Three Takeaways From Gators' 90-68 Drubbing of Razorbacks

Outlining three takeaways from the Gators' bounce-back victory over the Razorbacks on Saturday in Gainesville.

Florida dominated in nearly every area on Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Bouncing back from their 18-point loss on the road to the Ole Miss Rebels, the Gators broke the seal of winning in the Southeastern Conference with a convincing 90-68 victory over the struggling Hogs.

Now, instead of asking questions regarding the unit's poor form, the attention moves back to their fortitude for a postseason run.

They get No. 6 Tennessee in Knoxville on Tuesday. One could argue their toughest challenge to date — and they'd probably be convincing.

However, before moving on to the next matchup, we're reflecting on the Gators' successes against the Hogs.

Given the timeline of the season, what Florida is and isn't good at is well-established.

So, while maintaining positive play in facets of preexisting strength was important, Saturday's focal point was about areas in which the Gators were previously lackluster. On an individual game basis, Florida seemingly found itself against Arkansas, laying another brink of foundation for the tournament-caliber roster to build on.

Below are three ways All Gators believes it did so.

Riley Kugel answered Todd Golden's call

After he appeared for just under four minutes in Florida's ugly loss to Ole Miss, guard Riley Kugel and head coach Todd Golden had a one-on-one discussion to re-calibrate expectations.

Well, whatever message Golden sent, Kugel clearly received it.

Accounting for 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting (2-for-3 from deep), five rebounds, two steals and one block during the outing, the once highly regarded sophomore performed at a high unmatched since Florida's back-to-back losses to Baylor and Wake Forest in late November. He combined for 49 points in those contests, showcasing his dynamic shot-creating and shot-making skills that earned him vast preseason recognition.

That play quickly fleeted in the ensuing contests, though.

His sophomore slump has been a notable storyline regarding the Gators throughout the 2023-24 campaign. He was supposed to be the guy for Florida this season; expected to build on the uber-successful 10-game stretch he had to end his freshman season.

But that hasn't been the case.

He found success early in the year but proved ineffective as a scorer in December. The most glaring negative was Kugel's 2-for-24 mark beyond the arc in a six-game stretch, embodying his overall struggle.

The adversity seemingly took Kugel out of his game in all facets at times, although bursts of energy, effort and uncanny athleticism emerged to remind people of his NBA Draft lottery talents.

His regression in play reached a head against the Rebels, where he missed all three shot attempts he took, failed to record another stat and showed little signs of life in other areas. 

Golden accordingly removed Kugel from the rotation.

The tiff between the second-year head coach and his prized pupil seemed troubling for Florida at the time, as question marks surrounded arguably its most skilled player amid an 18-point loss that dropped UF to 0-2 in league play.

But, instead of letting the tension fester, Golden and Kugel sat down. Golden spoke glowingly of the discussion, suggesting productive steps were taken. Saturday's actions from Kugel backed up Golden's words, as he once again performed as an elite-caliber guard talent in several ways.

"I told you guys yesterday," Golden said postgame on Saturday, "we met, made sure we had a good understanding of the expectations moving forward, and it was just kind of a re-set, a re-calibration, and it was needed. It happens, man. It's a long season. Things can go up, they can go down, but the reality is we're not the best versions of ourselves unless Riley Kugel is playing well and you guys can see with your own eyes today."

Kugel did more than score, too. He attacked 50/50 balls, cut off passing lanes, forced turnovers in on-ball defense and turned defense into offense by pushing the rock in transition.

Sure, 20 points in a complete bounce-back performance — a microcosm of the larger picture for UF — are comforting for Kugel and the unit moving forward. However, his prowess playing on the attack in all aspects resulted in the Gators' +21 standing when he was on the court and, ultimately, a 22-point win.

"The way he attacked the game, you can tell from the jump that this guy was going to have a good effort, a good night and he just played incredibly well," Golden said. "Obviously, the offense was really good, but he continues when locked in like that to be an elite defender, plus-21 in the game in 26 minutes, obviously really efficient offensively, and when he plays like that obviously our ceiling gets a lot higher." 

It goes without saying: Florida is better when Kugel's offensive game is ticking.

But the Gators as a whole don't always need the talented three-level shot creator to load up the points column on the stat sheet. Other capable pieces can pick up the slack when he has an off night, a newfound luxury for UF this year compared to last.

Instead, the most essential part of his game is that he plays with purpose and conviction. It makes him better, thus elevating Florida's performance as well.

He shined by doing so on Saturday, and the style in which he did it suggests it isn't a one-off. 

Kugel is back.

Florida played with more physicality around the rim

When Florida walked off the floor in Oxford, true freshman center Alex Condon condemned the Gators' lackluster effort on the defensive end.

"Have some pride and not be happy taking the ball out of the net every possession." he memorably stated.

A repeat of Ole Miss — a game in which Florida was blocked 16 times, shot 45% at the rim and allowed 42 points in the paint to the Rebels — couldn't happen against the Hogs. 

Remaining defensively sound and within individual assignments was the focal point, but an evident desire to play stronger around the rim on both sides of the floor shined in UF's dominant display against Arkansas.

Condon led the unit in the impressive defensive uptick in the first half, grabbing six boards with three blocks in his 11 minutes of action.

Tyrese Samuel and Micah Handlogten followed his lead in the frontcourt, as the Florida bigs bumped with Arkansas for boards on both ends and contested shots at the basket defensively. The former recorded his seventh double-double of the season as he accounted for 17 points and 11 rebounds. Handlogten added five points, nine rebounds and two steals.

The backcourt also found sustained success inside through smarter tries at the cup. Walter Clayton Jr. used the high glass with an assortment of scoop layups early, Zyon Pullin produced via his patent midrange floater in the lane, and Kugel utilized his controlled athleticism to finish at the rim consistently, including several emphatic slams. 

Overall, Florida's incremental improvement resulted in connecting on 53% of shots at the rim for 38 points in the paint. 

The Gators were still blocked eight times, but the swats weren't as detrimental as the ball didn't remain inbounds to illicit transition points from Arkansas the way it did for Ole Miss. Ultimately, shot selection plays a factor there. 

It was a 180-degree turnaround from the loss to the Rebels, and they'll aim to build on it moving forward to add another necessary dimension to their already elite scoring prowess.

Free throw shooting saw notable improvement

The Gators' struggles at the charity stripe this season are well-documented. Despite being top ten in free throw attempts per game, a testament to the unit's pace and ability to draw fouls, they've knocked down just 65.9% of their attempts (No. 314) from the line on the year.

The woes most recently hampered them from producing an upset over the No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats.

As a result, any sign of refinement in the area warrants praise. Florida showed improvement on Saturday.

The Gators saw Pullin — one of the top foul-drawing guards in the country — Will Richard, Kugel, Condon and Kajus Kublickas take trips to the stripe. They missed just three of their 17 combined attempts for the quintet to shoot over 80%.

Poor free-throw shooters in Samuel and Handlogten stayed relatively away from the line, as the latter shot three and made one. But, a healthy free throw percentage can be just as much about who's getting fouled as making the shots, especially at the collegiate level.

Nonetheless, the shots still have to fall. Florida saw them do so, finishing at 75% on the evening in Gainesville to supplement their 90-point, 49.3% from the floor, and 36% from beyond-the-arc shooting outing.

Now, the focus shifts to replicating the increased efficiency in the ensuing contests, starting against a stingy Tennessee defense on the road, where those free points will be valuable.

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