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The Florida Gators have been dropped from the AP Top 25 Poll for the second time this season, despite a victory. The 73-67 victory over the Marshall Thundering Herd stretched Florida’s win streak to 4 on Friday.
In front of 10,583, found a way & got the W.
Ques – 14p/2r
Dontay – 6p/7r/2b
Keyontae – 13p/5r/2s/2b
Noah – 10p/5r/1s
Andrew – 8p/4r/4aHighlights ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/tRQp9GMNsH
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 30, 2019
Rebound into the Rankings
Currently, the Florida Gators are sitting just out of reach of the 25th spot in the rankings. With the spot being currently occupied by Utah State (7-1) at 112 points, the Gators (6-2) trail by just one point at 111. If there were a Top 26 Poll, you can bet Florida would be in it.
This isn’t the Gator’s first brush with uncertainty regarding the Poll this season. Back in the preseason, Florida was a Top 10 ranked team, sitting pretty at No. 6. Fans believed this to be a championship-capable team.
But, in just one week, they fell 9 places, down to No 15. Another week passed and the Gators found themselves below the rankings (and behind Florida State for that matter). It wasn’t long before the Gators muscled their way back into the Poll, beating out the Xavier Musketeers in the Charleston Classic in week 4 to bring them to No. 24.
Charleston Classic CHAMPS 🏆#GatorsHoop pic.twitter.com/bPwB6orjKh
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 25, 2019
Week 5 and Butler
Week 5 saw the Gators secure another victory under their belts as they managed to take out Marshall. A slow start to Friday’s match may have warranted the loss of their 24th spot. Maybe stuffed from Thanksgiving food, the Gators were somewhat inconsistent between the two halves. Their shooters made 30% field goals in the first half and 61% in the second, finishing the game with 44.8%.
The inconsistency made its way to the three-point line too with the Gators missing all shots from behind the arc in the first half. The second half saw a resurgence in accuracy when the team shot 4-8. Overall, Florida only made 22.2% of their shots from three, while Marshall made 28%.
Got the W at home ✊#GatorsHoop pic.twitter.com/GrZaMNBzl6
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 30, 2019
Looking ahead, the Gators have the undefeated, No.24 Butler Bulldogs in their sights going into their next game on the road. Tip-off is scheduled for this Saturday, 12/7, at noon.
