Gators lose third straight in blown opportunity against No. 12 LSU
Despite rallying from a double-digit deficit, the Gators couldn’t complete the comeback Wednesday night and lost to No. 12 LSU at home, 64-58.
Missed free throws doomed Florida (9-6), which is now 0-3 in conference play for the first time since the 1981-82 season.
Early on, the Tigers kept UF at arm’s length and built a lead that surmounted to 14, but foul trouble and a cold stretch on offense let the Gators hang around.
They brought the game within one possession multiple times throughout the second half, but LSU (15-1, 3-1 SEC) seemed to always have an answer and escaped with the win.
What went wrong for the Gators
Simply put, Florida had a rough night shooting the basketball from all ends of the court. Shooting 20-55 from the field, UF finished with a 36.4 field goal percentage compared to LSU’s 50 percent.
The Gators did a very good job of finding ways to the foul line, but had an abysmal night there. They made just 50 percent of their free throws (11-22) and left 11 points at the charity stripe in a six-point loss.
Another big problem was Florida throwing up hopeless three-point shots, finishing 7-31 from beyond the arc (22.6 percent). It’s clear the Gators are not exactly a team filled with marksmen, yet they shot 31 triples.
This was a blown opportunity
The Tigers were not at full strength Wednesday as they had two players foul out and a third who did not play.
LSU starting guard Xavier Pinson sat out this game after he suffered an MCL strain last Saturday against Tennessee. Pinson leads the team with 4.7 assists per game and averages 10.9 points.
Florida caught a couple more breaks when Tigers forward Tari Eason fouled out with over 16 minutes to play. Eason is LSU’s best player even though comes off the bench, but UF could not take advantage.
LSU center Efton Reid also fouled out in the second half, which hurt the depth and length of the Tigers’ lineup. Gators forward Colin Castleton posted a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds despite taking on double teams all night.
What’s next for Florida hoops
Florida will be back on the road Saturday to face South Carolina (10-5, 1-2 SEC) at 1 p.m., their first unranked opponent in conference play after three consecutive top-15 teams.
The Gators won’t play another top-25 team for at least a couple weeks, but these next few matchups will show where this team truly falls in the SEC ranks and whether Mike White and his staff can turn this season around.
