First of all, if we can consistently shoot the ball like we have been, we’re going to be tough to beat. We made 13 out of 30 three-pointers, good for 43%. We dominated the first half, but looked a little sloppy in the second. Every active member of the team saw action and all but one scored. I was pleased with the way the freshmen played under control and didn’t try to force anything. Regardless, a 40-point win to start the season is an excellent way to get your team’s confidence up, especially heading into Tuesday’s game with #3 Ohio State.
We began the game with a 17-3 run before the first media timeout. All throughout the first half, our defense was swarming the Tigers and the full-court press as really good considering it was the first regular season game. We forced 24 turnovers, most of them in the first half. Mike Rosario has improved his defense immensely since he last played for Rutgers two seasons ago. That has been the knock on him, but he has certainly proved that he is more than capable of applying “in your face” pressure. We led 59-23 at the half, but I felt that we kind of let up our guard and started to play sloppy for a good 6-8 minutes in the second half. We cannot afford to have any lapses when we play Ohio State on Tuesday.
Player performances: The Gators’ leading scorers were Kenny Boynton and Mike Rosario, each with 19 points. KB was 4/7 from three and Mike was 5/8; if they both can continue this torrid shooting, they can prove to everyone out there that this backcourt is the best in the country. The only concern is that Mike had only two rebounds; he needs to average three per game, but with his offense he should be able to make up for it. Brad Beal had 14 points, but shot 1/6 from deep; I wouldn’t worry about this too much because it was his first collegiate regular season game and he is one of the best shooters in college basketball. Once again, Brad has to grab more than two rebounds because with us being a small team, we have to get rebounding production from everyone. Patric Young gave us his first collegiate double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He also led the team with three steals and even showed his improvement in the offseason with a nice 10-foot jumper at the start of the game. Big Pat has the ability to take over games with his defense and “around the basket” awareness, grabbing offensive rebounds and getting his points that way. He is also a dependable free throw shooter, which will come in handy towards the end of games. Erving Walker scored 10 points on 4/6 overall, and 1/2 from deep; Erv needs to shoot more and take advantage of his unlimited range. He was our leading scorer last year, but I think you’ll see last year’s Erving Walker against Ohio State. He’s going to be our leading scorer. Erik Murphy had 6 points and 4 rebounds but had 3 blocks, which made up for his lack of production. He was 1/4 from deep but he needs to continue to get more aggressive inside and grab all the loose balls and rebounds that come his way. Scottie Wilbekin had five points in his return to the Gator lineup after sitting out the Catholic game with a broken finger; it was noticeable that he was a little tentative in his return and didn’t look comfortable when he first came in. However, he hit a three and had two assists, along with his normal tough defense. Scottie is an essential member of the rotation and I think that he will surprise some people with his improved shooting and decision-making. Casey Prather gave us some great hustle and defense off the bench; he only had 3 points, but he was aggressive on offense and I look for him to make a meaningful impact during games as he will play between 10-15 minutes. Will Yeguete, once again, gave us great rebounding and has shown an improved offensive game; he grabbed 7 rebounds and added 7 points. He honed his skills over the summer with the French U-21 team and he has become a reliable player for us. I look for him to give us strong play throughout the season. Cody Larson scored 4 points and grabbed 3 rebounds in his Gator regular season debut; he needs to give us production on both ends because he will get 5-10 minutes per game and I know that he’s itching to contribute after sitting out last year. Lastly, Walter Pitchford played two minutes and took one shot; it’s going to be tough for Walter to carve out a spot in the rotation, but with his shooting and shot-blocking abilities, I could easily see him getting some minutes here and there.
Up next, the Gators play Ohio State at 8:00 on Tuesday in Columbus. The Gators will be looking for revenge as the Buckeyes beat us pretty good in Gainesville last year, 93-75. The Gator pregame show starts at 7:25 on 850 WRUF with Mick Hubert and Mark Wise calling the action. At 8:00, listen or watch the game on ESPN2. Hopefully the Gators can pull it out. GO GATORS!
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