UF coach Mike White talks to the media after Saturday's win in Sunrise, Fla.
Next-Day Takeaway (Florida 72, Oklahoma State 70)
Sunday, December 20, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
'THE NEXT-DAY TAKEAWAY'
FLORIDA 72, OKLAHOMA STATE 70
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Three follow-up observations from UF's win Saturday night over Oklahoma State that moved the Gators to 7-3 on the season.
1) The move last week to put Chris Chiozza into the starting lineup is showing dividends on a couple fronts. The poise he displays on the floor is really impressive -- and consistent. He's the same guy each game (and practice), as far as demeanor, and that trait in a floor general tends to have a trickle-down effect on teammates. His quickness on the perimeter is a weapon defensively (as OSU found out) and the offseason work he put to improve his shot has shown up to the point where he leads the team at 42.4 percent (14 of 33) in 3-point shooting. Also, let's not discount what Chiozza's promotion, for now, has brought out of former starter Kasey Hill -- and not forget it was Hill's idea to flip-flop their roles. Against the Cowboys, Hill came off the bench to score seven points (on 3-for-6 shooting), grab three rebounds and dish eight assists versus just one turnover. Chiozza doesn't have the playmaking feel Hill has (he had no assists in the game), but Coach Mike White likes the option of having both of them on the floor and the disruption potential they have defensively and with speeding up the game. That option also has taken on a different flavor in light of another development (see No. 2).
2) When KeVaughn Allen finally figures some things out, trust me, the wait will be worth it. Allen gave UF fans some glimpses of what's in store when Allen finds his balance as a collegiate rookie -- and it will come. Against OSU, he had just his second double-figure scoring output over the last six games, carding 11 points on 4-for-6 from the floor. Allen also showed his explosiveness on a steal and coast-to-coast dunk. He seemed more confident, more assertive, and also made a huge play late in the game after the Cowboys had cut UF's 10-point lead to just two and the Gators were teetering. He got the ball on the wing and an OSU defender came hard on a close-out. Allen shot-faked, then drove toward the paint, got the defense to collapse and kicked a pass to Dorian Finney-Smith at the top of the key. "Doe-Doe's" 3-pointer pushed the lead back to five. It was just one play, one sequence, but 10 games in it's all about growth for this kid. He really is going to be good.
3) Kentucky's loss Saturday to unranked Ohio State -- about two weeks after the Wildcats loss to unranked UCLA -- puts a different spin on the Southeastern Conference, which tips off Jan. 2. The Wildcats are no strangers to sky-high expectations (or this season, maybe we should say "Skal-high"), but once again we're reminded that freshmen, no matter how great or plentiful, need time to adjust. Some hit the court running. UK certainly has had its share of those and appear to have another in high-scoring guard Jamal Murray. Wow. But after last season, when everyone was asking before league play even began, if Kentucky could go undefeated (which they almost did), maybe we should be talking about the SEC suddenly looking very wide open.
FLORIDA 72, OKLAHOMA STATE 70
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Three follow-up observations from UF's win Saturday night over Oklahoma State that moved the Gators to 7-3 on the season.
1) The move last week to put Chris Chiozza into the starting lineup is showing dividends on a couple fronts. The poise he displays on the floor is really impressive -- and consistent. He's the same guy each game (and practice), as far as demeanor, and that trait in a floor general tends to have a trickle-down effect on teammates. His quickness on the perimeter is a weapon defensively (as OSU found out) and the offseason work he put to improve his shot has shown up to the point where he leads the team at 42.4 percent (14 of 33) in 3-point shooting. Also, let's not discount what Chiozza's promotion, for now, has brought out of former starter Kasey Hill -- and not forget it was Hill's idea to flip-flop their roles. Against the Cowboys, Hill came off the bench to score seven points (on 3-for-6 shooting), grab three rebounds and dish eight assists versus just one turnover. Chiozza doesn't have the playmaking feel Hill has (he had no assists in the game), but Coach Mike White likes the option of having both of them on the floor and the disruption potential they have defensively and with speeding up the game. That option also has taken on a different flavor in light of another development (see No. 2).
2) When KeVaughn Allen finally figures some things out, trust me, the wait will be worth it. Allen gave UF fans some glimpses of what's in store when Allen finds his balance as a collegiate rookie -- and it will come. Against OSU, he had just his second double-figure scoring output over the last six games, carding 11 points on 4-for-6 from the floor. Allen also showed his explosiveness on a steal and coast-to-coast dunk. He seemed more confident, more assertive, and also made a huge play late in the game after the Cowboys had cut UF's 10-point lead to just two and the Gators were teetering. He got the ball on the wing and an OSU defender came hard on a close-out. Allen shot-faked, then drove toward the paint, got the defense to collapse and kicked a pass to Dorian Finney-Smith at the top of the key. "Doe-Doe's" 3-pointer pushed the lead back to five. It was just one play, one sequence, but 10 games in it's all about growth for this kid. He really is going to be good.
3) Kentucky's loss Saturday to unranked Ohio State -- about two weeks after the Wildcats loss to unranked UCLA -- puts a different spin on the Southeastern Conference, which tips off Jan. 2. The Wildcats are no strangers to sky-high expectations (or this season, maybe we should say "Skal-high"), but once again we're reminded that freshmen, no matter how great or plentiful, need time to adjust. Some hit the court running. UK certainly has had its share of those and appear to have another in high-scoring guard Jamal Murray. Wow. But after last season, when everyone was asking before league play even began, if Kentucky could go undefeated (which they almost did), maybe we should be talking about the SEC suddenly looking very wide open.
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