Coach Billy Donovan has watched his team struggle more this season than most of his former squads.
To Donovan, the struggles they have gone through this season are ones they need to experience.
It’s part of the process.
"As a coach, I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility to help them in their growth," Donovan said, "and their growth is not just between the lines on the court."
And that growth begins with finishing what they started.
Whether it is making it down the court without coughing up the ball, shooting a jumper or slamming down a dunk, Florida needs to make the most of each opportunity it is given.
And at more times than not this season, the Gators have been caught slipping, especially in the paint.
"That’s going to happen sometimes in the games," Donovan said. "But I think in and around the basket, we’ve got to do a better job of concentrating and finishing."
And to make sure his team finishes plays, Donovan is putting his players up against the biggest players he has at his disposal.
"We try to put John Egbunu and Schuyler Rimmer and Chris Walker at the rim and make our guys drive in there and work on angles and work on how to finish those kind of shots," he said.
When Florida (12-9, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) takes on Vanderbilt (11-10, 1-7 SEC) tonight at 9 in Nashville, the Gators will need to finish their shots in what some of the players consider a tough road environment.
The Commodores, who have a 9-3 record at home, are allowing opponents to make just 39.7 percent of their shots in Memorial Gym this season.
Add in the fact that Vanderbilt is making an SEC-best 37.1-percent of its three-pointers and has four players who have hit at least 19 three-pointers and are making at least 36.3 percent of their shots from downtown, and the Commodores can make for a tough matchup tonight.
"We’ll get in there and we’ll have plenty of time with shoot-around and those type of things to get acclimated to the place," Donovan said. "There were some guys who played there last year, so there is some familiarity. I think we’ll have plenty of time to prepare and get used to the building."
But while Vanderbilt has been successful at limiting opponents from scoring while at home, Florida has found ways to eek by its opponents even when its shots aren’t falling.
The Gators are 3-3 this season when making less than 40 percent of their baskets.
"Defense wins games," redshirt junior Dorian Finney-Smith said. "No matter how good or bad we shoot, if we can get stops we still have the opportunity to win."
The last time Florida played Vanderbilt on the road, Finney-Smith broke out of a shooting slump to lead the Gators to a 57-54 victory.
The forward scored a game-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting in addition to grabbing nine rebounds.
"I remember my teammates and the coaching staff, they stayed on me about staying aggressive. … They built confidence in me, even when I didn’t have confidence in myself," Finney-Smith said. "And that’s powerful. And when I hit them shots last year, it felt good."
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Billy Donovan looks down the court during Florida's 57-56 win against Arkansas on Saturday in the O'Connell Center.
