Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Mike White had the glazed-over look and soft-spoken demeanor of a guy who'd just witnessed someone getting run over by a bus.

In reality, of course, the Florida basketball coach had just seen his 23rd-ranked-and-plummeting Gators get flattened by Alabama 68-50 on their home floor Saturday. It was the most lopsided defeat at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center in three years, not to mention a third straight setback in Southeastern Conference play. For the second straight game, White had witnessed his team become completely unhinged offensively in a second half, only this time was worse.

How 'bout 17 points after intermission? How 'bout 22.6 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes? How 'bout doing so in front of a sellout crowd?

And, yet, White was even more dismayed with what he'd seen of the UF defense. Not so much that the Crimson Tide had shot nearly 56 percent in the second half or how utterly smashed the undersized, undermanned Gators were the glass to the tune of 43-25. It was more about how easily the 'Bama buckets came, whether it was freshman guard Collin Sexton's straight-line drives on his way to 17 points or power forward Donta Hall scoring 14 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and going a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor.

For White, though, none of it was a complete surprise. The fact that a lot of the same exasperating breakdowns that went on in November and December are rearing themselves in the middle of the SEC season is obviously a source of frustration; one White and his staff must be feeling pretty helpless about.

"I think you guys remember, I've had the same worry when we were scoring 110 against so-and-so," White said. "We have a really good group of guys, so it's not like we're butting heads with this group. I tell our guys how bad we are defensively and they look at me and say, 'Yes, sir.' That's the kind of group fo guys we have, but it's not the answer I'm looking for."

No, he's looking for some more fight. Actually, a response of any kind would have been better than what the Gators (15-8, 6-4) put forth against the Tide (15-8, 6-4), who trailed by six at halftime, but jumped out of the locker room with the first eight points of the second half, then scored nine straight in a put-away run of 21-5 to the crowd's dismay.

Sexton, the fab freshman who will be an NBA lottery pick in June, easily won his hotly anticipated point-guard dual against Chris Chiozza. Beside's his team-high 17 points, Sexton also had eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. Chiozza finished with four points (one off his season-low), two rebounds, four assists and four steals. He was 2-for-9 from the floor and missed all three of his 3-point tries.

But Chiozza wasn't the problem. Everyone was.

"The coaches are constantly telling us to do this and that, and we still don't do it,"  sophomore forward Keith Stone said. "Eventually, it's going to get to us."

It better.
 
Most of the Bama baskets during its second-half spree came on unchallenged transition scores or uncontested dunks. UF, meanwhile, looked hauntingly similar to the product it trotted out in Wednesday's 72-60 road loss at Georgia, where the Gators shot 31.5 percent in the second half and at one point missed 20 of 21 field goals, including 15 straight.

"What happens: When we miss shots, we stop playing defense. That's how they get eight-, 10-, 12-point leads," grad-transfer forward Egor Koulechov said. "And then we play hero ball."

Ah, "hero ball." That's the brand of basketball where players think they can cut into big deficits with one shot. It's a phrase that came out of several player's mouths, as well as the coach's. Put another way, "hero ball" can also be "selfish ball."

And it's leading to some awful defensive possessions.

"When we miss a shot, we need to have five Gators sprinting back on defense," White said.

That's been a rare sight this season and was a non-existent one Saturday. Yet, even after letting the Tide make 11 of their 21 first-half shots, UF still led 33-27 at the break.

Said Bama coach Avery Johnson: "We looked like we'd never practiced basketball before in the first half."

The roles reversed in the second, as Florida went just 7-for-31 overall in the final period, just 2-for-13 from the 3-point line.

Alabama was down just six at the break, despite turning the ball over 14 times in the first half. The Tide made it 15 turnovers on their very first possession of the second, but then got a putback from Hall, run-out slam and two free throws from forward Braxton Key (13 points, 5 rebounds, 5-for-7 from the floor), then a steal and another run-out layup from guard Dazon Ingram (8 points, 7 rebounds) to take their first lead of the game. During that run, UF missed all three of its shots and turned the ball over twice, both of which led to Bama baskets.

KeVaughn Allen (16 points, 4 rebounds) hit a couple 3s over the next four minutes, both pushing the Gators back in front, the second time at 41-39 with just under 15 minutes to go. A turn-around jumper by Koulechov (11 points, 2 rebounds) had the game tied at 43, but that's when the roof caved in with those 11 straight by the Tide.

That's also when "hero ball" took over for the home team.

The villains, or visitors, took over from there.

"It's pretty frustrating because I know the players are mad, I know the coaches are mad, I know the fans are made," Stone said. "We have to turn it around."