Florida basketball: Gators less-than-stellar in exhibition win
It probably wasn’t what you would expect from the No. 6 Florida basketball squad in an exhibition. But, it does show what needs work.
Despite getting 17 points from Andrew Nembhard and 16 from Kerry Blackshear, No. 6 Florida basketball seemed to struggle down the stretch in an 89-71 win over Division II Lynn University Tuesday.
Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.
Lynn actually outscored Florida basketball 42-40 in the second half as the Gators had a great shooting night, just not a great defensive one.
Florida shot 51% from their field, while Lynn managed just 39%. But Lynn managed 10 more attempts from the field in the second half, which helped lead them to close the gap.
Florida basketball raced out to a 49-29 lead in the first half and never trailed in the game, but Lynn was able to get 22 second-chance points and 19 points off 17 Gator turnovers.
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It all means there’s still to be done for the No. 6 team in the country.
Additionally, Florida didn’t have the inside dominance everyone thought they would early on. They only outrebounded Lynn 42-36.
They also struggled to stop Jordan Allen. The junior guard for Lynn hung 35 points on Florida’s defense on 9-of-17 shooting from 3-point range. He was 13-for-23 from the field overall.
Florida basketball head coach Mike White said the team played differently than they would in real-game situations.
"“Starting next week, we’ll consider shortening the rotation and giving our guys a little more structure, both offensively and defensively,” White said, in his post-game news conference."
The Gators did have bright spots as Blackshear was a force inside. For his 24 minutes, he logged a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) while freshman Tre Mann was solid, shooting 4-for-8 from the field for 13 points.
Sophomore Keyontae Johnson was the other Florida basketball player in double-figures with 12 points. Freshman Omar Payne had nine points to go along with his seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
Despite the accolades, it was evident Florida basketball still has to come together as a team. With eight new players — including Blackshear, a graduate transfer — White and the coaching staff will have a short time to get that chemistry refined before the regular season.
Next. Is pressure on Mike White justified this season?. dark
Which starts Tuesday night as No. 6 Florida basketball takes on North Florida at 7 p.m. in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.