Next-Day Takeaway

NEXT-DAY TAKEAWAY
Georgia 72, No. 23 Florida 60
Three leftover thoughts from Tuesday's road loss.

1) Where do you even start when processing the disaster that played out Tuesday night? It's a toss-up. OK, let's start with the toss-ups. A 50-50 ball is just that. It's a loose ball — maybe off a missed shot, maybe off a tipped pass, maybe off a play where the ball has caromed off the hands of several players — and either team has a right to grab it. UF coach Mike White estimated that Georgia got 80 percent of the 50-50 balls, but it sure seemed like a higher number, especially with those 15 offensive rebounds. Sometimes, it's just about want-to and desire. The Bulldogs had a lot more of both than the Gators did. UGA certainly had an edge when it came to size and length, but the Dogs were also quicker to the ball, more aggressive to the ball, and more physical pursuing the ball. That's a mindset. Georgia had lost five of the previous six, twice blowing 16-point leads in two of its defeats. Coach Mark Fox and his team were getting brutalized in the press, talk radio, social media and message boards. Evidently, they got tired of it and came with a purpose. The Dogs were backed against a wall and played like it in a game they had to have.

UF leading scorer Jalen Hudson went 3-for-14 from the floor, as the Gators found few open looks against Georgia and its league-leading defense.

2) Florida's shot selection — hmmmm, how do I put this? — has been better this season. Georgia came into the game ranked first in the Southeastern Conference in several key defensive categories, so the Bulldogs had a lot to do with some bad and/or difficult shots the Gators attempted. Yet, there were times the UF offense eschewed some opportunities to drive the ball and maybe kick it to the perimeter and manufacture some better, closer, perhaps more open ones. There was one particular stretch during UF's dreadful 1-for-21 masony when the Gators attempted 3-pointers on five straight possessions (and missed them all, of course): a wide-open one from Egor Koulechov in transition (good); a contested airball by Jalen Hudson, though one that he has certainly made before (debatable); freshman Deaundrae Ballard after he held the ball too long in a late-clock situation (bad); Chris Chiozza too early in the shot clock (bad); Chiozza from way deep in another late-clock situation (bad, but no choice). Certainly, there were some better options, but this is going to happen to the UF offense because of the imbalance of scoring threats down low versus on the perimeter. It's not like Florida can run a bunch of duck-in or post-feeds for Kevarrius Hayes (5 points, 2 rebounds in 22 minutes). Twice those ended in traveling calls late in the first half. Against great defenses that will contest 3s, run the Gators off the line and dare them to drive it, they tend to settle for what they're most comfortable with: Taking 3s, even contested ones, and opting out when contact could be involved.

3) One week ago, Florida was by itself atop the SEC standings. Now, after two straight losses, the Gators are 6-3 in league play, two games behind front-running Auburn (8-1), and in a second-place tie alongside Kentucky, with No. 18 Tennessee and Alabama potentially pulling even with wins Wednesday night. There is suddenly a lot of buzz (if not panic) in Gator Nation about how many games UF needs to win to reach the NCAA Tournament. Here's the answer: 1. The Gators aren't playing well enough, not even close, to start looking down the schedule and counting wins based on speculation. They need to win a game and stop their league losing skid. The next chance comes Saturday afternoon against a supremely talented, young and high-energy Alabama team at sold-out Exactech Arena. The Crimson Tide, with their gifted freshman class led by point guard Collin Sexton, is in Bracketology conversations, and just might be looking at their record and counting wins, also. Florida's only concern should be to stop the bleeding. Win the next one.

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Players Mentioned

Deaundrae Ballard

Chris Chiozza

Kevarrius Hayes

Jalen Hudson

Egor Koulechov

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