Florida is hoping its defensive meltdown against Vanderbilt was just a one-time affair.
With Kentucky coming to town tonight, UF is looking to rediscover the defensive mentality that helped it upset FSU and Michigan State earlier this season.
And the Gators simply can’t afford to guard the undefeated Wildcats like they did the Commodores, who scored 95 points Saturday — the most by a UF opponent this season.
“For us to even be in the game, we’re going to have to play defense and rebound,” junior forward Chandler Parsons said. “We have to compete on the defensive end because like we’ve said all year, we’re not afraid of shots not falling.
“We showed that against Vanderbilt. We just have to put them both together.”
UF will face a unique challenge against Kentucky, as the Wildcats rely more on their ability to score in transition and off the dribble than a set offense in their new dribble-drive attack introduced by first-year coach John Calipari.
With athletic guards well-suited to score off the dribble and a talented group of post players, UF coach Billy Donovan said Kentucky presents a nearly impossible defensive matchup for any team in the country.
“You’re probably dealing with three or four lottery picks on their team,” Donovan said. “There are not a lot of teams who can throw that out at you. They’re a team that can overwhelm you with size and talent.”
Kentucky guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe have thrived in the free-wheeling offense, which relies heavily on the play of its point guards.
Their ability to shoot, penetrate or find an open teammate has the Wildcats shooting 50 percent as a team and averaging 82.4 points per game.
“When you have guys that can go off the dribble like that, shrinking the floor, cutting down gaps, those types of things become very important,” Donovan said. “Kentucky certainly thrives in a spread floor situation, where the floor is very open, they can use their one-on-one ability.”
Donovan will look to his team’s press to disrupt Wall, Bledsoe and the rest of Kentucky’s perimeter players.
The Gators forced just seven turnovers Saturday, well below their average of 15.7 turnovers per game. This week, Donovan questioned some of his players’ decisions on when they chose to trap the Commodores’ guards, as poor decision-making allowed Vanderbilt to push the ball up the middle of the court.
Although the Gators’ full-court pressure hasn’t always been effective at forcing turnovers, it still serves to keep opponents out of rhythm offensively — something UF will have to do to have a chance against Kentucky.
“The press is always huge for us for creating turnovers and getting out in the open floor,” sophomore point guard Erving Walker said. “I’m sure they’ll make some good plays, but over the course of a game we can turn them over, too.”
