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<p>Chris Chiozza drives the ball into the paint during Florida's 68-61 loss to No. 1 Kentucky on Feb. 7, 2014 in the O'Connell Center.</p>

Chris Chiozza drives the ball into the paint during Florida's 68-61 loss to No. 1 Kentucky on Feb. 7, 2014 in the O'Connell Center.

Chris Chiozza is making strides in his first year at UF.

A four-star recruit out of Memphis (Tenn.) White Station High, the freshman point guard went through the growing pains early this season, and it didn’t take him long to realize how much room he still had to develop his game.

"It’s been a tough season so far," Chiozza said.

"I didn’t plan on it being easy, but not this hard. … I learned more in the first week than I did in four years of high school."

And he has shown progression throughout the season.

In 23 games this season, Chiozza leads the Gators and is tied for sixth in the Southeastern Conference with 36 steals.

The freshman also boasts a 1.68 assist-to-turnover ratio, good for 15th among SEC players who have recorded at least 40 assists and seventh among SEC freshmen who fit that category.

"I think I’ve grown a lot since I first got here and coach has been talking with me a lot about that," Chiozza said. "Lights out I’m not the same person I was when I got here, basketball-wise, but I’m the same person mentally and how I come to practice every day."

Chiozza will look to continue his development when Florida hosts Ole Miss at 7 tonight in the O’Connell Center.

The Gators (12-11, 5-5 Southeastern Conference) lost their first game against the Rebels (16-7, 7-3 SEC) this season, a 72-71 defeat on Jan. 24 in Oxford, Mississippi.

And this time around, Florida will likely be without starting shooting guard Michael Frazier II (high ankle sprain), who scored 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting — including making 6-of-8 shots from three-point range — in the first game between the two teams.

The Rebels had four players score in double figures in that matchup, with point guard Jarvis Summers scoring a team-high 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting.

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But Donovan knows keying in on one individual player will not be enough to stop a Rebels offense that ranks second in the SEC with 74.3 points per game.

"You can try to take Summers out offensively, if you want, by trying to trap and do those kinds of things," Donovan said, "but at the end of the day, between (LaDarius) White and (Stefan) Moody and a lot of other guys they have in the front court, it’s leaving those guys open. That’s why they’re a balanced, well-scoring team."

With Frazier out, Florida is going to look for more players — Chiozza included — to take a larger role on both sides of the ball.

"We just got to play good team defense, and just be bought in to our system, and not worry about one player in particular," Chiozza said. "Just play against them, and not just one player."

Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126

Chris Chiozza drives the ball into the paint during Florida's 68-61 loss to No. 1 Kentucky on Feb. 7, 2014 in the O'Connell Center.

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