1) I've had NBA scouts tell me that John Egbunu's defense, athleticism and ability to run the floor for a 6-foot-11, 250-pounder — just those traits alone — would good enough to get him a look from some teams at the next level. What will make them look away, however, are his forced shots and turnovers that often are self-inflicted from holding the ball too long. Against Texas A&M, the fourth-year junior had his best all-around game (by far), including some really sound moments against Aggies forward Robert Williams, a likely "one-and-done" NBA lottery pick. Egbunu's 10 points and 11 rebounds made for his first double-double of the season. He hit four of his five shots, including three dunks. He blocked two shots. He had a steal. With backup Kevarrius Hayesovermatched against the bigger, more physical A&M front line, Egbunu logged a season-high 32 minutes. And he did so without committing a turnover. During one sequence in the first half, A&M's 6-10 forward Tonny Trocha-Morelos got into the lane and tried to shoot a baby hook from about six feet. Egbunu, maybe three feet away, stepped in and blocked the shot, then took off in transition. UF point guard Chris Chiozzahad the ball tipped from him around half court, but gathered control, took a few dribbles into the half court and saw Egbunu planted on the block. A perfect lob pass was finished by a high catch and slam-dunk. To review: blocked the shot, sprinted the floor, put himself in position, got rewarded. When Egbunu plays to his strengths, those kinds of plays find him. That's when he's at his best.
Junior point guard Chris Chiozza has averaged 8.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists off the bench during UF's six-game winning streak.
2) Chiozza had another sound performance Saturday. The run UF's backup point guard is on the last few weeks not only has given the Gators a security blanket behind senior Kasey Hill, but shown the coaches the Gators should be just fine at the point next season; not that anyone is thinking about that right now. Against the Aggies, though, Hill never really got anything going. Like last week against Kentucky, he had to take an early first-half seat due to foul trouble; but unlike last week, Hill couldn't find his stride once he returned to action. He finished with a season-low three points and five turnovers to go with three assists and three steals in 20 minutes. Enter Chiozza, who was just 1-for-5 from the floor, but had four rebounds and five assists. While the Gators were struggling to solve A&M's zone defenses, he attacked in transition and in the half court when gaps popped, drew some fouls and went 8-for-10 from the line. He's now hit double-figure scoring in three of the last four games. In the game he didn't (Kentucky), Chiozza had nine rebounds and nine assists. Between Chiozza and Canyon Barry, there may not be two better sixth (and or seventh) men in the Southeastern Conference.
3) The SEC remains in a three-way logjam at the top after Florida held serve at home, Kentucky won at Alabama and South Carolina won at Mississippi State. Meanwhile, the second tier of conference teams — the next eight are either 7-5, 6-6 or 5-7 — continue to cannibalize each other, which isn't exactly helping the league's case as far as getting more than three teams into the NCAA Tournament. Alabama, after that big four-overtime upset win Tuesday at South Carolina, had a chance to make a statement at home Saturday, but was never really in the game. The Crimson Tide, though, are 7-5 in the league. Arkansas also is 7-5 in conference play, but the Razorbacks have that horrific loss at Missouri last weekend as a fat pimple on their resume. Auburn, which smashed Alabama by 20 last week, blew a 23-point lead on the road Saturday at Ole Miss and lost a shot to get to .500. Tennessee, sporting the fourth-highest Ratings Percentage Index number in the league (42nd), lost at home to Georgia. Vanderbilt, also with a chance to get to .500 in SEC play, lost at Missouri. Ugh. Oh well. As it stands, UF (along with UK and USC) has a three-game cushion to work with as far as guaranteeing a top-four seed at the SEC Tournament, which would mean a bye into the Friday quarterfinals. The Gators, of course, still have their eyes on the regular-season SEC crown and are staring at a couple road games this week (at Auburn Tuesday, then on to Mississippi State Saturday). The following week -- home against South Carolina, then on the road at Kentucky -- will decide who wins the crown.
