Hoops Hodgepodge 9

NEXT-DAY TAKEAWAY
Florida 72, No. 12 Auburn 66
Three leftover thoughts from Saturday's victory over the SEC leaders.

1) He took 15 shots against Auburn. In the previous five games, KeVaughn Allen attempted more than eight shots only once. Can the Gators win without a big scoring night from Allen? Yes. They've done that. But why tempt fate? The fact Allen went to Tennessee on Wednesday night and took just three shots in 29 minutes is mind-numbing. It's even more so when considering UF was in a five-point game. The game before that, he took just eight shots at Vanderbilt in a three-point loss. A third straight game of such passivity, and Mike White's head might have exploded. That's why White met with Allen the day after the UT game, and invited both Kevarrius Hayes and Keith Stone, Allen's closest friends on the team, to the meeting. White wanted all three to soak in what he had to say. The message wasn't much different than it's always been. "Hey KeVaughn! Shoot the basketball!" It's really not complicated. Allen is an average defensive player who doesn't rebound, so his main job -- assignments 1, 2 and 3 -- is to look to score. Period. In the Auburn game, he came off the bench, missed his first five shots and still was encouraged/ordered to stay aggressive. He then hit his next six shots spanning both halves, four of them 3-pointers (one notable one from about 75 feet), on his way to a 24-point night that marked his second-highest outburst of the season. He's such a talented shooter and scorer that a run of a few misses should never deter his aggressiveness. White said as much in his postgame remarks to the media. Florida has struggled to score over the last month and, lo and behold, the Gators' first-team All-Southeastern Conference player of a year ago splashes down for the biggest game of the season. He was the best player on the floor in the biggest win of the season. Which begs the question: Now what? We'll find out soon enough. Next up for the Gators (18-11, 9-7) is Tuesday night's trip to Alabama (17-12, 8-8), where a desperate Crimson Tide, losers of two straight and on the NCAA Tournament bubble, will be waiting.

2) Redshirt freshman Dontay Bassett got his first career start because a player who should know better (Hayes) was nearly 15 minutes late (along with Allen and Keith Stone) for a film session Friday night. As far as Auburn was concerned, there wasn't a lot of tape or intel on Bassett. The 6-foot-9, 240-pounder from Oakland, Calif., (by way of Tampa Oldsmar Christian) was averaging just 1.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 6.4 minutes in 20 appearances. Along the way, though, Bassett has maintained a steady, blue-collar work ethic that has endeared him to the coaches. He doesn't care about numbers and embraces physicality, two traits that aren't exactly universal in the UF locker room. Bassett had flashed some good things inside this season (9 points in the home loss to South Carolina last month), but also a lack of discipline with regard to fouling. Against the Tigers and their smallish front court, he was terrific: 12 points, six rebounds, two steals and block in 24 minutes. He was 5-for-6 from the floor. Five of his six rebounds were on the offensive end, including a pair of "and-ones" during a second-half stretch when the Gators struggled to hit shots as the Tigers were on their way back from 14 down. The charge for Bassett now is to maintain an even keel, whether starting or coming off the bench, and play to his role. UF has been looking all year for a lift in the post, both offensively and defensively. Bassett, at least for one game, provided it.

3) Senior point guard Chris Chiozza was sensational, both running the offense (career-high 12 assists, 2 turnovers) and with his half-court defense dodging screens and making things difficult for Auburn counterpart Jared Harper (8 points, 2 assists, 3 turnovers). Chiozza's feed to Jalen Hudson with 25.6 seconds left was a thing of beauty. That said, his free throws were not. Chiozza went 1-for-5 from the line, including a missed front end, and has now missed eight of his last nine free throws, dating back four games. His issues at the line mirror those of his teammates. Through 20 games, the Gators were shooting 75.5 percent as a team. Over the last six games, they've hit the 70-percent threshold only once. After going 7-for-16 against Auburn, the Gators are 39-for-70 over the previous four games. That's 55.7 percent. The team shoots a ton of free throws during practice (under pressure to run as a team, if a certain percentage is not made). White said after the game his players would shoot even more after the spectacle, which certainly was the case Sunday. White even implemented a new drill in another attempt to replicate pressure. For what it's worth, Chiozza did not seem too concerned after the game Saturday. He said his free throws felt and looked good leaving his hand. Just didn't go in. Maybe that's his way to confront the slump. Whatever it takes.

HUGE WIN FOR THE RÉSUMÉ

Florida upped its postseason profile in a big way by beating not just the Southeastern Conference leader, but the No. 6 team in the Ratings Percentage Index.

Are the Gators "in" the NCAA Tournament. No. Nobody is. Selection Sunday is still two weeks away. But UF's postseason profile, under the revamped system, looks much, much better now than it did going into the weekend. A more detailed and easier-to-understand explanation if the new NCAA system can be found directly below.

