UF basketball: Gators look to regain intensity

<p>Florida coach Billy Donovan gave the wake-up call to his team in a film session the day after its loss to No. 2 Kentucky. </p><p>The meeting focused on Florida's intensity. </p><p>"He thought that we gave our all against Kentucky, but you know they just fought (back)," UF freshman guard Kenny Boynton said. "He thought previously we hadn't been on our game in practice, we hadn't been practicing hard. He showed us tape of us earlier in the season against Michigan State and Syracuse, our intensity was up and we were communicating. </p><p>"That's just what we have to get back to." </p><p>The Gators face a critical crossroads to the season tonight at the O'Connell Center against LSU. Florida (11-5, 0-2 Southeastern Conference) hasn't started 0-3 in the SEC since 1981-82. </p><p>To break the losing streak, Florida must get back to the defensive intensity and execution it showed during the non-conference schedule. Florida entered SEC play allowing 59.3 points per game. But in losses to Vanderbilt and Kentucky, Florida has given up an average of 92 points. </p><p>The problems have come inside, where Florida has given up an average of 45 points in the paint and 16.5 second-chance points in the two SEC losses. Starting center VernonMacklin has been in foul trouble both games, which left Florida without a physical presence for long stretches inside. Freshman center Erik Murphy fouled out during the Vanderbilt loss. </p><p>"You've got to take it personally," Florida junior forward Alex Tyus said, when asked about UF's problems guarding the paint. "But I feel like also we've been in foul trouble with Murph and Vern. We're just trying to do whatever we can and we need to make that more of a focus going into the next few games." </p><p>Donovan said he thought his team defended against Kentucky better then it did against Vanderbilt. Early in the game, Florida's 2-3 zone frustrated Kentucky into some turnovers and rushed shots. But the Gators couldn't sustain that intensity for a full 40 minutes, allowing 51 points in the second half. </p><p>"One of the things that happened was some ill-advised shots, some turnovers (on our end) led to Kentucky in the fast break," Donovan said. "So I thought their fast-break opportunities, their maybe second-chance points allowed them to shoot a pretty high percentage. But I thought in thehalfcourt when our defense was set we did a pretty good job." </p><p>Kentucky scored 12 fast-break points. </p><p>"We played pretty good defense once we had our defense set, but transition points have been killing us," Florida sophomore point guardErving Walker said. </p><p>In Florida's two biggest wins of the season, against Michigan State and Florida State, the Gators were effective with the press, forcing 23 turnovers in each game. But Florida hardly pressed against Kentucky, because Donovan was concerned about getting into a transition game withUK's rocket-fast backcourt tandem of John Wall and Eric Bledsoe. </p><p>Donovan also is concerned about the press taking its toll on Boynton and Walker. </p><p>"We're a team that has to play a multitude of defenses," Donovan said. "Because of our lack of depth in the backcourt and only having two backcourt players, it's an awful lot to ask Boynton and Walker to press every possession of the game and then also at the other end of the floor to make shots." </p><p>LSU plays at a more deliberate pace than Kentucky. The Tigers are only turning it over 12.8 per game. But Florida will need to find some answers on defense tonight to break out of its early season funk. </p><p>"The first two losses in the SEC showed us that it's serious, we could be beat," Boynton said. "Now we've got to hunt teams instead of being the hunted. Earlier we were ranked, but now we want to make the tournament. I think we've got to start from here."</p>