frazier II to step into that role, but it does not seem like he has.
Lastly, the graduation of seniors Casey Prather, Will Yeguete, Patric Young, and Scottie Wilbekin from last year's squad have hurt this year's team. The Gators face an uphill battle to make the NCAA Tournament and will most likely be content with an NIT appearance. But if they can play consistently for 30-35 minutes, they might surprise some teams.
* Quote from: http://www.onlygators.com/01/27/2015/gameday-florida-gators-at-alabama-crimson-tide-billy-donovan-struggling-with-inconsistent-roster/#ixzz3QAZogl1o
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