The Gators men’s basketball team fell to Arkansas 82-74 in a tight affair at the O’Dome. The game was very back and forth, with neither team able to build on a lead at any point. Colin Castleton’s career high 29 points was not enough to hold off JD Notae and the Razorbacks late in the second half. Tyree Appleby was the only other Gator player to get double digits, chipping in with 19 points including 3 three pointers.
The main theme from tonight’s disappointing result following their upset victory over the second ranked Auburn Tigers was their inability to close. After nearly blowing their lead late in the game against Auburn, the Gators again fell apart towards the end. There seems to be a consistent panic among the players when the pressure turns up, and while they can surely use a closer to put the ball in his hands, some of the blame needs to fall on Mike White.
There are far too many poor offensive sets that result in desperation threes being thrown up late in the shot clock after a stagnant possession. Appleby was very good for 90% of tonight’s game, but towards the end, his inability to part from his fast-paced style leads to far too many turnovers when the defense begins to clamp up. Additionally, Myreon Jones missing back to back threes to cap off his 0-point performance proved to be the killer that could have sparked a late comeback. All in all, the lack of contributions from players outside of the Gators’ top two performers was a killer against a very solid Razorbacks squad.
It is games like this that were very possible to win that may come back to bite Florida as they try to make a late push for the NCAA tournament. With only three games remaining in the regular season, Mike White must improve. There is no excuse for the team to play so poor in the last few minutes on a consistent basis. Even if the Gators do end up making March Madness, fans have a right to be upset at the coach who has not brought them past the second round since 2017.
