Gators Ready to Put Kentucky Loss in the Past, Move on to Critical Match-Up with Tennessee
Saturday, February 11, 2012 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- One of the things that really troubled Billy Donovan about his team's lopsided loss Tuesday night at No. 1 Kentucky -- besides the Wildcats' dominant performance, of course -- was the body language of his basketball team.
While Rupp Arena went nuts, the Gators went into a shell.
“When things got hard, we were like this,” Donovan said, clutching his hands as if tensing up, for emphasis. “There wasn't any finger-pointing . None of that. It's just like everybody got into their own little thing.”
He called it a case of “fractured minds,” and provided a couple examples.
Senior Erving Walker was not playing well, Donovan said. “He's trying to figure out, 'What can I do to play better?” Instead, of being like, 'OK, focus on what you can control.' It's not about you playing any better.”
Erik Murphy was 3-for-11 in the game. Donovan: “He misses a wide-open layup and open 3-point shots. He's like, 'I gotta make those shots.' Well, great. I don't think you're shooting the ball intentionally trying to miss. But if you had control over it, you would never miss a shot. Focus on the stuff you can control.”
It's a concept the Florida staff has been trying to pound into the players' collective heads all season. The Gators seemed to get it at Ole Miss, falling behind by 16 points practically out of the gate, before rallying for a big road win.
Granted, the opponent was different Tuesday night, but that doesn't justify the "fractured" mindset.
“It's been our biggest issue -- the mental approach to the game,” freshman swingman Bradley Beal said. “Not being able to move past adversity and trying to fight through it.”
For UF's sake, the team better have made some progress on the whole focusing-on-what's-in-front-of-them thing. No, not a whole lot went right in that 20-point loss in Lexington, but dwelling on it will accomplish absolutely nothing for the task ahead. And it's a formidable one.
If the Kentucky game was the worst of the season (and it definitely was statistically), the next in line was an ugly 67-56 road defeat at Tennessee to open the Southeastern Conference season. The rematch should provide plenty of incentive for the Gators (19-5, 7-2) and demand their undivided attention Saturday when the Volunteers (12-12, 4-5) visit the O'Connell Center for a showdown that's been sold out since early this week.
“What happened, happened,” Murphy said. “On to the next thing. On to Tennessee.”
In the first meeting, the Gators shot 35.7 from the floor, including just 7-for-22 (31.8 percent) from the 3-point line, and scored their fewest points of the season. Since that game, the Volunteers have added 6-foot-8, 250-pound power forward Jarnell Stokes, who graduated from Memphis (Tenn.) Southwind High School in December, enrolled at UT in January and is averaging nearly nine points on 51-percent shooting and eight rebounds in 24 backup minutes per game.
“He's a unique player just because of his size and strength. You're not going to see too many high school kids that are seniors that look like him, physically,” Donovan said of Stokes. “Outside of maybe having to catch up and learn a new system, I don't think the speed or strength or size of college [basketball] was going to hold him because he's a pretty strong and physical kid.”
The Gators will have to deal with him, but they also have to deal with some shooting issues that are becoming too pronounced to ignore. Though first in the nation in 3-point field goals per game at 10.3, Florida has now fallen below 40 percent (39.5) from the arc for the first time this season.
That number is 35.8 percent in SEC play.
Tennessee, meanwhile, is giving up just 32.1 percent from distance -- and no conference opponent has scored 70 points against the Vols this season.
It's entirely possible that disturbing trend for long-range misses could continue Saturday. If so, the key for the Gators, however, is how they respond to balls banging off the rim. It needs to be better than Tuesday. It needs to be better than last month at Knoxville.
“We all want to perform and play well because we all think it's going to help us win,” Murphy said. “But the reality of it is, success is going to come from playing defense, executing on offense and just playing together as a team on both ends. That's what it's about. Not a missed shot here, a turnover there.”
Added Beal: “You just have to keep moving on. If [the ball] goes in, it goes in. If it misses, it misses. You can't get complacent. You can't be unhappy with the shot or whatever. You have to keep playing, keep moving on, keep shooting the ball.”
Keep tuned in to the next play -- the only one that matters -- rather than the last one.
Or last five. Or 10.
“It's a lot easier to play when the ball is going in the basket,” Donovan said. “But there's no question there has to be a tough mental fortitude, where they're going to move past all of this and find a way.”
GATORS GAMEBOX
Tennessee at No. 8 Florida
Tip-off: 4 p.m. (O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.)
Records: Florida 19-5, 7-2; Tennessee 12-12, 4-5
TV: SEC Network (w/Carter Blackburn and Joe Dean)
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network (w/Mick Hubert and Mark Wise) -- Click here for affiliates) / Sirius 220/XM 199
Game notes: Florida notes; Tennessee notes
Need to know: Need to know: The 123rd meeting between Florida and Tennessee is a rematch of the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams won 67-56 by the Volunteers on Jan. 7 at Knoxville. In that game, UT shot 48 percent to 41.4 for UF and forced 15 turnovers. Backup F Kenny Hall came off the bench to score 13 points, with F Jeronne Maymon adding 12 points and 7 rebounds, and PG Trae Golden 12 points and 7 assists. The Vols also hit 5-of-10 from the arc, while the Gators were 7-for-22. ... Tennessee has won two straight games, defeating Georgia and South Carolina at home, but is 0-7 on the road this season. ... Defensively, the Vols are one of the best in the SEC, having yet to surrender 70 points in a league game. ... The Gators, coming off their worst shooting performance of the season in a loss at Kentucky, still have all five starters in double-figures, led by junior G Kenny Boynton (17.6 ppg), freshman G Bradley Beal (14.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and senior PG Erving Walker (12.1 ppg, 5 apg). Sophomore C Patric Young (10.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg) rejoined the starting lineup last game after coming off the bench the previous six. ... Tennessee, led by first-year head coach Cuonzo Martin, is paced by Golden (13 ppg, 4.6 apg), Maymon (11.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and freshman Jarnell Stokes (8.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg), who enrolled at UT last month.
