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Florida basketball: Gators come home to take on Vanderbilt

By Will Thomas

Feb 8, 2023; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Florida forward Colin Castleton (12) defends beneath the basket as Alabama center Charles Bediako (14) attempts a shot at Coleman Coliseum.Ncaa Basketball Alabama Vs Florida
Feb 8, 2023; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Florida forward Colin Castleton (12) defends beneath the basket as Alabama center Charles Bediako (14) attempts a shot at Coleman Coliseum.Ncaa Basketball Alabama Vs Florida /
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Florida basketball is coming off of an embarrassing loss at Alabama, and a brutal four-game stretch where they went 1-3.

There is good news for the Gators, however. Their schedule gets much easier from this point forward, and it starts with a home game against Vanderbilt tomorrow afternoon.

Vanderbilt is 12-12 with a 5-6 conference record. They’re coming off of back-to-back wins at home against Ole Miss and Tennessee, so they’re in a prime spot for a big road letdown in Gainesville.

The Gators can’t just sleepwalk into this one and win though. Vandy has proven they can beat good teams with that win over Tennessee, even though playing on the road is a different animal.

The Commodores’ best player is Liam Robbins, the 7’0” senior out of Davenport, Iowa. He leads his team in points per game (13.4), rebounds per game (6.4), and blocks per game (3.0).

Vandy also has a duo of guards that average double figures in Tyrin Lawrence who’s scoring 11.4 a night, and Jordan Wright who’s at 10.3.

The Gators have had an elite defense all year, and they currently rank 11th in the KenPom total defense rankings. While we didn’t get to see their defense at its full potential on the road, they lock it down much better at home, which we saw in their upset over Tennessee.

The Gators should be able to limit Vandy on offense all day and set themselves up for a win.

Offensively, as has been the case all year, the Gators have got to improve on their outside shooting. Sure, Castleton can carry you for a few minutes in the second half, but he can’t be literally the only guy scoring.

In Tuscaloosa, he had 29 points, and no other Gator had more than 15 with only two in double figures. Coming home should help with their perimeter scoring, and the guards and wings like Will Richard and Myreon Jones will find their stroke back in Exactech.

Barring a disaster, this is a good spot for the Gators to get some momentum going and get back in the win column.

Keep up with Florida basketball at Hail Florida Hail. 

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