Humbug! White Unimpressed With Pre-Christmas Win Over JU

Tuesday, December 22

Gainesville, FL

7:00 PM

Florida Gators

Jacksonville

Kasey Hill drives for two points Tuesday night in UF's 89-65 defeat of Jacksonville.

Humbug! White Unimpressed With Pre-Christmas Win Over JU

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry

Box Score

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- As far as their coach was concerned, Florida forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Devin Robinson were already back at home, sitting under the tree and opening their presents.

Checked out early for the holidays.

"Christmas-itis," UF coach Mike White said Tuesday night. "That's all we've talked about the last 72 hours, so it's disappointing from that standpoint. Every time you get between the lines, the goal is get a little better and take a step in the right direction. If we want to be average, then we accomplished that."

His Gators were about 30 minutes removed from an 89-65 victory over Jacksonville in front of 9,093 O'Connell Center, but the 24-point margin did not impress White in any way. UF (8-3) built it by going on a 16-point run midway through the second half, holding the Dolphins (5-8) to 33 percent shooting for the period and muscling to a season-high 48 points in the paint.

And yet?

"The stats may say otherwise, but we took a big step back today," sophomore center John Egbunu said.

It was the first 20 minutes -- after which JU trailed just 38-30 at the break -- that were still eating away at White after the game. He benched starting forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Devin Robinson in the second half and went with a three-guard lineup -- and his most energetic combination of five -- for the first time this season.

Freshman guard KeVaughn Allen slams home a run-out dunk against the Dolphins.

As far as White and his assistants were concerned, they could only stand watching so many breakdowns in transition defense, one-on-one blow-bys, bad ball-screens, missed block-outs and late close-outs on the 3-point line.

"I was disappointed with our frontline starters," White said.

There was no mistaking that in the locker room.

Or when they came out of it and took the floor.

"He went at us at halftime, saying we weren't playing hard enough, weren't defending," Robinson said. "So we were going to sit and watch the game until we proved to him we could play. When he did put us in, we responded pretty well, but he shouldn't have to do that to get us to play hard."

Finney-Smith scored scored 10 of his 13 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers, during the 16-run that turned a nine-point lead (UF 51, JU 42) into a 25-point cushion with nine minutes left. Robinson pitched in with five.

"We have to be more mature as a team. That starts with me," Finney-Smith said. "I've been in this situation before. The game before Christmas break, I knew it was going to be tough because guys are thinking about going home -- we don't get home that much -- but I should've motivated my team and myself."

He showed up eventually, but the run-up theme to the game was about leaving on a high note and avoid the ghosts of Christmases past. In just the last five years, two UF teams that went on to win Southeastern Conference titles got coal dumped in their stockings in pre-Christmas games (by Jacksonville in 2010 and Kansas State in 2012).

White was looking for a clean break into the break.

"You want to finish Christmas on a really positive note and go out there right way," he said.

A couple guys did. Freshman guard KeVaughn Allen put in a career-high 15 points, hitting double-figures for consecutive games for the first time this season. The guard tandem of Chris Chiozza and Kasey Hill combined for 16 points, 13 assists and just two turnovers. Those three started the second half -- and were on the floor together for the first time this season -- and kept Egbunu involved in the post. He finished with 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting, grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots.

When Finney-Smith and Robinson checked out late in the game, they'd combined for 25 points, seven rebounds and one really good lesson.

All told, seven UF players scored at least seven points. Florida never trailed in the game and led by as many as 31 late. They had a season-high 10 dunks. Even guard Zach Hodskins, the walk-on guard born without a left arm, scored his first collegiate basket on a driving, spinning shot in the final seconds.

The O'Dome erupted on the play.

A few minutes later, the Gators were in the locker room, where the coaching staff erupted.

"We won the game, but it wasn't the way we wanted to win ... We just had more talent," said Robinson, who acknowledged this 'tis the season for distractions. "You get a little lazy, getting ready for the holidays. It happens. But that's not an excuse."