Three observations following Florida’s 62-57 loss at Tennessee on Wednesday night:
— Florida coach Mike White said he benched junior guard KeVaughn Allen down the stretch due to his lack of aggressiveness, “Just going with guys who were playing hard and aggressive,” White said. “I’m struggling to get him aggressive. I had a meeting with him yesterday. I’ll continue to stress the importance of him being aggressive for this team.” Allen had his worst game in what has been a disappointing junior season, going 0 for 3 from the field with 0 points and 2 turnovers in 29 minutes. The lowlights included passing up a wide open layup attempt for a wide-open 3-pointer that rimmed in-and-out in the second half and failing to hustle for a 50-50 ball during a defensive possession.
— Junior center Kevarrius Hayes did some things well inside, finishing with 9 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots against the Vols. But Hayes also let Tennessee forward Grant Williams seal him inside in the post and let Williams score some critical baskets down the stretch. Yes, Hayes is only 225 pounds but there are ways he can keep bigger bodies from sealing him inside with better defensive positioning.
— Save for a wild driving shot late and a couple of critical missed free throws, Florida senior point guard Chris Chiozza looked like the Chiozza of January on Wednesday night against the Vols. Chiozza had 11 points and 9 assists and could have had more dimes if not for some missed layups and 3-point attempts that Chiozza set up with his passing. Chiozza played 34 minutes and had more of a bounce of the step. The Gators are going to need Chiozza to close out the SEC regular season strong to have any chance to turn around their recent struggles.
About time Allen sat
I would prefer transfer or leave and play maybe in Istanbul.
Just lost to worst two teams in SEC UG and Vandy. then Tenn.
Remaining schedule auburn, bama, ky, then SEC tournament.
I do not see UF winning any more games.
I do not see them getting a NCAA invite.
They look like a team that will finish about 10th in final league standings.
Something is very wrong with this team.
I have noticed players looking over at coach after plays to see coach reaction. Players are not playing naturally.
They are trying to do what coach has told them.
I think coach is telling them the right things.
BUT all this changing them into different players, the players have lost who they are and what they did well.
That is shoot the ball very very well.
This should have been the best shooting team in UF history.
They look like they are playing hard.
They look like they have no B Ball IQ.
At this point I would love to see them have fun while they are playing.
Just go out and go crazy.
Try and score 100 pints.
After the season transfers may tell us something
The B Ball season is over.
I still like this team and coach, but can no longer watch the “train wreck” play and results.
Good news – baseball season has started, football has started up.
All of the other sports are nationally ranked.
MLB – started
Olympics – still going
UT came out gate aggressively with the full court press which affected UF’s rhythm. They were gassed early trying to break the press and getting free. Their jumps shots were consistently hitting the front of the rim throughout the game. Missing free throws is another indication that they were winded. However, they did play really hard and scrappy throughout which I think affected their shots.
Florida’s RPI improved slightly after losing to UT.
They are done. They have no shot. As I said before, they will not win another game the rest of the way. No heart. No fire. No emotion. No desire. They will be mailing it in. As a fan, I can accept a blown assignment or a blown lead or losing a close game now and then, but at this point, this is on the coach. We need a new coach and a lot of new players.
Will you publicly apologize if they win again this season?