Florida basketball: Three stats the Gators need to fix heading into SEC play

Florida basketball has started its season a little slow, with a few good ones but a couple of tough losses. Dropping the game at home to FAU, and a brutal game offensively against Oklahoma has the Gators still struggling to get any real momentum going.

There is some good news in the struggle, which is that it’s clear what the Gators need to fix. If they fix it, well that’s a different issue.

Here are three stats the Gators need to improve on if they want to turn it around as SEC play begins.

Florida basketball: Assist/turnover ratio

The Gator offense has been inefficient at times, and a large part of that is due to their poor assist-to-turnover ratio. Florida’s ratio is 1.08, which sits at 147th in the country.

There really isn’t a way to sugarcoat the idea that having a stat that is nearly out of the top 150 isn’t great, especially when it’s as important as assist/turnover.

This stat is primarily a reflection on the backcourt. Guys like Trey Bonham and Kyle Lofton aren’t running the offense to its highest potential, and are struggling to get the ball to good players in scoring positions.

The team as a whole should also be more careful with the ball, and limit wasted possessions. If the Gators can fix this stat and smooth out the offense, they’ll start to look like a different team.

Florida basketball: Three-point percentage

This is the big one, the stat that everybody notices without taking a deeper dive into the numbers. The Gators have been horrendous from deep this year. They’re currently shooting the three-ball at a 35.59% clip, which is 102nd in the nation.

In their most recent game against Oklahoma, they went 2-22, a 9.1% rate. Even if the Gators aren’t going to be heavily reliant on the three, they need to be competent from back there.

If they aren’t, teams will sit back and clog the paint, leading to more turnovers and a slower, sluggish offense.

Getting a more consistent deep ball will make Florida much more dynamic.

Florida basketball: Rebound margin

As good as Colin Castleton has been at times this season, he needs to lead the charge down low and start to dominate the glass. The Gators average 36.8 rebounds per game, and their opponents average 34.8.

This puts the Gators at 168th in the nation in rebound margin. Not to mention that the Gators’ schedule gets tougher from here on out, so they’ll need to play a lot better down low to keep up with SEC big men.

Guys like Castleton and Jitoboh are the primary suspects, but Florida will also need guys like Will Richard and Kowacie Reeves to get more involved and grab the long rebounds.

Grabbing rebounds and pushing the tempo will result in more fastbreak chances and high-percentage shots. If UF can establish itself in the paint, they’ll be a force in the conference.

Keep up with Florida basketball at Hail Florida Hail.