The reason behind Florida basketball’s current winning streak
A top-10 team in the Associated Press preseason poll that had fallen out of the rankings after two weeks, Florida brings a three-game win streak to Rupp Arena on Saturday to play SEC leader Kentucky. In fact, the Gators have won five of their last six.
So what’s the reason for the turnaround? In a word: Shooting. Good shooting, to be more precise. Mike White’s team has shot 50 percent or better in each of the three wins — 51.9 percent in a 78-61 win at Texas A&M; 51.9 in its 84-66 victory over Vanderbilt and an even 50 percent in its 73-59 home win over Arkansas on Tuesday.
Compare that to the 33.3 percent the Gators shot in a surprising 68-51 loss at Ole Miss or the 44.9 they shot in a 78-71 home loss to Mississippi State.
With a 9-4 record in the SEC, the Gators are 5-1 when they shoot 50 percent or higher from the floor. They are 4-3 when they fall below 50 percent.
Overall, Florida leads the league in field goal percentage in conference games at 46.3. (Kentucky is third at 45.9.)
That sets up an interesting matchup Saturday. Kentucky leads the league in field goal percentage defense in conference games at 38.1 percent. (Florida is eighth at 43.1.) The Cats have held each of their last seven opponents to 40 percent or below. Here’s the list:
- Vanderbilt 38.9
- At Auburn 35.3
- Mississippi State 36.8
- Tennessee 34.5
- At Vanderbilt 37.3
- Ole Miss 40.0
- At LSU 39.4
Ti-poff on Saturday is 6 p.m. on ESPN. Dick Vitale has let it be known that he will be the color man for Saturday’s telecast.
To the links:
▪ Mark Story looks at the UK-Florida matchup position by position. He also offers a prediction. Kentucky has a two-game lead in the conference standings over the Gators. (Subscriber exclusive)
▪ Will it be UK, Memphis, Texas (or somewhere else) for top basketball recruit Greg Brown? Ben Roberts looks at Brown’s recruitment. Brown is a 6-foot-9 power forward out of Austin, Texas.
▪ The Kentucky women rolled over Ole Miss 94-52 on Thursday night in Oxford. Rhyne Howard scored 21 points, hitting eight of 11 shots. Matthew Mitchell’s team is now 20-5 overall and 9-4 in the SEC. No. 1-ranked South Carolina comes to Memorial Coliseum on Sunday for a 2 p.m. game on ESPN2.
▪ How can Kentucky football bolster its brand in the South? Josh Moore of the Herald-Leader says just look to North Carolina. “According to 247Sports, the University of Kentucky football staff has offered scholarships to 13 players from North Carolina, a state from which none of its current scholarship players hail.” (Subscriber exclusive)
This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 8:50 AM.