A team with 18 wins would be wise to take nothing for granted, but there's a reason a lot of so-called "bracketologists" have Florida comfortably in the field of 64 (or 68, actually). Only two teams, Kansas (11) and reigning national champion North Carolina (10), have more quality wins than the Gators, who have as many as -- get this -- Virginia (8), which is merely ranked No. 1 in the country. Plus, regular-season games at Alabama on Tuesday and the home finale Saturday against Kentucky will automatically improve the Gators' RPI, as well as give them two great opportunities to further build on that résumé.

CHARTING THE GATORS

The NCAA selection committee's new formula for filling its bracket puts a premium on the quality of each victory, especially when they come away from home. Teams with a handful of so-called "Quadrant 1" wins will be viewed more favorably. A Quad-1 win is defined by a victory against a Top-30 RPI team at home, or against a Top-50 opponent at a neutral site, or against a Top-75 opponent on the road. Under this system, Florida and Auburn top the SEC in those marquee Quad-1 wins — and it's not close. Especially when you line the Gators up against the handful of other league teams jumbled in that third, fourth and fifth tier of league teams jockeying for at-large berths. Below is the SEC breakdown of Quadrant 1 wins by each team, based on RPI data as of Sunday morning. Obviously, the numbers will change daily. Example: UF's home win over Arkansas became a Quad 1 Saturday because the Razorbacks moved to No. 27 in the RPI after winning at Alabama. If the Hogs dip below 30, that Quad 1 win disappears off all resumes. In other words, the Gators picked up two Quad 1s in one day.

Note: * denotes a neutral site game.

Team	Record	RPI	"Quadrant 1" victories
Auburn	24-5 (12-4)	7th	8 — *Middle Tennessee, @Tennessee, Arkansas, @Missouri, Kentucky, @Murray State, @Mississippi State, @Georgia
Florida	18-11 (9-7)	50th	8 — Gonzaga, Cincinnati, @Texas A&M, @Missouri, Arkansas, @Kentucky, Auburn, @South Carolina
Missouri	18-11 (8-8)	40th	6 — Tennessee, @Alabama, Kentucky, Texas A&M, @UCF, @South Carolina
Alabama	17-11 (8-8)	42nd	6 — Rhode Island, Texas A&M, Auburn, Oklahoma, @Florida, Tennessee
Tennessee	21-7 (11-5)	13th	5 — *Purdue, Texas A&M, @Kentucky, @South Carolina
Arkansas	20-9 (9-7)	27th	5 — *Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M, @Alabama, @Georgia,
LSU	16-12 (7-9)	80th	5 — *Michigan, Houston, @Texas A&M, @Arkansas, Arkansas
Texas A&M	18-11 (7-9)	26th	4 — *West Virginia, @Southern California, Arkansas, Kentucky
Georgia	16-12 (7-9)	70th	4 — *St. Mary's, @Florida, Tennessee, @Marquette
South Carolina	15-14 (6-10)	73rd	4 — Kentucky, @Florida, Auburn, @Georgia
Kentucky	20-9 (9-7)	14th	3 — Texas A&M, @West Virginia, @Arkansas
Mississippi State	21-8 (9-7)	60th	3 — Arkansas, Texas A&M, @South Carolina
Ole Miss	12-17 (5-11)	109th	1 — @Missouri
Vanderbilt	11-18 (5-11)	118th	1 — Texas Christian

UF ALUM UPDATE

Mike Miller was the pied piper of Florida basketball.

A basketball prodigy in the hoops outposts of South Dakota, the kid known as "Skinny" grew enamored with a young, dynamic coaching staff and its pitch to be a part of something that had never been done before. So Miller, a 6-foot-8 forward and McDonald's All-American with off-the-chain skills, spurned nearby Kansas, as well as Duke and Kentucky, to sign with Billy Donovan's third Florida team. He arrived in the fall of 1998 and alongside the likes of fellow freshmen Teddy Dupay and Udonis Haslem, helped guide the Gators on a run to the Sweet 16. The next year, Miller was the leading scorer and No. 2 rebounder on a squad that went 29-8 and advanced to the 2000 NCAA title game, before falling to Michigan State.

Miller bolted UF after that season, was drafted fifth overall by the Orlando Magic and was the 2001 NBA Rookie of the Year. He went on to play for seven teams over a 17-year career, scoring 10,973 points (with career averages of 10.6 points and 4.2 rebounds) and winning two world championships with Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat.

On Saturday, Miller, who retired in 2017 and settled in Memphis, Tenn., was back at the O'Dome (with wife Jen, a former UF volleyball standout, plus sons Mason and Mavrick, and daughter Jaelyn) to take a bow for the home crowd.

Overheard from a fan in the stands as the crowd cheered: "He started it all."

Yes, he did.

Welcome back, Mike!

PERSPECTIVE POLICE BEAT
(i.e. "Twitter Patter")

Coaches are held accountable. Players are held accountable. Even senior writers are held accountable. This space is dedicated to holding the fans (and fan boys) on Twitter accountable. At times, we'll also recognize those who "get it" and acknowledge those who offer entertaining social media fodder, or (God forbid) the proper perspective. [Note: If you're completely unreasonable and wonder why you don't show up here, it's probably because you've been muted or blocked, and thus in "Perspective Prison." I'm the cop, judge, jury and warden of that legal system, by the way.]

