Stock Report: Examining trends as Florida heads into postseason
After dropping a road contest at Vanderbilt on Saturday in its regular-season finale, No. 17 Florida (24-7, 14-4 SEC) enters the postseason still with high hopes. The Gators have gone 2-2 in the past two weeks, but have won eight of their past 10, which includes part of what was a nine-game winning streak for Mike White’s group.
Many bracketologists have Florida currently pegged as a potential No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament – or possibly as a three-seed if it wins the SEC Tournament crown this weekend with a win against Kentucky as part of that journey. The Gators, seeded No. 2 in the conference tournament, get a double bye before squaring off against No. 7 seed Vanderbilt or No. 10 seed Texas A&M on Friday night in Nashville.
Now, Inside the Gators takes a closer look at some of the trends concerning the Gators men’s basketball team with a Stock Report.
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* Gators Spring Practice Day 2 Insider
* Grad-transfer quarterback will visit Florida
* Video and Photo Gallery: Florida holds second spring practice Thursday
* Franks ready to make impact after beneficial redshirt year
* Although short-handed, wide receivers relishing opportunities this spring
* Video and Photo Gallery: Florida kicks off spring practices Tuesday
* McElwain shares thoughts on Florida’s first spring practice, quarterbacks
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Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen (↑): Although he went quiet in the second half of Florida's loss at Vanderbilt this past Saturday, Allen managed to score 13 points in the first half of that contest. In the three games prior, he was quite sharp from the field. Before scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting against Arkansas, Allen combined for 50 points on 58.3% shooting - with a 50% clip from downtown and 14-of-15 outing from the charity stripe - against South Carolina and Kentucky. When Allen goes offensively, Florida goes - and the Gators are going to need him to help lead the way at that end of the floor and be a prolific scorer in the postseason.
Graduate transfer guard Canyon Barry (↑): After suffering a sprained ankle at Mississippi State on Feb. 18, Barry struggled in just 27 combined minutes on the court against Kentucky and South Carolina, logging a three points on 1-of-8 shooting in those games. However, this past week he looked like his old self again. Against Arkansas and Vanderbilt, Barry recorded a combined 29 points on 11-of-22 (50%) shooting in a more prominent role coming off the bench. He also made a pair of impressive blocks at the rim as well last week, both of which touched opposing players before going out of bounds.
Senior point guard Kasey Hill (↓): Hill's Florida career has been erratic, but his senior season has seen much more good than bad. However, in recent games he hasn't been the most effective player at the point. Since dropping 21 points in a 22-point home blowout of Kentucky, Hill has shot just 27-of-75 (36%) from the field. He's averaged 3.7 assists against 3.9 turnovers per game in the past seven contests. Foul trouble has sometimes been an issue, with Hill logging at least three fouls in six of those eight games. The Gators are really going to need Hill to turn it around this postseason.
Junior point guard Chris Chiozza (↑): Since the beginning of February, Chiozza has been one of Florida's best contributors coming off the bench - and its most efficient point guard. During that stretch, he's logged 43 assists against just 17 turnovers while adding 10.9 points per contest over 10 games. To compare, Hill has logged 41 assists against 36 turnovers. Not only has Chiozza been more effective offensively, shooting 55.4% from the field - much better than his 30.7% clip over the previous 21 games - but he's been one of Florida's most tenacious defenders, especially when pressing.
Free throw shooting (↓): Since shooting an impressive 37-of-42 (88.1%) at Auburn on Feb. 14 - and 73.0% in its first 26 games of the season - Florida has gone 70.6% from the free throw line over the past five games. However, that number is helped by a strong 22-of-27 (81.5%) outing from the charity stripe against South Carolina. In four of their past five games, the Gators have shot 66.7% or worse from the foul line. Uncharacteristically, Allen and Barry, who are Florida's two best free throw shooters, combined for four missed free throws at Vanderbilt.
Sophomore center Kevarrius Hayes (←→): Before John Egbunu suffered a torn ACL, Hayes averaged 6.2 points on 63.6% shooting, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in 26 appearances. In the past five games now as a starter with Egbunu out, Hayes has averaged 5.6 points on 50% shooting, 6.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest. Although Hayes has made some nice defensive plays recently and has stepped up his efforts on the glass, he hasn't seen his offensive production increase despite a bigger role in the rotation. With Florida going small against Vanderbilt, Hayes logged just 10 minutes on the court Saturday against the Commodores.
Protecting the rim against talented bigs (↓): In both of its losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt, Florida allowed big men (Bam Adebayo, Luke Kornet) to go off. Adebayo had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 15 rebounds against the Gators, while Kornet dropped 24 points on 7-of-17 shooting (but 5-of-9 shooting inside the arc) and added six rebounds this past weekend. Kornet also managed to get to the line for 10 free throw attempts, knocking down eight of them. In both of those losses, the Wildcats and Commodores combined for 52.1% shooting inside the arc. Florida has struggled to protect the paint against some of the more talented big men the SEC has to offer, without Egbunu holding down the middle.
Redshirt freshman forward Keith Stone (↑): An ear infection really bothered Stone for a couple of weeks, as he dealt with troubles with his balance and struggled with dizziness. However, recently he has found his groove again. Stone logged his first bucket since Jan. 14 to go along with three rebounds in a victory against South Carolina on Feb. 21. After recording eight points and three boards in nine minutes in a tenacious performance against Arkansas, Stone added six points and four rebounds on the road at Vandy. The Gators could use some more contributions in the frontcourt, and Stone is a player who could help - if he keeps his recent momentum going.
2016 signees (←→): Since the start of February, freshman point guard Eric Hester's role has diminished while Florida has tightened up its rotation. In the past nine games, he has combined for just 14 minutes on the court with just three points - he hasn't scored since Florida's Feb. 4 blowout of Kentucky. Meanwhile, freshman center Gorjok Gak (foot sprain) is finally back in the mix. He provided nice frontcourt depth against Arkansas in eight minutes of action but didn't see any playing time at Vanderbilt.
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