Gators face difficult task vs. LSU, hoping to avoid first 0-3 SEC start since 1981
Florida enters the second week of SEC play skating on ice, thinning with each passing game.
The Gators (9-5, 0-2 SEC) hope to find their footing soon.
A three-game gauntlet to begin league play concludes with Wednesday night’s visit from surging LSU (14-1, 2-1) as Florida aims to avoid an 0-3 SEC start for the first time since 1980-81 — the late Norm Sloan’s first season back in Gainesville.
The reversal of fortune has been head spinning for a team that ended November 6-0 and ranked 14th in the Associated Press Top 25.
“We got a little bit too comfortable after 6-0,” point guard Tyree Appleby said. “Other teams came out, everybody wanted to play us, coming in being ranked so high. We just got a little bit relaxed, but slowly we’re just regaining our mojo back and finding our identity.”
The Gators put up a fight before falling by 12 points last Saturday at Auburn, undone again by inconsistent offense, including 25% shooting from 3-point range and 61.1% at the foul line during the second half.
Better execution will be critical against LSU.
The Tigers are fifth nationally with an SEC-leading average of 56.4 points allowed and are No. 1 in adjusted defense per analytics guru Ken Pomeroy.
“To be the No. 1 defense in the country, you’ve got to play really hard and you’ve got to be connected, and this group seems really connected right now.,” coach Mike White said.
The Gators particularly will have to mitigate their propensity for turnovers against an LSU squad forcing 19 a game, ranking seventh nationally.
“They’re very disruptive,” Appleby said. “They live off live-ball turnovers and transition offense is their thing.”
Appleby has at least 3 turnovers in Florida’s losses and 4 during the first two SEC games. But at Auburn he shook off some early miscues to record 9 assists and keep the Gators within striking distance until a late-game scoring drought.
“The last 35 minutes of the game he was really solid with his ball decisions,” White said. “Showed a lot of mental toughness in an electric environment.”
Whoever can keep their wits and protect the ball Wednesday night will have a major advantage.
The Gators have 188 turnovers against 181 assists, 11th in turnover-margin among 14 SEC teams. The Tigers, though, are 12th in the league with 214 turnovers against 198 assists.
LSU has been able to better overcome sloppiness with superior athleticism and depth. The Tigers also will be without point guard Xavier Pinson, a Missouri transfer who sprained his knee against Tennessee.
“You hate that for Pinson,” White said. “He’s having a heck of a year. But they’ll be fine. They’re terrific at a number of spots.”
With Pinson, LSU bounced back from an SEC-opening, 70-55 loss at Auburn to beat Kentucky and Tennessee — the Nos. 16 and 10 teams, respectively, in the NCAA NET ranking system.
Ranked No. 50, the Gators have not beaten a team inside the top 175 since stunning No. 25 Ohio State 71-68 Nov. 24 on a buzzer-beating 3 by Appleby.
“We’ve had a couple of opportunities that we didn’t quite take advantage of,” White said.
Opportunities for quality wins abound, beginning Wednesday night. Five SEC teams are among the top 22 in the NET rankings, more than any conference.
The Gators recognize the challenge ahead.
“What do you do?” White asked. “You get better and you focus on the task at hand. Today was, ‘Hey, let’s have a great practice.’ I thought we were pretty good. We were really good Monday.
“Guys have embraced the work and that next one will be hard, too, and the following one will be hard. It’s SEC basketball, 2021.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osgators.
