Fastbreak: Florida basketball embarrassed by Alabama after Georgia loss

Basketball

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Image Credit: Steven Ryan/Newsday

No. 23 Florida Gators basketball (15-8, 6-4 SEC) was embarrassed at home in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Saturday, blowing a double-digit first-half lead to fall 68-50 to the Alabama Crimson Tide (15-8, 6-4 SEC). Since jumping back into the land of the ranked after upsetting Kentucky at home back on Jan. 20, Florida has lost three of four games, going 1-2 at home and failing to top 60 points in either of its last two games. It is also 0-3 against its last three SEC opponents.

Let’s take a look at UF’s latest loss in Fastbreak:

It was over when … Alabama completed an 11-0 run (extended 15-2 scoring stretch) to go up that many with seven minutes left in the game. The Gators allowed the Tide to score eight straight to open the second half and made just four of their first 19 shots of the period. UF led by as many as 10 in the first half but completely collapsed in the latter 20 minutes by lapsing on defense, taking ill-advised shots and turning the ball over. The Tide out-efforted the Gators at every juncture and built on their second-half lead, reaching a game-high 18-point advantage as the final buzzer sounded.

Exceptional effort: No one played particularly well for Florida, but sophomore guard Kevaughn Allen was at least efficient with a team-high 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting. He drained 3-of-7 treys and all three of his free throws, adding four boards and three dimes.

Odds and ends: UF scored 50 points or fewer for the first time since Feb. 18, 2015 … the Gators posted just seven points in the game’s final 12 minutes … besides Allen, Florida went 2-for-17 from three … the Gators scored one point off the bench, getting outscored 29-1 by the Tide from the pine … UF was outrebounded 43-25, 32-16 off the defensive glass … Bama outscored Florida 46-26 in the paint … despite forcing 19 Tide turnovers, the Gators managed 18 points and only scored 32 points on non-turnovers possessions … UF missed nine straight shots spanning halftime and its final nine shots of the game, shooting 33.3 percent from the field or worse for the third time this season (2-1) … senior point guard Chris Chiozza went 2-for-9 from the field with four assists, and redshirt junior G Jalen Hudson went 3-for-10 from the floor; they combined to go 0-for-7 from deep and 0-for-1 from the charity stripe … redshirt sophomore forward Keith Stone impressed with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, but he went 0-for-3 without a single point in the second half

What it means: This team just doesn’t have it. Lacking vocal leadership combined with a constant size and athleticism disparity have the Gators at a disadvantage in every game they enter. Unless Florida is able to drain double-digit threes or catches a team off its game, it is just not capable of stepping up and playing 40 minutes of consistent basketball. Head coach Mike White deserves his fair share of blame, but ultimately he appears to be directing these guys in the right manner. Effort matters, and the Gators are not showing it consistently. Period.

Up next: Florida will look to salvage its season when it hosts LSU on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. It then hits the road to face South Carolina on Saturday at noon.