Back in August, UF coach Mike White envisioned a basketball team built on experience and an explosive offense.
Things have not gone accordingly to plan. Instead, the Gators have relied primarily on defense and leaned more heavily than expected on a trio of first-year freshmen.
The Gators (8-4) still were able to survive the SEC’s toughest non-conference schedule, as determined by stats guru Ken Pomeroy. To thrive during conference play, Florida will need to have all its pieces on place, beginning with Saturday’s visit from South Carolina (5-7).
In the Gators’ favor, White’s squad picked a good time to put together its best performance of the season, avenging a 61-54 loss Nov.