Postgame grades: Gators can’t overcome shooting woes, fall to the Tide
Florida can’t find a rhythm offensively as it suffers a tough home loss to Alabama — snapping its 11-game winning streak against the Crimson Tide.
The Gators’ shooting struggles returned in full force against Alabama, scoring an SEC season-low 55 points in the loss to the Crimson Tide.
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For Florida, this was a game it absolutely had to have. Entering the contest, the Gators were riding an 11-game winning streak in the series and hadn’t suffered a defeat against the Tide in Gainesville since 1995. But Bama’s defense bamboozled Florida in its halfcourt offense and allowed virtually nothing in transition.
The Gators shot a meager 28.6 percent from the field, 14.3 from three and failed to capitalize at the free-throw line, making just 16 of 27 freebies.
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Obviously the loss hurts Florida’s chances at reaching the NCAA tournament. The Gators needed to, at the very least, defend its home floor and hope it could sneak out a win or two on the road against Georgia, South Carolina, LSU or Missouri. In addition, UF blew its chances at remaining just a game out first place in the league standings, instead falling two behind front-runners Kentucky and LSU into a jumbled race for third, fourth or even fifth place.
If you were to pin a grade on tonight’s outing, Florida would have earned a 2.06 GPA (right at a C), collectively.
Here’s how the Gators fared individually.
Grades
DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH. B. Finney-Smith finished with 12 points (his fewest in five games) and nine rebounds on the night. He was the focal point of the Alabama defense and it successfully shut down the senior forward for most of the contest.. Forward. Senior
B-. Allen hit some big shots for the Gators, but not nearly enough. The freshman had a decent shooting night, going 5-of-12 for 12 points, four rebounds and two assists in the loss.. Guard. Freshman. KEVAUGHN ALLEN
C. Leon gave Florida a spark offensively, but couldn’t sustain it for the game’s entirety. The junior went 4-of-11 from the field — including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc — and hauled in five boards. A decent performance in a losing effort.. Forward. Junior. JUSTIN LEON
Center. JOHN EGBUNU. C. Sophomore center Egbunu had his second straight double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds), but struggled mightily when he received the ball in the post and had a particularly rough night from the charity stripe (6-of-14).. Sophomore
Guard. Sophomore. CHRIS CHIOZZA. C-. Chiozza struggled both shooting the ball and facilitating the game. The sophomore guard committed five turnovers and only totaled seven points for the contest.
Sophomore. DEVIN ROBINSON. D. Four days following his career-high 15-point outing, Sophomore forward Robinson was held to just two points against the Tide. He managed to crash the glass for 12 boards, though.. Forward
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Coming up
After playing six of their last eight games at home in the O’Connell Center, the Gators — now 16-9, 7-5 in the SEC — hit the road for a two-game stretch, starting Tuesday night at Georgia (13-9, 6-5 SEC) followed by a trip to South Carolina (21-4, 8-4 SEC) next weekend. Both will be tough tasks with the Bulldogs pushing for a tournament appearance and the Gamecocks playing for a higher seeding.