Gators Men’s Basketball Drawing Lessons from Ole Miss Victory

The Gators improved to 2-0 both in SEC play and at Exactech Arena after their 70-63 win over Ole Miss.  While head coach Mike White saw plenty of positives from his team, there were also areas he wants to see improved as they move forward with their conference schedule.

Good play in stretches…

White generally liked how his team played for the first 30 minutes of the game. He mentioned how his guys did a good job of wreaking havoc on defense, getting into the passing lanes and forcing turnovers in the first half. The defensive pressure helped hold a high-powered Ole Miss offense to just 21 points in the first half.

One of the main guys responsible for that was Kasey Hill, who led the way with six steals. White said Hill has really come along in his senior season, calling it “a good case of senioritis,” adding that Hill has matured a lot and has been a leader for the team.

Hill credited his defensive performance to him “just being aggressive”, saying that he used his speed to get into the passing lanes.

On offense, the spark for Florida came from the bench via Canyon Barry.

Barry led all scorers with 20 points in 22 minutes, including going 3 for 6 from beyond the arc. White called him “the MVP tonight” for Florida, saying that he’s happy to see Barry having success for the team and for himself.

Barry was aided by KeVaughn Allen in carrying the offensive load, as Allen went 4 for 7 from three-point range.

Allen said the team did a good job of taking what the Ole Miss defense gave them and running them down the court in the second half. Hill was happy to have his shooters around him, saying it’s fun to get them all going and knocking down shots.

… but need to put a full 40 minutes together

White harped on the fact that the Gators didn’t close the game the way he’d hoped. After having a double digit lead late in the second half, Ole Miss got to withing six points in the final minute. White was upset that the Gators weren’t able to “put them away.”

White emphasized the mistakes his team made on the defensive side of the ball. After suffocating the Rebels’ offense in the first half, Florida allowed Ole Miss to shoot almost 60% from the field in the second half, which brought them back into the game.

White said that “focus” has been a keyword for the team, especially after slow points in practice or during games. He said he hopes the team can use this as another learning experience so the team can keep their focus.

Next Up

The Gators will look to draw from these lessons and continue to improve when they host Tennessee on Saturday.