NO. 3 SEED, FOR NOW
About halfway through the UF-A&M game, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee released its top 16 seeds, in something of an answer to the College Football Playoff rankings. They didn't mean much in the big picture, other than providing a snapshot of where things stand right now, but certainly were a topic of conversation and accomplished the objective of getting some March Madness buzz going.
Florida showed up as a No. 3 seed, alongside Kentucky, Arizona and Virginia. A mild surprise, maybe. Then again, UF's sky-high RPI numbers are no fluke, given the Gators' non-conference strength of schedule and glut of neutral-site games while the O'Dome renovations were being finished. They'll probably hover around that spot, especially with those back-to-back dates against a couple high-RPI foes in the Gamecocks and Wildcats the week after, but a solid showing in the remaining six SEC games, plus the SEC Tournament, could very well land the Gators in Orlando for that first NCAA weekend, as anywhere from a three- to five-seed. A really, really good finish (with an SEC title), could move the Gators to the No. 2 line.
Senior forward Justin Leon, who scored a team-best 18 points and made four of his eight shots from the 3-point line, settles into a defensive stance for the Gators during Saturday's defeat of Texas A&M. There's been a lot of that late from this team of late.
UF's defense during the six-game winning streak has been elite. Again, this is the identity Coach Mike White wants for his program. It was showed up in spurts through the season's first 19 games, but the high standard the Gators are held to in practice has transitioned to games. The numbers speak for themselves, as Florida has now held each of its last half-dozen opponents under the scoring and shooting percentage averages they took into the game. In some cases, the differences are pronounced. In reviewing the numbers below, keep in mind the Gators allowed their first 19 opponents to score 66.0 points per game and convert a combined 42.8 percent of their field goals and 33.4 percent of their 3-point shots. Since? Try 60.6 points, 35.2 percent from the floor and 25.0 from deep.
Opponent
Scoring
FG%
3PT%
@LSU
76.1
.458
.344
vs UF
(71)
(.438)
(.118)
@Oklahoma
77.1
.438
.378
vs UF
(52)
(.277)
(.063)
Missouri
69.3
.395
.279
vs UF
(54)
(.377)
.381
Kentucky
91.3
.491
.358
vs UF
(66)
(.377)
(.333)
@Georgia
72.5
.447
.325
vs UF
(60)
(.377)
.333
Texas A&M
72.6
.466
.341
vs UF
(61)
(.393)
(.222)
Six-game defensive averages
60.6
.352
.250
Bradley BealUF ALUM UPDATE
CATCHING UP WITH ... BRADLEY BEAL
He was just the second "one-and-done" in Florida basketball history, but now in his fourth NBA season Bradley Beal, taken No. 3 overall by Washington in the 2012 draft, has elevated his game to become one of the top shooting guards in the game. When the best in the league converge next week on New Orleans for All-Star Weekend, Beal won't be there as a player or (curiously) for the 3-point shootout. Given what he's done the past two months, Beal could just as easily be in both.
As half of a Washington backcourt alongside All-Star and MVP candidate John Wall, Beal has helped turn a woebegone franchise into legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference. He's currently averaging 22.4 points per game, but has been "Robin" to Wall's "Batman" during the Wizards' two-month rampage when they've compiled the best record (24-8) in the East since Dec. 8, a run that included 17 straight home victories. The string was snapped Monday night by -- guess who? -- LeBron James and his reigning NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers, but it took a miracle 35-foot bankshot by James with 0.3 seconds left to force overtime. The Cavs prevailed 140-135.
Beal scored 41.
It was the third time Beal hit the 40-point milestone this season, but this one came against the champs, on national TV and felt like an announcement, of sorts. Beal already had arrived, but more fans are finding out just how good (trending toward great) he is.
In the month of February, Beal is averaging 25.4 points, shooting 49 percent from the floor, 42 percent from the 3-point arc to go with 4.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists a game. The Wizards, who have won two straight since that loss to Cavs, host Oklahoma City Monday night in something of a reunion game for Beal and Thunder coach Billy Donovan.
