Florida Basketball: Three positive stats for the Gators so far

With wins over Loyola and FAMU and a tight loss to Virginia, Florida basketball is off and running for their 2023-24 season. Todd Golden hopes to lead the Gators back to the NCAA Tournament after a two-year drought from the Big Dance.

While there is still a ton of basketball left to be played, here are three encouraging stats we have seen out of the Gators so far.

Florida Basketball Encouraging Stats

Opponent Block Percentage

• 2.6% of Florida’s shots have been blocked
• 32nd best in the country

Florida feels like a squad with far more length than what we saw last year. Even with the departure of Colin Castleton, the Gators still have Riley Kugel at 6’5″, Micah Handlogten at 7’1″, and Tyrese Samuel at 6’10” among their starters.

So even though Florida is ranked 231st in the nation at three-point attempts per game, they are still managing to avoid getting their shot blocked and at least give themselves a chance to make every shot.

Offensive Efficiency

• 1.166 points per possession
• 44th best in the country

It’s no secret that Florida’s offense struggled mightily at times last season, ranking 213th in offensive efficiency.

And while yes, Florida basketball has had two cupcakes mixed in with its schedule thus far, so have many other teams. At this point last season, Florida was 71st in the category, so the Gators are ahead of where they were last season.

Offensive Rebounding Rate

• Getting an offensive rebound on 47.5% of misses
• 4th best in the country

Perhaps bolstered by its all-around team length, Florida has been dominating the glass through three games. Florida is picking up the rebound on almost half of their missed shots.

Last season, the Gators were 303rd in this category.

The Gators could be tighter on the defensive rebounding side. Opponents are collecting their misses 28.2% of the time. That puts Florida in the middle of the country at 181st.