Florida looks to maintain defensive dominance against Georgia

After losing to Auburn at home on Jan. 24, No. 14 Florida’s defense has been a crucial factor in the Gators’ dominance over the last three games.

During this duration, Florida held each opponent under its scoring averages, moving UF to second in the Southeastern Conference, allowing 71.2 points per game. Last time out, the Gators kept Texas A&M, the best 3-point shooting team in the conference before the game, quiet from beyond the arc.

Now, the Gators look to maintain their defensive dominance against Georgia on Wednesday, as the Bulldogs come into the game as one of the better offenses not only in the SEC but also in the nation.

“It’s incredibly important for us to continue to take pride in our physicality and our defense and our rebounding being our identity,” said Florida head coach Todd Golden. “It doesn’t have to be our whole identity, but it’s got to be a big part of it, because there are a lot of explosive teams in our league.”

Florida’s recent defensive success started on Jan. 28 in Columbia, South Carolina, against the Gamecocks. South Carolina entered the contest with the third-worst scoring offense in the conference, averaging 78.3 points per game, and Florida's defense took advantage. 

At the break, the Gamecocks recorded just 20 points on 24% shooting from the field. South Carolina finished the contest with 48 points on 25.9% shooting: their lowest scoring output of the season by 11 points.

The 95-48 victory for the Gators was their largest road win in program history.

Moreover, USC’s Meechie Johnson, who came into the game averaging a team-high 15.7 points per game, was limited to 10 points, going 25% from the field. The game marked the redshirt-senior’s second-lowest scoring output in SEC play after he logged 9 points against Vanderbilt on Jan. 3

“We guarded Meechie Johnson really well from three,” Golden said. “Didn’t let him get shots off.”

Florida’s defense also showed off through its rim protection. The Gators were plus-seven in blocks, including two each from Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Micah Handlogten. While Florida was minus-one in the turnover battle, they had an 18-9 advantage in points off takeaways.

“South Carolina is really hard to guard,” Golden said. “They play five guys that can shoot and pass, but obviously in the interior, they're not as tall or as physical as we are, and we were able to take advantage of that."

In the ensuing game, Florida hosted an Alabama team on Feb. 1 that had the No. 2 offense in the SEC, averaging 92 points per game. The Crimson Tide was also first in the nation, averaging 35.6 attempts from 3.

While Alabama shot 41% from beyond the arc on 34 attempts, Florida still prevailed 100-77 as a result of the defense’s ability to force the issue. The Gators finished plus-16 in the turnover battle and had a 25-0 advantage in points off turnovers.

Sophomore guard Boogie Fland led the Gators with eight steals, tying a program record set by  Clifford Lett, who had eight swipes against Georgia on Jan. 7, 1991. In the first half, the Bronx, New York, native had two steal-and-slam sequences.

Fland’s defensive matchup Labaron Philon Jr. came into Sunday leading Alabama with 22 points per outing, but he finished the game with 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting and a team-high five turnovers. This game was his lowest scoring output since he recorded 13 points against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Nov. 25.

“Boogie locked him up,” said Florida junior forward Thomas Haugh. “He was doing great the whole game. We’ve seen Philon go off in the SEC, but give credit to Boogie for his crazy good defense."

Most recently, Florida’s defense had arguably one of its more impressive efforts Saturday against Texas A&M.

The Aggies entered the contest shooting an SEC-best 37.6% from beyond the arc and ranked second in scoring offense, averaging 92 points per game. However, with a chance to be the sole team atop the conference standings for the first time since 2014, Florida rose to the occasion.

In the first half, the Gators put on a defensive clinic, holding the Aggies scoreless for 9:38. Moreover, it took Texas A&M 13 attempts to hit their first 3-pointer, which came with 6:53 left in the half. At the break, the Gators led 30-19, with their defense holding the Aggies to 17% shooting from the field and 7% from 3-point range.

By the end of the game, Florida’s defense kept A&M to 30.6% shooting from the field and 26.5% from 3 en route to an 86-67 win.

Rashaun Agee, who came into Saturday's game averaging a team-high 14.2 points per game, finished with 8 points on 2-of-13 shooting, missing all five of his attempts from 3. Saturday was his lowest-scoring effort in a full game this season since he logged 7 points against Oklahoma State on Nov. 9.

Moreover, Rylan Griffen and Rubén Domínguez, who were third (44.6%) and fifth (42.9%) in the conference for 3-point shooting percentage before the game, finished the contest a combined 2 for 10 from beyond the arc.

“Our guys did an incredible job of being on the scouting report,” Golden said. “Our guys did a really good job of getting them to take the shots that we wanted them to take.”

With these three defensive performances in the rear-view, Florida takes on another offensive juggernaut in Georgia on Wednesday. 

The Bulldogs are first in the conference and second nationally, averaging 91.9 points per game. They’re also seeking revenge after the Gators came out on top in the first meeting between the two this season, 92-77 on Jan. 6 in Gainesville.

At the forefront of Georgia’s offensive success are guards Blue Cain and Jeremiah Wilkinson; however, the latter was ruled out on Tuesday night.

Wilkinson, a sophomore, leads the team, averaging 17.1 points per game. He scored a season-high 32 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including 6 of 12 from 3, against Ole Miss on Jan. 14. In Gainesville, UF’s defense kept him quiet with a season-low 2 points on 1-of-9 shooting from the field.

Cain, who is averaging 13.2 points per outing, will likely have to take the leading role Wednesday. Against the Gators, the junior was limited to 8 points on 3-of-9 shooting, missing all four of his attempts from beyond the arc. At the time, that was his lowest scoring effort of the season.

Tipoff for Wednesday’s game in Athens, Georgia, is at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.

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