Florida basketball fell to 5-4 on the year with a 77-73 loss against the UConn Huskies at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
In what amounted to a home game for the Huskies, the Gators struggled shooting in the first half (30%) and couldn’t make up the ground after the break. Florida erased a seven-point halftime deficit, taking a three-point lead on a Thomas Haugh 3-pointer at the 12-minute mark. The Gators lost that lead for good four minutes later, though, as the Huskies went on a 7-0 run.
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Florida played the foul game, down seven with a minute left. Enough things went right to cut that deficit to three points with nine seconds left, but Boogie Fland couldn’t inbound the ball in time. The whistle felt fast, and Fland got the ball out as the referee blew it. Fland blocked the following shot attempt from UConn, but another whistle filled the stadium, accompanied by the raucous crowd made up of mostly Huskies fans. A replay showed Fland getting all ball. Todd Golden was irate, knowing that was the end of the comeback bid.
Xaivian Lee led all scorers with 19 points, the same as UConn’s Solo Ball. Fland struggled with foul trouble, limiting him to 22 minutes on the court. Thomas Haugh was his usual productive self with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, and Alex Condon gave 11 of his 14 points in the second half. Despite some shaky defense to start the game, Rueben Chinyelu was a force down low, grabbing 11 rebounds (four offensive, seven defensive) and blocking two shots.
The Gators are so close to being great
All three of Florida’s losses to Quadrant 1 opponents were winnable. The Gators played a better second half against Duke, and no one knew how good Koa Peat was when Florida played Arizona. This loss boils down to six missed free throws, including a 0-of-4 night from Chinyelu, and poor 3-point shooting.
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The free throws are tough to reconcile. Chinyelu has worked on it, but that’s simply not his game. It’s also hard to pin the loss on him with the defensive effort. However, the 3-point issue is teamwide, save for Haugh. Alex Condon is struggling from deep; although, he only hoisted one 3 on Tuesday, and it was a wide-open look very early in the game.
Fland and Lee went a combined 1-of-9 from beyond the arc, which is more damning. Florida desperately needs both guards to play at a high level, and that hasn’t happened yet this season. Fland’s foul trouble was costly on a night where Lee escaped from the “dark place” he’s spent most of the season in.
At some point, it will all come together. It’s just hard to watch the little things cost so much in non-conference play.
The good Xaivian Lee is a difference maker
Xaivian Lee gave a glimpse into why Todd Golden and the Florida Gators pursued him in the transfer portal against Providence, but the UConn game was a full-blown coming-out party. Lee led the Gators in scoring with 13 points in the first half, and he dropped six more with three assists after the break. Maybe it’s the colder weather, or maybe Lee is starting to feel comfortable. Whatever it is, Florida needed it to stay competitive in this game.
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He runs the transition very well, making the smart pass more often than not. He found Thomas Haugh for a pair of alley-oops that shifted the momentum in each half. Lee rebounds well for his position, grabbing six defensive boards in this one, and he’s good for a couple of steals each game. He also stays out of foul trouble, which can’t be said for Fland.
With both guards having breakout performances over the last two games, the blueprint is apparent. Get them both to do it at the same time, and Florida is a national championship contender once again.
The Gators’ bigs are better than yours
The starting frontcourt of Condon, Chinyelu and Haugh is the best in the country. UConn is a team that prides itself on big men, and the Gators won that battle. Haugh plays the wing well and is the only one scoring from deep right now (3-of-5 from 3); Condon has great footwork, recognizes when he’s in a mismatch well and dishes the ball when he needs to — all of which were on display against UConn; and Chineylu can outmuscle anyone while fighting on the glass.
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Throw Micah Handlogten in there, too. His box score doesn’t paint the full picture. Handlogten simply gets in the way of the other team while on defense, and he’s a menace on the offensive glass. Zero blocks and six total rebounds might not give that impression, but he’s the unsung hero of this frontcourt.
Once again, Florida dominated the rebound game with 40 to UConn’s 28. The problem is that 16 offensive rebounds mean a lot of missed shots. Golden has said several times that this team needs to make more shots. Once that happens, other teams will force bad shots trying to close the gap — which means more transition offense and less work for the bigs.
Florida is so close, yet so far.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators basketball falls to UConn at Madison Square Garden
