Gators in real trouble?

[lawgator1]

Florida lost on the road to Alabama today. By itself, no big deal. But that's three losses in a row. And the Gators looked horrible in the first half. Gone is that smooth transition game. Gone is the perimeter shooting. Gone is the effective pressing defense. Gone is finding that way to win.

While it is true that the three losses are by a combined 13 points, it is also true that they are losses. The Gators at the beginning of the year were winning these games. There are a lot of teams with talent out there but as hokey as it sounds the difference between winners and losers is that winners step it up and find a way to get it done on a consistent basis. Florida has totally lost that and has very little time to get it back.

Consider these stats and numbers:

1) Florida started off 17-0. Wins over some decent teams in Syracuse, Wake Forest, Miami, and FSU. None of them world beaters, I grant you, but probably three tournament teams in there. Since then, the Gators are 5-6. They are 2-4 in their last six games.

We have Georgia at home this week, and then end the regular season at Kentucky. There is little doubt in my mind but that Kentucky will play lights out and at home I'd make them a significant favorite. Even if Florida beats Ga., that means their last ten of the regular season will be 5-5 and that is not earning them much respect going into the NCAAs.

2) I fully expect that Florida will plummet in the polls. Lucky if they stay in the top 20, really, as they head into the last two games. Will the players respond by trying to find the mark again? Or will it devolve as it has in years past in Gainesville to six or seven cases of "The other guy. He's not doing his job."

If I could get through to Billy Donovan's call-in show this week, the question I would have for him is why, year in and year out, the team peaks in late December, with ego battles, finger-pointing, and general malaise setting in come March 1.

3) The only reason I am not going to say that the team is in free fall is because they have kept all of these games close. No blow outs. Average loss is around 4 points and in a couple it came down to the last possession or two. But as I say, come NCAA tourney time, the teams that know how to win and have that character edge get it done. I just don't have confidence right now that Florida is in the right mindset. Too many times they have been in this position and failed to rally in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament.


I know this is a UT site. What I have to say to you guys is to watch out for this happening to you. It has been, and this year may again be, a problem at Florida. It is not inconceivable that you lose one or both of these last two games and if you do, or if you are out in your first SEC tourney game, trust me, its a killer to your team's attitude the first weekend of the NCAAs.

 

[GAVol]

Florida is a really strange team. We are 25 games into the season and I'm still not sure how good they are.

 

[LadyinOrange]

Florida is a really strange team. We are 25 games into the season and I'm still not sure how good they are.

They ain't any good. :wink2:

 

[lawgator1]

Florida is a really strange team. We are 25 games into the season and I'm still not sure how good they are.

I feel like they are very talented and two months ago they were very good and played very well.

Now they are mediocre, at best. They aren't good right now.

 

[lawgator1]

They ain't any good. :wink2:

If by "good" you mean having the determination and character to win, I agree with your assessment. What is sad is that they could be. A while back they were.

But right now they are not.

 

[hvwarrior58]

gregg doyel said about 2 weeks ago that he thought uf was gonna suck it up and end as a 5 seed in the ncaat. hes on a good pace.

 

[LadyinOrange]

If by "good" you mean having the determination and character to win, I agree with your assessment. What is sad is that they could be. A while back they were.

But right now they are not.

I was just playing. The board needs some stirring up, but I guess you're just too nice. :blush:

 

[WA_Vol]

Alabama and Arkansas are playing to get off the bubble. But Florida is a good example of team slumping at precisely the wrong time. I don't see them going far in the tournament.

 

[hatvol96]

Syracuse is a tourney team. FSU may be. Wake and Miami certainly aren't.

 

[lawgator1]

I was just playing. The board needs some stirring up, but I guess you're just too nice. :blush:

Don't be misled. I am totally pissed off right now. But not at you. At my team for this year-in, year-out collapse at season's end.

It is really getting tiresome.

 

[lawgator1]

Alabama and Arkansas are playing to get off the bubble. But Florida is a good example of team slumping at precisely the wrong time. I don't see them going far in the tournament.

Well put.

 

[USAF_Vol]

bammer and UF game is a win-win for me. One is going to lose. Can't argue with that. If only there was a way for both of them to lose.

