To say that Florida struggled against Tennessee on Wednesday would be putting it lightly.
Although UF’s stats against the Volunteers were fairly poor — the Gators shot 34.3 percent from the field while allowing Tennessee to shoot 47.0 percent — its effort left even more to be desired.
After the loss, coach Mike White didn’t mince words.
"I’ll try to be PG," he said. "Tennessee, wow. They whipped us. They destroyed us. They were better in every facet of the game. They played harder. They competed at a higher level. They were tougher."
When the coaching staff reviewed the first half’s film at halftime, White said they were shocked. The Gators played with almost no energy and frequently strayed away from their scouting reports.
"We had two or three guys, the scout on them all week was to make them bounce the basketball. Absolutely, whatever you do, you have to make them bounce the basketball," White said. "(We) didn’t do it one time in the first half."
White benched all five of his starters early in the second half, and the Gators responded with a 9-0 run down by 30 points and later with a 7-0 run with just under four minutes left in the second half.
But the deficit was too much to overcome.
"We’ve been a team that can’t make a free throw and can’t make a three, but we’ve fought every game and we’ve defended at a really high level," White said. "And I’m just disappointed that we didn’t do that tonight to give us a chance."
Where the Gators stand:
Fourteen games into its 31-game season, Florida ranks last in the Southeastern Conference in almost every offensive category.
The Gators rank last in field-goal percentage (41.6), free-throw percentage (.620), points per shot attempt (1.17), three-point percentage (.285) and are the only SEC team shooting below 30.5 percent from behind the arc.
Florida also ranks 11 out of 14 SEC teams in points per game and assists per game with 73.1 and 12.7, respectively.
"I’m just disappointed in our effort, the mental make-up, the character in which we played," White said after UF’s loss to Tennessee. "We were a different team tonight than Saturday. We were a different team than when we were at Michigan State, and it’s unacceptable. It’s not who we need to be as a program."
The bright side:
After committing 23 turnovers in its exhibition win against Palm Beach Atlantic on Nov. 5 and 32 combined over its next two games, turnovers were thought to be a pressing issue moving forward.
But the Gators fixed their sloppy passing and ball handling, and now lead the SEC with the least amount of turnovers, committing 10.7 per game. They also rank sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.19.
In addition, UF is tied for first with South Carolina with 42.4 rebounds per game and lead the conference in offensive rebounds with 14.6 per game. The Gators are getting second-chance opportunities, but they’re failing to convert them.
What’s next:
Florida hosts freshman Ben Simmons and Louisiana State on Saturday, fresh off of LSU’s 85-67 win over then-No. 9 Kentucky on Tuesday.
The multi-faceted Simmons leads the Tigers with 20.1 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.
LSU leads the SEC in three categories: points per game (84.3), field-goal percentage (47.8) and steals per game (9.1).
Tipoff is at 1:30 p.m. in the O’Connell Center.
Follow Ian Cohen on Twitter @icohenb
UF coach Mike White reacts after a play during Florida’s 77-63 win against Georgia on Jan. 2, 2016, in the O’Connell Center.
