MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Heading into its Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA on Thursday in Memphis, Tenn., Florida’s bench struggled to contribute consistently during the early part of the postseason.
In the Southeastern Conference Tournament, UF’s non-starters tallied just 36 of the team’s 189 points and 30 of 97 rebounds.
Freshman Kasey Hill and redshirt sophomore Dorian Finney-Smith scored 26 points during Florida’s 67-55 win against Albany in the Round of 64, but then managed only seven against Pittsburgh in the third round of the tournament. No one else off the bench logged a point in those two games.
But in UFs 79-68 win against UCLA in the Sweet 16 on Thursday — a game where starters Patric Young and Casey Prather each had four fouls with more than 10 minutes left to play — UF’s bench picked up the slack, scoring 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting and grabbing 15 rebounds against the Bruins.
“When those guys got in foul trouble, they had to depend on the guys that were coming off the bench,” Hill said. “We just had to step up to the challenge.”
In his 28 minutes on the court, Hill logged a game-high 10 assists while turning the ball over just twice. The freshman point guard also recorded six points and six rebounds.
“It’s great to see him and his development,” senior point guard Scottie Wilbekin said. He’s always been able to do that. He does it in practice all the time. It’s great to see him transitioning that to the game.”
Coach Billy Donovan has seen a sense of maturity from Wilbekin, who has mentored Hill throughout the season.
“Scottie’s invested a lot of time with Kasey, just trying to help him,” Donovan said.
“He could easily say to me, ‘Move Kasey to the two. Put the ball in my hands. I’m a senior.’ But he never does that. And he knows for our team to be better, those two guys playing together was going to be important.”
Hill and Wilbekin have built a relationship throughout the season, and the two have supported each other through it all.
“It was great to see Kasey dribbling, getting into the lane, finding guys and finishing,” Wilbekin said. "It’s cool to see him because throughout this year, I’ve gotten really close to him and I’m glad to see him playing well on the biggest stage.”
Added Hill: “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can from Scottie. He’s a great competitor and he’s clutch. That’s just what he does. He makes great plays.”
When No. 1 seed Florida (35-2) goes up against No. 11 seed Dayton (26-10) — a team that has nine players averaging at least 12.8 minutes per game — the Gators need Hill and the rest of the bench to continue making strides.
“(Dayton) has a lot of depth and so we’re not going to be able to play without those guys,” Wilbekin said. “We’re going to need them to be ready. … Everybody on this team needs to be ready to play and ready to give maximum effort.”
After being a non-factor during Florida’s matchups against Albany and Pittsburgh in Orlando, freshman Chris Walker made an impact against UCLA. In just six minutes, the Bonifay native scored seven points, grabbed three rebounds and blocked a first-half shot by Bruins guard Norman Powell.
“He did a great job, just being as aggressive as he could, playing with energy,” senior forward Casey Prather said. “When he plays with energy, a lot of good things happen for him and our team.”
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Kasey Hill looks to pass the ball during Florida's 79-68 win over UCLA on Thursday in the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn. Hill recorded a game-high 10 assists against the Bruins.
Chris Walker attempts a layup during Florida's 79-68 win over UCLA on Thursday in the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn. Walker scored seven points in six minutes off the bench against the Bruins.