 

[GAVol]

Maybe Florida and Tennessee are engaged in some sort of conspiracy to ensure that the SEC gets the maximum possible number of teams into the tournament?

 

[USAF_Vol]

Maybe Florida and Tennessee are engaged in some sort of conspiracy to ensure that the SEC gets the maximum possible number of teams into the tournament?

:question:

Interesting.

 

[tidwell]

Is Noah sportin' a mouthpiece now at least?

 

[OWB]

I know this is a UT site. What I have to say to you guys is to watch out for this happening to you. It has been, and this year may again be, a problem at Florida. It is not inconceivable that you lose one or both of these last two games and if you do, or if you are out in your first SEC tourney game, trust me, its a killer to your team's attitude the first weekend of the NCAAs.

 

[GAVol]

If I could get through to Billy Donovan's call-in show this week, the question I would have for him is why, year in and year out, the team peaks in late December, with ego battles, finger-pointing, and general malaise setting in come March 1.

This year, I'd say it had a lot to do with strength of schedule.

 

[OWB]

And let me just add something else here. We're not Florida. We've actually won some tough games already. It's not as if we rolled over and played dead when the schedule picked up like the Gators did.

I wouldn't read much into your losses lawgator, you all beat a bunch of bad teams at the start of the season and everyone thought you were spectacular, but once the SEC schedule rolled around, you all folded like a cheap suit.

 

[Crakaveli]

5-6 in the past 11 games. Doesnt sound like a top 10 team.

 

[volinbham]

The difference as I see it is that the Vols losses have a common theme - big, powerful teams are a bad match up for the Vols. LSU, Bama and Ark. are the 3 biggest and strongest teams. UF is big but not powerful as the Bama/UF game showed. We've shown we can beat teams that outsize us but struggle if they are also big bodies.

We may very well be out in the first round of the SEC tourney but not due to a slump but rather due to a match up with Ark. or Bama.

Provided we don't run into that type of team early in the NCAA's then I think the Vols will be fine. They consistently play tough and never quit.

Finally, while UF wasn't predicted to be that great this year, they still have a talent edge. Most analysts put UT's TALENT at about 5th best in the league. The difference is the chemistry and guts that Pearl has drawn out of this team. Bottomline, UT is consistently doing more with less.

 

[lawgator1]

Bottomline, UT is consistently doing more with less.

I agree. And while I also agree that UT does have match up problems versus big and powerful low post players and that this may be their undoing in the NCAA tournament, right now I like your chances to get deeper into the tournament a whole lot more than Florida's.

Obviously, need to see the brackets, but right now its tough to see Florida playing on the second weekend of the tourney. I see UT at least having a chance if the perimeter shooting (a/k/a Lofton) is on.

 

[ddubb76]

Obviously, need to see the brackets, but right now its tough to see Florida playing on the second weekend of the tourney. I see UT at least having a chance if the perimeter shooting (a/k/a Lofton) is on.
[/quote]


To me this has been the problem the last few games. Teams have decided to dedicate their defense to Lofton, which should free up other players, and it has, but we still need to get Lofton shooting the ball. I think Pearl will figure out a way to get him free and more into the shooting part of the game. When we had a problem with blocked shots two games in a row(LSU and Memphis), Pearl and squad worked on it and got that fixed, when we werent rebounding well, Pearl got that fixed. I just think that teams have realized you have to take Lofton out in order to beat us, so I think our other players have to start shooting close to how good Lofton does and that will make them cover them and maybe Lofton wont be double and triple teamed the entire game. I also would have Major shooting the ball from the three and deep two point shots until his arm fell off. If he could half a__ shoot the ball he would get thirty points a game, nobody covers him unless he is right under the basket.JMO

 

[orange+white=heaven]

... when we werent rebounding well, Pearl got that fixed.

That part is kinda still in the shop.

 

[ddubb76]

That part is kinda still in the shop.

Your right, they sort of fixed it there during those 3-4 games in the middle of the 8 game streak.

 

[orange+white=heaven]

Your right, they sort of fixed it there during those 3-4 games in the middle of the 8 game streak.

version 2.0 is coming out next fall. Advance indications are that significant progress will be made on fixing that bug...