Wednesday, January 5
Gainesville, FL
7 PM
Florida Gators
vs
Alabama
The Gators, hit last week by a COVID wave, have played just two games over the previous 24 days, but get back to it Wednesday night against defending SEC champion Alabama at the O'Dome.
Game On: Gators Open SEC Play vs No. 15 Tide
Wednesday, January 5, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Mike White showed up for practice on New Year's Day, four days after his Florida basketball team entered a health-and-safety protocols pause. The UF coach came to work basically wondering which guys would be able to go.
White and his staff actually were pleased with the number, given the circumstances. The team got in a decent and brisk afternoon of practice, considering the circumstances. COVID whacked the Gators but good last week, sending a glut of players and support staff into the revised CDC guidelines that have now been basically cut in half (10 days to five) relative to quarantines. By Sunday, they had enough to roll through a more uptempo practice, but still had to to exercise precautions.
The team was not at full strength Tuesday, either.
"You're dealing with illness, but you're also dealing with some of these guys have gone seven, eight, nine days without even getting in a stance," White said of the two-hour workout. "Some of these guys — [in] five, eight days, you know — hadn't bent their knees, let alone [dealt with] physicality from other people on the court. So, soreness is an issue, of course."
Yep, sure is. But guess what? Alabama isn't going to care. For all anybody outside Tuscaloosa knows, the 15th-ranked Crimson Tide (10-3, 1-0) may have been dealing some COVID issues of their own in the run-up to Wednesday night's date with the Gators (9-3, 0-0) at Exactech Arena. No matter. As of Wednesday morning, the game was on, as opposed to UF's regularly scheduled league opener at Ole Miss last week, which was canceled because UF did not have the required number of eight scholarship players to participate.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Do the math. There are 13 players on scholarship, but that number is actually 12 because of the status of Keyontae Johnson. That means at least four players were on the shelf. Without giving away any top-secret intel, the number was significantly higher.
"It'll be something we'll have a struggle with, but you've just got to move on. It's mental, I think, just being able to push through that," said senior forward Colin Castleton, who leads the team in scoring (14.8 points per game), rebounding (9.8) and blocked shots (with 30). That's why you've got 15 guys on the team. Everybody helps each other. If a guy needs a blow, then you just go in, let them get their rest and water, and get back in the game and continue to fight."
The Gators have not played since beating Stony Brook 87-62 on Dec. 22, and have taken the floor for real only twice the past 24 days. They played that last game without senior guard Myreon Jones, who was scratched the day before when he became the team's first COVID-positive casualty. A return from the holiday break brought a second wave of the virus into the facility — the Omicron variant is said to be 137 times more contagious than the Delta, but far less dangerous, especially for the vaccinated and boosted — with players doing their required quarantines and trickling back to work as directed.
Just what the starting lineup will look like against the Tide is anyone's guess. Through 12 games, the Gators already have rolled out four different units for the opening tip. Which combination Florida goes this time won't be as important as how that fivesome plays and how it sets a tone against one of the fastest teams in the country; a team that will stay on the attack for 40 minutes — live-ball turnovers are killers against the Crimson Tide — and plays a system that emphasizes taking as many open 3s as possible. Only Villanova among the nation's power-conference teams has jacked more long balls than the Tide. Alabama, the defending regular-season and postseason SEC champion, has three guards — Jaden Shackelford (16.5 points per game), Jahvon Quinerly (14.9) and Keon Ellis (12.2 — who have attempted at least 71 3s. For context, Florida has no player with that many shots from the beyond the arc.
It's worth noting, though, the Gators top all power-conference teams in 3-pointers allowed, which means they have been mostly connected on defense and making good on the coaches' emphasis to close out the arc. Repeat: Mostly. In UF's nine victories, the Gators held opponents to 40.3 percent overall and a mere 24.2 from deep. In the three loses, those numbers swell to 50.9 and 44.7 percent, respectively.
Alabama, though prolific in its attempts, hasn't shot the ball great from outside — just 32.8 percent on the season — but their quantity of shots can add up. And the Tide is beyond capable of getting collectively hot.
"Huge challenge, of course," White said. "Very, very talented. Terrific spacing. Really good passing team. A team that won a bunch of games last year and has a chance to do the same thing this year. Defensively, very, very good, with arguably one of the best backcourts in the country. We've got to be really sharp in a lot of areas. It'll be interesting to see at that first media [timeout] just to evaluate where we are."
