Team's struggles should not come as a surprise

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

2 keys to beating Arkansas

1. "Man down, man up"

The Gators will be without leading scorer Casey Prather, who suffered a bone bruise in his knee during Wednesday's win over South Carolina.  Senior center Patric Young, who is arguably playing the best basketball of his career, has been hobbled by tendinitis in both knees and will not start today.  Senior point guard Scottie Wilbekin will not start either, after turning his ankle at the end of Wednesday's game.  Sophomore shooting guard Michael Frazier II has been dealing with a calf injury.  Young has been in and out of practice, while Wilbekin has not practiced since his injury.  Both Young and Wilbekin will play today.  The Gators have been undermanned all season, with sophomore guard Dillon Graham (hip) and junior guard Eli Carter (leg) electing to redshirt after not being able to get back to full fitness.  According to Coach Billy Donovan, the Gator starting lineup will be: Kasey Hill (PG), Frazier II (SG), DeVon Walker (SF), Dorian Finney-Smith (PF), and Will Yeguete (C).  Junior walk-on forward Jacob Kurtz will be utilized and should be a big role in today's game.

2.  Dealing with the Razorback crowd

Bud Walton Arena is one of the loudest arenas in the country, and the Razorbacks have won 23 straight games here.  According to Donovan, Arkansas is a "top-5 team" when they play at home.  Expect all 19,200 seats to be filled.  Razorback fans should be excited, as #10 Florida comes into town today and #14 Kentucky comes in on Tuesday.
   

Gators have yet to have full squad in practice or games

Game 7: Florida State Seminoles (5-1, 0-0 ACC) at #15/13 University of Florida Gators (5-1, 0-0 SEC)
Stephen C. O'Connell Center (capacity: 11,548), Gainesville, Florida 7:30 p.m.

Preview

The Gators have yet to have a full roster for both games and practices, for a myriad of reasons.  Here is a list of players who have missed practices or games:

Scottie Wilbekin (suspension)
Eli Carter (leg)
Will Yeguete (knee)
Dillon Graham (hips)
DeVon Walker (foot)
Damontre Harris (suspension)
Dorian Finney-Smith (suspension and illness)
Michael Frazier II (mono)
Kasey Hill (ankle)

For tonight's game against in-state rival Florida State, the Gators will, once again, be short-handed.  Hill will not be playing for another 3-4 weeks due to a high ankle sprain suffered during the Southern game on November 18.  Graham, who played in the first game of the season against North Florida, will redshirt this season after developing bone spurs on both hips.  Harris remains suspended due to a violation of team rules.  Essentially, Carter is playing on one leg as he has struggled to get back to full fitness following a broken leg last season while playing for Rutgers.  To make matters worse, Walker suffered a right foot sprain in Monday's game at Jacksonville and that makes him questionable for tonight's contest.  Luckily, Wilbekin had his suspension lifted last game and he gives the team some much-needed depth and experience.

Florida has dominated this series, winning 42 out of the 65 meetings.  The Gators are 20-6 at home versus the Seminoles.  Last season, the Gators won big in Tallahassee, 72-47.  The 'Noles have played a competitive schedule thus far, beating then-ranked #10 Virginia Commonwealth and losing to then-ranked #14 Michigan in overtime, both in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament.  Ian Miller leads the team in scoring at 15.5 ppg off the bench.  Okaro White is their most complete player, averaging 14.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg.  FSU is a tall team, as their projected starting lineup goes 6'3" (Devon Bookert), 6'7" (Montay Brandon), 6'9" (Okaro White), 6'9" (Robert Gilchrist), and 7'3" (Boris Bojanovsky).  Off the bench, 7'0" Kiel Turpin and 7'1" Michael Ojo give the Seminoles add even more height to the frontcourt.    

Beginning with tonight's clash, the Gators will play five straight games against high-quality opponents: at UCONN (December 2), home against Kansas (December 10), Madison Square Garden against Memphis (December 17), and Sunrise, Florida, for Fresno State (December 21).  Coming up very quickly is Florida's first conference game on January 8 against South Carolina.  The SEC is much-improved this season, with Kentucky, Florida, and Tennessee expected to lead the way, with dark-horses LSU, Missouri, and Ole Miss right behind.            

Key Florida statistics

Points per game: 74.7
Opponent's points per game: 59.3
Scoring margin: +15.3
Field goal percentage: 47.7%
3-point percentage: 36% (31/86)- 5.2 per game
Free throw percentage: 70.3%- 18.2 per game
Rebounds: 35.7 per game
Rebound margin: +3.7
Assists: 13 per game
Turnovers: 10.5 per game
Steals: 8.2 per game
Blocks: 3.2 per game

Broadcast Information

TV: ESPN2; Mike Crispino (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (analyst)
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network; Mick Hubert (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst)
Streaming: ESPN3.com