Some observations following UF’s 72-66 loss to Texas A&M on Friday in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals:
— Florida freshman center Kevarrius Hayes needs to put on a little more bulk in the offseason. The 210-pound Hayes was no match inside for freshman, 265-pound Texas A&M center Tyler Davis. Hayes took a step back from his performance against Arkansas, finishing with just 2 points and a blocked shot in 11 minutes against the Aggies. Because Hayes was ineffective, Florida was forced to turn to third-string center Schuyler Rimmer for some stretches.
— Remember when Florida junior forward Justin Leon’s set, 3-point shots were the rage? Leon has ended the season on a prolonged shooting slump, going 1 of 17 from beyond the arc over his last seven games after missing all three of his 3-point attempts against Texas A&M. Some have not been close. Leon had a wide open 3-point attempt late in the first half against the Aggies, but front-rimmed the shot. As a result, Florida went into halftime trailing Texas A&M 34-32.
— In a must win game against Texas A&M, Florida’s assist-to-turnover ratio was an unsightly 5 to 12. Not only were UF’s turnovers loud, but the Gators couldn’t generate enough ball movement to create quality shots. Point guards Chris Chiozza and Kasey Hill combined for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3 to 5, which wasn’t good enough to topple the SEC regular season co-champs.