And how his team is feeling.
Not that Bama will care.
White and his staff actually were pleased with the number, given the circumstances. The team got in a decent and brisk afternoon of practice, considering the circumstances. COVID whacked the Gators but good last week, sending a glut of players and support staff into the revised CDC guidelines that have now been basically cut in half (10 days to five) relative to quarantines. By Sunday, they had enough to roll through a more uptempo practice, but still had to to exercise precautions.
The team was not at full strength Tuesday, either.
"You're dealing with illness, but you're also dealing with some of these guys have gone seven, eight, nine days without even getting in a stance," White said of the two-hour workout. "Some of these guys — [in] five, eight days, you know — hadn't bent their knees, let alone [dealt with] physicality from other people on the court. So, soreness is an issue, of course."
Yep, sure is. But guess what? Alabama isn't going to care. For all anybody outside Tuscaloosa knows, the 15th-ranked Crimson Tide (10-3, 1-0) may have been dealing some COVID issues of their own in the run-up to Wednesday night's date with the Gators (9-3, 0-0) at Exactech Arena. No matter. As of Wednesday morning, the game was on, as opposed to UF's regularly scheduled league opener at Ole Miss last week, which was canceled because UF did not have the required number of eight scholarship players to participate.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Do the math. There are 13 players on scholarship, but that number is actually 12 because of the status of Keyontae Johnson. That means at least four players were on the shelf. Without giving away any top-secret intel, the number was significantly higher.
"It'll be something we'll have a struggle with, but you've just got to move on. It's mental, I think, just being able to push through that," said senior forward Colin Castleton, who leads the team in scoring (14.8 points per game), rebounding (9.8) and blocked shots (with 30). That's why you've got 15 guys on the team. Everybody helps each other. If a guy needs a blow, then you just go in, let them get their rest and water, and get back in the game and continue to fight."
The Gators have not played since beating Stony Brook 87-62 on Dec. 22, and have taken the floor for real only twice the past 24 days. They played that last game without senior guard Myreon Jones, who was scratched the day before when he became the team's first COVID-positive casualty. A return from the holiday break brought a second wave of the virus into the facility — the Omicron variant is said to be 137 times more contagious than the Delta, but far less dangerous, especially for the vaccinated and boosted — with players doing their required quarantines and trickling back to work as directed.
Back at it in 2022.
— Chris Harry (@GatorsChris) January 1, 2022
Happy New Year! 🎉🏀🐊
@GatorsMBK #Gators pic.twitter.com/rqGcYye6md
Just what the starting lineup will look like against the Tide is anyone's guess. Through 12 games, the Gators already have rolled out four different units for the opening tip. Which combination Florida goes this time won't be as important as how that fivesome plays and how it sets a tone against one of the fastest teams in the country; a team that will stay on the attack for 40 minutes — live-ball turnovers are killers against the Crimson Tide — and plays a system that emphasizes taking as many open 3s as possible. Only Villanova among the nation's power-conference teams has jacked more long balls than the Tide. Alabama, the defending regular-season and postseason SEC champion, has three guards — Jaden Shackelford (16.5 points per game), Jahvon Quinerly (14.9) and Keon Ellis (12.2 — who have attempted at least 71 3s. For context, Florida has no player with that many shots from the beyond the arc.
It's worth noting, though, the Gators top all power-conference teams in 3-pointers allowed, which means they have been mostly connected on defense and making good on the coaches' emphasis to close out the arc. Repeat: Mostly. In UF's nine victories, the Gators held opponents to 40.3 percent overall and a mere 24.2 from deep. In the three loses, those numbers swell to 50.9 and 44.7 percent, respectively.
Alabama, though prolific in its attempts, hasn't shot the ball great from outside — just 32.8 percent on the season — but their quantity of shots can add up. And the Tide is beyond capable of getting collectively hot.
"Huge challenge, of course," White said. "Very, very talented. Terrific spacing. Really good passing team. A team that won a bunch of games last year and has a chance to do the same thing this year. Defensively, very, very good, with arguably one of the best backcourts in the country. We've got to be really sharp in a lot of areas. It'll be interesting to see at that first media [timeout] just to evaluate where we are."
And how his team is feeling.
Not that Bama will care.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
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