Beal who for the Gators was a first-team All-SEC selection on the 2012 squad that made an Elite Eight run before falling to Louisville, does not turn 24 until June 28. He's going to be around (and relevant) for a while.
Good luck, Brad!
TWITTER PATTER
A sample of some tweets that got the attention of @GatorsChris, as well as his 'Perspective Police' this week.
I think he's earned the benefit of the doubt over one bad shot, given his contributions the last few weeks.
@GatorsChris sit Chiozza down after that ridiculous transition pull up 3
Fake news. C'mon, Tim. We know you're a Baton Rouge guy, but was Dale Brown's run at the Cats better than what Donovan did to them (as in seven straight wins at one point; the first program to beat UK three times in a season in 35 years) during his time in Gainesville? And since John Calipari arrived, Kentucky has three outright regular-season SEC titles (2010, '12, '15), plus a shared one with A&M ('16). Florida has three outrights, also ('11, '13, '14). Not exactly a Tom Hanks in "Cast Away" island.
There was a time when Kentucky/Arkansas before that UK/LSU when Dale Brown sizzled. There is NO rival for UK in the SEC now. On an island.
I was OK with it, actually. Kentucky's defeat of North Carolina in December was one of the biggest out-of-conference wins of season. Plus,that UF drumming was on the road.
Florida has now won at least 20 games in 18 of the last 19 seasons, with White the first UF coach to hit 20 wins in his first two seasons. Then again, he was just the second Gators coach to win 20 in his first season. ... UF didn't beat A&M by double-digits, halting a run of five straight such outcomes. After winning by 12 at Georgia and just nine Saturday, Florida's average margin of victory during the six wins has dropped to 24.8. ... The Gators improved to 19-0 when leading with five minutes left. ... Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen had five assists against the Aggies. That tied the career high he set earlier this season against Mercer. ... With his three dunks, Egbunu now has 103 for his career, which rates seventh all time in UF history. Joakim Noah is sixth with 130. ... How 'bout a free-throw note in the "Free Throws" section? Barry's school-record of 37 straight has taken the fifth-year senior to a team-best 89.7 from the line for the season. "My goal is 90 percent," he said after the game. Barry was told he's at 93.0 in conference play. Good enough? "Nope," he said. "Gotta be overall." ... And speaking of free throws, Justin Leon is actually second on the team in conference play from the line at 87.5 percent. Leon hit just 36.8 against SEC teams last season. The guy works on his craft.
1) I've had NBA scouts tell me that John Egbunu's defense, athleticism and ability to run the floor for a 6-foot-11, 250-pounder — just those traits alone — would good enough to get him a look from some teams at the next level. What will make them look away, however, are his forced shots and turnovers that often are self-inflicted from holding the ball too long. Against Texas A&M, the fourth-year junior had his best all-around game (by far), including some really sound moments against Aggies forward Robert Williams, a likely "one-and-done" NBA lottery pick. Egbunu's 10 points and 11 rebounds made for his first double-double of the season. He hit four of his five shots, including three dunks. He blocked two shots. He had a steal. With backup Kevarrius Hayes overmatched against the bigger, more physical A&M front line, Egbunu logged a season-high 32 minutes. And he did so without committing a turnover. During one sequence in the first half, A&M's 6-10 forward Tonny Trocha-Morelos got into the lane and tried to shoot a baby hook from about six feet. Egbunu, maybe three feet away, stepped in and blocked the shot, then took off in transition. UF point guard Chris Chiozza had the ball tipped from him around half court, but gathered control, took a few dribbles into the half court and saw Egbunu planted on the block. A perfect lob pass was finished by a high catch and slam-dunk. To review: blocked the shot, sprinted the floor, put himself in position, got rewarded. When Egbunu plays to his strengths, those kinds of plays find him. That's when he's at his best. 
