Florida Gators Basketball: Positive Takeaways From Loss To Gonzaga

2. KeVaughn Allen Is Approaching Stardom

The Florida Gators’ fatal flaw in 2015-16 was the absence of a player who could consistently take over against high-quality competition. After Dorian Finney-Smith, if not ahead of him, one could argue that the closest thing to a true No. 1 scoring option was freshman KeVaughn Allen.

Now a sophomore, Allen is developing into the star-caliber scorer that he’s proven capable of becoming.

Allen shot poorly against the No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs with marks of 7-of-17 from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point range. He managed to score 15 points, however, and maintained the type of aggressiveness that a star scorer must possess.

Make or miss, Allen kept shooting—exactly what head coach Mike White needs him to do at this stage of the 2016-17 season.

Allen scored 21 points against the Seton Hall Pirates and had at least 13 points in each of the previous three games. That includes his 16-point performance against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies and his 13 points and five assists in 26 minutes against Mercer.

Whether or not he shoots well, the Gators can feel encouraged knowing that Allen isn’t letting a poor shooting night break his confidence.