GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After falling to Michigan State in a close game, Florida welcomed a ten-day break. The time has been put to good use.

“A lot of work in,” head coach Mike White said.”A lot of physical exertion. Our guys have had a pretty good taking advantage of this window, if you will.

“They’ve handled their business. We’ve gone long and hard. We’ve had some very, very taxing practices and our guys have responded pretty well. I think we’ve gotten a little bit. Hopefully, it carries over against the (Mercer) Bears.”

The Gators have had an up and down season up to this point. There have been moments where they look really solid and others where nothing seems to work.

Defensively, White wants intensity and effort, but at times the effort on the defensive end has hinged on whether or not the offense is rolling. But the Gators head coach has not had a problem with his defense.

“I think this team has really embraced that,” White said of the defensive intensity. “I haven’t been down on this team defensively at all.

“We’ve had a few possessions that were so-so. The first half against Michigan State, we weren’t quite as sharp. Our last three or four minutes against Michigan State, we had some mental mistakes.

“Fatigue, pressure, game is on the line and we make poor decisions. We make different decisions in coverage than we made the first 35 minutes of the game, which is who this team is right now.

“We’re trying to put our guys in positions in practice where we’re exhausted physically and mentally, but we’ve gotta continue to have discipline and make the right plays.

“The attention to detail has to be there when you’re tired, both physically and mentally. Defensively, for the most part, that’s what’s carried us. It’s given us a chance in every game other than Game 1.

“Offensively, if we can make a big jump, we could be a good team. We’re not a good team right now, but we’re a good defensive team.”

Mercer may not be the highest quality opponent, but they present a great opportunity to show what improvements the Gators have made during this time off.

Guys stepping up

In particular, senior Jalen Hudson has taken a major dip in his performance this season, averaging only 5.8 points a game. To put it in perspective, in 2017 the forward from Virginia averaged 15.5 points a game.

On top of that, he was removed from the starting lineup against West Virginia and only played six minutes.

However, his bad start this season may be coming to an end. White didn’t hesitate to say Hudson has stepped up the most after the loss to the Spartans.

“He’s been the best hands down since practice started,” White said of Hudson this week. “He’s been a different guy. He’s about business. He comes in, he’s playing with energy, and he’s competing.

“He’s got a bunch of wins in specific drills. He’s scored it a bunch this week, and we’ll see how it carries over. But that’s a nice first step. I’m happy that he’s handled – he’s had a lot of adversity for a guy in his position.

“It’s a unique position to be in for a guy with such heavy preseason expectations. It hasn’t been his month, but he’s had a good week so hopefully he can get it going a little bit, and that doesn’t mean just making shots.

“Hopefully he can get it going by making winning plays, whether it’s scoring, rebounding, getting a big stop, helping his team win and earn more minutes because it would be good for him and be good for the Gators.”

White hasn’t been the only one to notice Hudson turn it up a notch. His teammates have seen a change in him as well.

“I’ve seen a lot more energy, a lot more energy, a lot more being aggressive,” freshman guard Noah Locke said of Hudson. “You know he’s showed a lot more passion lately than he has been.

“I feel like he’s stepped up which he should have been doing. I mean I feel like it’s great for us overall, because we’re going to need him. We’re going to need him a lot.”

There is still plenty of time to turn a season around for a player, and we know Hudson has the capability of doing so. If he can regain his confidence and find a rhythm again, this team can make a big jump on the offensive end.

Outside of Hudson, Keith Stone has also taken advantage of the extended practice time as well, working on refining his game in order to be more consistent.

“He’s had a really good week too,” White said of Stone. “I would probably put him second in terms of the jump guys have made in these ten days. It’s not a huge window, but he’s been very good as well, probably right behind Jalen.

“It’d be nice. Keith, Keith’s had big individual games in the past in his career and always searched for that consistency he has as well. He’s become a much more consistent defender, which is, he’s one of the five guys that are out there a lot and have put together a really good defensive season to this point.

“Our defensive numbers are terrific, and his progress is part of that. Now we’ve got to come up with some offensive consistency as well to compliment that. We’ve got a very good player.”

Injuries

Two Gators suffered injuries in practice this week. Dontay Basset has a hyperextended knee, while Deaundrae Ballard suffered a concussion.

Both are questionable for Monday’s practice and Tuesday’s game against Mercer.

“Dontay has been lingering a little bit and then we had practice,” White said. “Maybe one of the first couple after Michigan State where he – it swelled up on him a little bit and he’s been out.

“And Deaundrae Ballard got a concussion in dry-O unfortunately. No defense. A good screen had been set for him and he really came close off that screen like instructed and unfortunately caught an elbow to the forehead. We’ve been unfortunate with the injury bug, but it could be worse. Hopefully we get these guys back soon.”

On top of those two new injuries, Gorgok Gak is still “status quo,” according to White and is still rehabbing.

The lone bright spot on the injury front is Chase Johnson. He has been fully cleared to play and has been practicing recently and should be ready to go against the Bears.

With the injuries, different guys are going to have to step up. Keep an eye on Hudson and Stone Tuesday as they try to help lead this team to a bounce-back victory after a close loss to Michigan State.

It will be interesting to see what rotation White decides to go with and how he manages the game.