Florida Gators Looking to Put Slow Starts in Rearview Mirror

The Gators are looking to put a slew of slow starts against conference opponents in the rearview mirror after finding a formula for success in their last game.

It's not about how you start, but how you finish.

However, starting fast helps achieve a favorable outcome.

Falling behind by margins of seven (Auburn), 11 (Texas A&M), 13 (Georgia), eight (LSU) and 11 (Missouri) in the first half of the opening five games of league play, the inability to find a rhythm out of the gate became an evident trend for Florida. Despite the relative success during that stretch — going 3-2 — the formula isn't a sustainable practice when performing against the upper echelon of Southeastern Conference opponents.

On the road against Texas A&M, 14 days removed from a three-point loss in Gainesville, the struggles out of the gate reached a head as Florida made just two field goals in 26 attempts in the first half against the Aggies. The Gators posted 12 points through the first 20 minutes; as a result, falling behind Texas A&M to then have to dig themselves out of an 11-point hole in the second half.

The eventual loss, despite a 40-point second half, is directly correlated to the sputtering start-up Florida experienced.

"We definitely need to start better," head coach Todd Golden said. "I don't think it's a good strategy to be down seven points [or more] every game."

He addressed the slow starts, largely due to offensive inefficiency, before the contest against Mississippi State on Saturday. He spoke candidly about the difficulties to adjust when failing to post points despite decent looks from the field.

“Every team we're going up against every night is pretty good and well-coached and it's tough to score out there,” he said. “It's that toughness about being mentally and physically tough that even when you're not seeing the ball go through the hoop a little bit, you stay the course.”

“I think we got to find a way to find more easy baskets early in the game to lift the lid off the top of the rim. We've continued to get better. We just got to be a little more efficient in the first half."

In Starkville, Miss., Florida finally created an early spark to lead 11-3 at the first media timeout as Colin Castleton, Will Richard and Alex Fudge knocked down triples while Kyle Lofton connected on a midrange bucket.

The noticeable outlier during SEC play was a sign of improvement as Florida took the game to the Bulldogs instead of letting it come to them. That, evidently, was a focal point heading in, according to Richard's assessment of the early lapses on Friday before tip-off.

"I feel like we're waiting for the game to come to us instead of going out there, attacking, being the aggressor to start so I feel like we've just got to come out more aggressive and try to make things happen on our own," he said. 

The Gators hope to replicate what happened at Mississippi State as they play host to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Wednesday night. However, they'll likely do so without Fudge as he recovers from a head injury suffered in the previous outing, forcing Florida's "small ball" lineup to shoulder a heavy load on both ends of the court.

Luckily for UF, the combination of Richard at Fudge's forward spot with Kowacie Reeves Jr. or Riley Kugel filling into the three spot has presented fruitful returns, namely when the trio operates on the court simultaneously at the two, three and four.

"Their ability to guard multiple positions, really anything one through four they can guard, that's given us a big lift in conference play," Golden said about the three talented wing players. 

"The fact that we can play those lineups and be as good as we were previously defensively and pretty damn close to being as good as we were on the glass, allows us to play with more space offensively, I think that's kind of a big reason why we've been able to get going a little bit."

If Florida can find a way to get the nation’s 115th-rated offense per Kenpom.com started quickly to supplement the 15th-best defense, then the opportunity of winning exponentially increases.

An 8-11 South Carolina team presents them an opportunity to test their current formula before a rough stretch of opponents begins against No. 5 Kansas State on Saturday.

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