UF Rebounds With Culture Win Over UNF - Florida Gators

Next Game:

vs. Maryland

12/12/2021 | 4:30 PM

Gators Sports Network from LEARFIELD

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — There's a saying in sports that coaches repeat over and over to their players during the course of a season. 

"Next play!" 

As in, that last play — good or bad — is over. Can't do anything about it. If good, don't celebrate it, 'cause the other team is coming. If bad, don't bemoan it, rather do something about it. 

The Florida Gators paraphrased that saying Wednesday night, just 48 hours after suffering the program's most humiliating defeat in a decade. There wasn't a damn thing the Gators could do about the catastrophe against Texas Southern, so how did the UF coaches and players approach Wednesday night's meeting against North Florida?

"Next game!" 

Senior forward Colin Castleton scored a career-high 26 points and the Florida defense forced 28 turnovers that led to 33 points in the 20th-ranked Gators' 85-55 pasting of the Ospreys at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. UF (7-2) only shot 44.6 percent for the game (and that was with 10 dunks) and had a third straight stone-cold showing from the 3-point line at 5-for-23 (21.7 percent), but this night was more about putting two hours of energetic, team-first basketball on the floor, putting that TSU loss further in the review, and getting back to the defensive-minded, blue-collar blueprint the team established in opening the season with six straight wins. 

"We had to get our identity back," senior guard Myreon Jones said. 

Florida's players (like Castleton and Myreon Jones, above) were back to flying around, chasing loose balls, diving on the floor and commiting and communicating on defense. 

Castleton put in nine of his 17 field-goal attempts and eight of 11 free throws, while adding a couple assists and steals each over 28 minutes. Jones pitched in 14 points and fifth-year senior point guard Tyree Appleby had 13 points and four steals. Those three were the only UF players to find double figures, mostly because the Gators rushed to an 18-point halftime lead — thanks to 18 forced turnovers that became 17 points — by limiting the Ospreys, out of the Atlantic Sun Conference, to only 28.6 percent shooting in the first half. The game was pretty much out of hand early. The home team, though, had to finish what it started and maintain its edge.

The Gators came out in the second half and scored the period's first 12 points, making all five of their field-goal attempts, to go up 53-23. If they had just been bad from the 3-point line instead of really bad, the lead might've swelled to 40. But, again, this one wasn't about points and shooting and guys getting theirs. They needed to reset the culture that was so good last month.

Like winning the invisible floor-burn statistic, with guard Brandon McKissic and backup wing Kowacie Reeves spilling across the floor and winning 50-50 balls that led to baskets. The sight of those kind of moments pleased Coach Mike White to no end. 

"Every team has a different culture. Culture is action and we had poor culture the other night. We were out of character," White said. "The veterans on this team have created a culture that we play hard. We're going to get on the floor, we're going to keep getting after you."

The rout allowed White to get minutes for guys — like Reeves, Jason Jitoboh, Niels Lane (even walk-on Alex Klatsky) — who had none the previous two games (both losses), but more importantly flipped the mood on the bench 180 degrees from two nights before. 

"We knew what we had to do tonight," Castleton said. "It's what we have to do every night."

The UF bench was more lively (and with more smiles) than it had been the previous two games.

That was the consensus of a team meeting Tuesday that lasted three hours and included some candid conversations, with coaches and players apparently speaking frankly. The discussions kept going back to what the Gators did so well during that six-game winning streak that included signature wins against Florida State and Ohio State, and taking-care-of-business victories against inferior opponents. 

Playing hard. Playing with grit. 

"The young guys were the first ones to bring it up," Jones aid. "It opened our eyes, opened our minds. The young guys see what's going on. The old guys have to be the leaders." 

And that's what happened Wednesday. Which begs a question.

Now what? 

Answer: Next game. 

Print Friendly Version

Adblock test (Why?)

UF Rebounds With Culture Win Over UNF - Florida Gators
Read More