Takeaways from Florida basketball’s blowout loss to UCF in NIT first round

Initials that make Florida fans wince – NIT and UCF.

On Wednesday night, it was the Knights who ended Florida’s basketball season in the first round of the NIT 15 months after the school beat the Gators in a bowl game.

In both cases, Florida was its own worst enemy.

On Wednesday night, the Gators were bad in every phase of the game and were humiliated by the Knights, 67-49.

The Gators couldn’t shoot, couldn’t defend and didn’t take care of the ball in losing their sixth game at home for only the second time in 25 years.

It was the fewest points Florida scored all season and the fewest since a 2015 SEC Tournament loss.

What happened

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

It was just awful and might have left UF wondering if the Gators should have taken the easy out the way North Carolina did and just end the season after the conference tournament.

Florida did nothing well and any hopes of a comeback after a miserable first half were ended by terrible shooting and more turnovers. Florida had 18 for the game and shot 32% compared to UCF’s 53%.

It was that ugly.

The Gators spent the first half of the game looking like a team that had no interest in being in the NIT. Florida allowed a 20-2 run by UCF and committed 10 turnovers in the first 11 minutes.

They trailed 35-26 at the break as the Knights shot 56% from the field and Florida went 3-for-15 from three-point range.

It didn’t get any better in the second half as the team that did such a good job digging itself out of holes all season just kept digging this one deeper.

What it means

AP Photo/Mark Zaleski

It means that the season is over. It also means that Florida as a program has had its first season since 1979 that both the football and men’s basketball finished below .500. It will get better. I promise. Let us also point out that Todd Golden is only the second Florida coach ever to make the postseason in his first year (the other was Mike White).

Player of the Game: UCF

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Story continues

Freshman Taylor…


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Author : Gators Wire

Publish date : 2023-03-16 01:16:08

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