Some observations from Florida’s 65-63 loss at rival Florida State:
— Before the season began, Florida coach Billy Donovan was more worried about defense than offense. But clearly, this isn’t the dynamic passing and scoring team that Donovan envisioned going into the season. The Gators had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 7 for 17 against Florida State, while shooting 42.6 percent from the floor and 21.1 percent (4-19) from 3-point range. From an offensive standpoint, Florida has no one who can consistently make his own shot, so the Gators need to rely on ball movement and player movement for points. That didn’t happen well enough Tuesday night.
— Florida redshirt senior Jon Horford has been steady all season, but against FSU, played by far his worst game of the season. Horford nearly had as many turnovers (3) as points (4) and looked overmatched at times against FSU’s longer, more physical frontline.
— On the subject of frontcourt players, sophomore center Chris Walker remains an enigma. The McDonald’s All-American talent went 1 of 6 from the floor with 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 blocked shot in 13 minutes against the Seminoles. “I wanted to play him more, but he was gassed,” Donovan said. “I thought he played with great energy. His shot selection wasn’t great. He only gave us 13 minutes, but from an energy standpoint, they were 13 good minutes. He just needs to learn to fight through that.” It’s hard to fathom that Walker lacked energy considering he played in Tallahassee, 93 miles from his hometown of Bonifay.
