The UF bench had a lot to cheer about in Wednesday night's 35-point plastering of LSU.
Harry Fodder: Next-Day Takeaway
Thursday, January 26, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
More from the night before, a 106-71 victory at LSU.
NEXT-DAY TAKEAWAY
Florida 106 LSU 71
Three leftover thoughts from Gators' blowout road win.
1) Not sure there's much more to say about UF's historic shooting display against the worst defense in the Southeastern Conference, so let's flip things around to the other side of the ball. LSU, despite its record, has some talented offensive players who are capable of going and getting shots. The Tigers came in ranked third in the league in scoring (77.6 points per game), plus fifth in overall field-goal percentage (44.6) and 3-point percentage (37.3). UF, though, held LSU to 6 1/2 points below its average, 43 percent from the floor and just 12 percent from deep (2-for-17). Granted, the game turned into a rout early, but UF coach Mike White had something to do with it. He told his players there would no excuses on defense. If they made a mistake, they got yanked, thus fostering a sense of urgency. Take backup center Kevarrius Hayes, for example. He checked in about three minutes into the game, promptly allowed forward Duop Reath to drive the lane with his right hand — a no-no on the scouting report — and was yanked after 16 seconds. White held his guys accountable and they responded with the sort of effort and focus absent four days earlier in the Vanderbilt defensive fiasco. Hayes, by the way, was back on the floor shortly thereafter and went on to equal his season high of 12 points.
2) Seeing Devin Robinson diving across the floor or out of bounds in chase of loose balls and hustle plays was something White referenced to the team after the game. The Gators need more of that from Robinson. It's infectious. Candidly, they need more of those type games from Robinson, who went for a career-high 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds and played with an confident air that was really good to see. And, again, it trickled down to his teammates. Robinson is UF's best pro prospect. The more he injects his length and athleticism into games, the better the Gators will be, the better prospect he becomes. That's a given. But the team also seems to take a cue from Robinson relative to its collective demeanor. The Gators had a blast Wednesday night, and why not? It was a fun game to be on the winning side. When Robinson's is diving for loose balls in a game his team is trailing by, say, four or five points, and he's not red-hot from the floor, that'll be a big step for both he and the Gators.
3) Freshman guard Eric Hester shocked everybody — certainly the viewing audience back in Gainesville — by going 5-for-5 from the 3-point line on his way to a career-high 16 points that surpassed his entire season total of 14. This may also come as a shock: Hester's big night doesn't necessarily mean he'll take on a greater role in the UF rotation. After posting five DNPs in the first seven conference games, Hester was needed against LSU because top backup Canyon Barry, the team's No. 2 scorer, was out with an ankle injury. He played five minutes in the first half and displayed a level of poise and maturity that belied his four mostly mop-up minutes in SEC play. Not only did he move the ball, but he ball-faked and found open teammates and carded five assists, while also hitting one 3 in that first half. In the second half, he played 12 minutes and hit all four of his 3s. The UF coaches already felt pretty good about throwing him out there a possession or two to "get in a stance," as they say, and play defense. Now, Hester has shown he can be trusted to execute within the offense without hunting shots. And if a he happens to fall into an open one, he's earned the right to take it.
Florida 106 LSU 71
Three leftover thoughts from Gators' blowout road win.
1) Not sure there's much more to say about UF's historic shooting display against the worst defense in the Southeastern Conference, so let's flip things around to the other side of the ball. LSU, despite its record, has some talented offensive players who are capable of going and getting shots. The Tigers came in ranked third in the league in scoring (77.6 points per game), plus fifth in overall field-goal percentage (44.6) and 3-point percentage (37.3). UF, though, held LSU to 6 1/2 points below its average, 43 percent from the floor and just 12 percent from deep (2-for-17). Granted, the game turned into a rout early, but UF coach Mike White had something to do with it. He told his players there would no excuses on defense. If they made a mistake, they got yanked, thus fostering a sense of urgency. Take backup center Kevarrius Hayes, for example. He checked in about three minutes into the game, promptly allowed forward Duop Reath to drive the lane with his right hand — a no-no on the scouting report — and was yanked after 16 seconds. White held his guys accountable and they responded with the sort of effort and focus absent four days earlier in the Vanderbilt defensive fiasco. Hayes, by the way, was back on the floor shortly thereafter and went on to equal his season high of 12 points. 2) Seeing Devin Robinson diving across the floor or out of bounds in chase of loose balls and hustle plays was something White referenced to the team after the game. The Gators need more of that from Robinson. It's infectious. Candidly, they need more of those type games from Robinson, who went for a career-high 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds and played with an confident air that was really good to see. And, again, it trickled down to his teammates. Robinson is UF's best pro prospect. The more he injects his length and athleticism into games, the better the Gators will be, the better prospect he becomes. That's a given. But the team also seems to take a cue from Robinson relative to its collective demeanor. The Gators had a blast Wednesday night, and why not? It was a fun game to be on the winning side. When Robinson's is diving for loose balls in a game his team is trailing by, say, four or five points, and he's not red-hot from the floor, that'll be a big step for both he and the Gators.
3) Freshman guard Eric Hester shocked everybody — certainly the viewing audience back in Gainesville — by going 5-for-5 from the 3-point line on his way to a career-high 16 points that surpassed his entire season total of 14. This may also come as a shock: Hester's big night doesn't necessarily mean he'll take on a greater role in the UF rotation. After posting five DNPs in the first seven conference games, Hester was needed against LSU because top backup Canyon Barry, the team's No. 2 scorer, was out with an ankle injury. He played five minutes in the first half and displayed a level of poise and maturity that belied his four mostly mop-up minutes in SEC play. Not only did he move the ball, but he ball-faked and found open teammates and carded five assists, while also hitting one 3 in that first half. In the second half, he played 12 minutes and hit all four of his 3s. The UF coaches already felt pretty good about throwing him out there a possession or two to "get in a stance," as they say, and play defense. Now, Hester has shown he can be trusted to execute within the offense without hunting shots. And if a he happens to fall into an open one, he's earned the right to take it.
Players Mentioned
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