The level of unhinged lunacy on my timeline last week was truly something to behold.

Offense will come- Mike "Struggle to 50 points" White
— Can't score 50-White (@GatorTornado) February 22, 2018

"Hot Seat Boy" weighed in on my timeline 14 times during the Tennessee game. Guess how often I heard from him during the Auburn win? Crickets. #exposed

3gor tired legs
Get him out of the game
— Greg DeCrescenzo (@GregDeCrescenzo) February 25, 2018

Yes, Egor was so tired that he crashed for a pivotal offensive rebound with 2:29 to play, and Gators down two points, to reset a second-chance possession that ended with a go-ahead 3-pointer from Allen. Koulechov has physical limitations. He has his off nights shooting the ball. But you know what? He fights. And he leads the team in rebounds at just 6-5. Against the Tigers, he tied Bassett for the team high with six.

@FloridaGators looks like some ??'s players don't think ?? is not important these day, guess the fans should think the same way
— Becky Obarts (@BeccaO) February 25, 2018

Also went stealth after the game. The misery of winning loves company.

I just don't trust this Gators team to put a team to bed, no matter the lead, until the clock hits 0:00
— ATL Gator (@champton85) February 25, 2018

No one could possibly blame you for this. The Gators earned that lack of trust by blowing so many leads this season, which made the way they finished, especially on defense, something to be encouraged about. Huge confidence builder.

Hudson & Allen are mentally fractured.
— Johnny Philistine (@TejasGator) February 25, 2018

They combined for 43 points, 15-for-29 from the floor and 10-for-16 from the 3-point line. Here's hoping you're so "mentally fractured" in whatever you do.

Bench Kevaughn. Will be a run for the good guys
— Branson Smith (@BransonSmith) February 25, 2018

I don't suppose you'll be coaching basketball any time soon.

Where are these guys' heads?
— Steven Stuebs, PE (@AVIDSteven) February 25, 2018

Attached to their necks. Where's yours?

Coach and ???????? team deserve every negative comments spoken or written about them, done with Gators
— Becky Obarts (@BeccaO) February 22, 2018

Becky was particularly bitter this week (and that's saying something, trust me). Question Becky: When the coach and team win, do they deserve every positive comment spoken or written about them????????? Just wondering, because you never show up for those conversations?

This team continues to look bad. They play undisciplined, no focus, and way too much (I) bball and isolation resulting in a bad shot. As I've said before nothing has changed and it's the same pathetic showing every game. This is a result in a poor coaching. It's sad. @GatorsMBK
— Matt Movrich (@movrichm1) February 22, 2018

They beat the nation's No. 12 team. You should be happy, not sad.

Can't spell 18 without NIT...
— Kyle B Magill (@kyleBmagill) February 22, 2018

"KyleB" is a one (boring) trick pony. NIT = No Interesting Tweets.

team is a flat out disgrace. Just a despicable group of players.
— Tim D (@TJD8686) February 22, 2018

Actually, I think this tweet was a flat-out disgrace. And as far as the word "despicable," do you even know what it means? I think maybe it's time to reassess some things about your outlook on life.

FREE THROWS

Regarding the officials' review late in the game, when Hayes, tight-roping the UF baseline, clearly was in bounds when he saved what should have been a possession for the Gators: Officials said they could not change the ruling on the floor because the play was blown dead. Think a fumble in a football game after the whistle. Same thing. ... Auburn's 24 first-half points equaled the fewest the Tigers had scored in the first half this season. Mississippi State also held them to 24, but the Tigers bounced back for 50 in that second en route to a 74-68 road win. ... With his whopping day on the assist front, Chiozza's four-year total now stands at 543, which is five shy of UF's all-time record of 547, currently held by Erving Walker (2008-12). If Chiozza holds true to his per-game average of 6.2, he'd break the school mark Tuesday in Tuscaloosa. His 180 assists on the season, by the way, stand as fifth-most. .. Chiozza had one steal against the Tigers, giving him 180 for his career and inching him closer to fourth place on the UF chart. That spot is occupied by Kasey Hill (2013-17) at 182. Finally, Chiozza's eight points put him at 977. He needs 23 to become the 53rd Gator to reach 1,000 points for his career. He'd be the second to get there this season, joining Allen. ... Speaking of Allen, his 24 points moved him past four players -- Malcolm Cesare (1975-79) and Corey Brewer (2004-07) with 1,224 points, Kenyan Weaks (1996-2000) with 1,234 points, and Chip Williams (1972-75) with 1,246 -- and into 31st place on the all-time list with 1,248. ... Hudson has reached double figures in 24 of the 29 games this season. ... The Chiozza-Koulechov-Hudson-Bassett-Mike Okauru starting lineup was the eighth combination to open a game for the Gators this season. While Bassett had quite a night, Okauru did not score, but his energy and aggressiveness on both defense and in transition offense helped set a terrific tone for the night. Good for him.

Gators Calendar

Players Mentioned

KeVaughn Allen

Dontay Bassett

Chris Chiozza

Kevarrius Hayes

Jalen Hudson

Keith Stone

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