Florida basketball: Gators look for revenge against Texas A&M
By Will Thomas
Florida basketball is on the road this week for a trip down to College Station as they look to extend their winning streak to four games. They’re also playing for some revenge against the Aggies for their loss a few weeks ago.
It’s safe to say that this is a different Gators team than A&M played a few weeks ago. Myreon Jones is making a difference. Riley Kugel is starting to get more minutes. And the Gators are turning the ball over much less than they were at the time of that first game.
In Florida and A&M’s first meeting, the Gators turned the ball over 20 times compared to the Aggies’ 10. What makes this stat even more jarring is that the Gators made 20 shots in that game.
I’m not an expert, but having the same amount of turnovers as made shots isn’t a great strategy.
UF also has to do a better job in the foul department. In the first matchup, A&M had six more free-throw attempts than the Gators in what was a three-point game. Having that type of margin will make winning any close game tougher.
To give A&M credit, they rank in the top ten in the nation in opponents’ fouls per possession, meaning they do a great job of drawing contact and getting to the line. The Gators meanwhile are sitting in the 200s of the same stat.
For Florida to succeed tonight, they need to be disciplined defensively to prevent A&M from getting a ton of trips to the charity stripe. A lot of free throws for the Aggies could easily turn the game in their favor, especially being at home.
The Gators need to limit A&M’s big men tonight as well. In their last matchup, Julius Marble scored 17 on Florida, and while Henry Coleman was quiet in Gainesville, he’s averaging over 10 points per game and 5.8 rebounds.
If we can get a performance from Colin Castleton like he gave us against Missouri, the Gators will be in good shape. His double-double had a massive impact against the Tigers, and it would do the same tonight on the road.
This would be a huge win for the Gators. As underdogs on the road against a team that already beat them, this win would say a lot about the strides this team has made.
Keep up with Florida basketball at Hail Florida Hail.